HELP.... Another Sway Bar Install Question
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
HELP.... Another Sway Bar Install Question
Ok, I know I'm an idiot, and not all that mechanically inclined, so please be gentle....
Just installed a Z06 Front Sway bar on my 2004 Vert. Now that everything is done, the driver's side portion of the bar is almost touching the lower A-Arm (can barely get a sheet of paper between the two). The passenger's side is much better, with maybe a quarter inch or more space.
So. 1) What's the issue and will it adjust itself or can it be adjusted?
2) Can I drive it like this?
Any answers to questions I haven't asked?
Here's a picture of the driver's side almost touching.
and the passenger's side with room.
Just installed a Z06 Front Sway bar on my 2004 Vert. Now that everything is done, the driver's side portion of the bar is almost touching the lower A-Arm (can barely get a sheet of paper between the two). The passenger's side is much better, with maybe a quarter inch or more space.
So. 1) What's the issue and will it adjust itself or can it be adjusted?
2) Can I drive it like this?
Any answers to questions I haven't asked?
Here's a picture of the driver's side almost touching.
and the passenger's side with room.
Last edited by kvozel; Apr 30, 2007 at 08:48 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
Come on you experts, help me out. I know I'm being impatient, but can I drive it like this?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 989
Likes: 8
From: Chino Ca.
Keith, the bar is in backwards (ask me how I know this)!
Take it out, spin it 180*, Rotate it, and put it back in. It took me a long time to realize what the problem was. Who would think it would go in either way?
Take it out, spin it 180*, Rotate it, and put it back in. It took me a long time to realize what the problem was. Who would think it would go in either way?
Last edited by DIXZ; Apr 30, 2007 at 10:05 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
Keith, one thing that came to mind was that you lowered the front. If it is uneven lowering, that might explain the difference from one side to the other.
It may be beneficial to re-measure the lowering heights again to see if there was some recent settling (possibly more on one side than the other) ???
if that's not it, then I'd give DIXZ's idea a try.
.
Last edited by Mike Mercury; Apr 30, 2007 at 10:12 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
That's an interesting proposition, but as Tim said, we "assume" it is right because we compared it to the original. But, that doesn't mean it is correct.
Also, I "assume" we used the correct bar. The front bar is the larger one, correct?
Last edited by kvozel; Apr 30, 2007 at 10:33 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 989
Likes: 8
From: Chino Ca.
That is correct Brian.
The easy way to tell if the front bar is correct is that the center (between the insulators) should be lower than the insulators. If not try reversing it. I am having a hard time as the pictures don't give me the clues I want. If the center is lower I will stand corrected and shut up!
The easy way to tell if the front bar is correct is that the center (between the insulators) should be lower than the insulators. If not try reversing it. I am having a hard time as the pictures don't give me the clues I want. If the center is lower I will stand corrected and shut up!
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
Likes: 249
From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Actually, there is nothing wrong and your installation is o.k. too. On my stock Z06's front end I have exactly the same situation. It has been lowered and has different shocks, but the sway bar has not been removed or reinstalled and I have less clearance on one side than the other. If you see any evidence that it has been hitting you could make a little extra clearance in the control arm. You will probably notice there are relief notches already cast into the arms right where the sway bar crosses it. I have had my vehicle's ride height professionally adjusted along with the alignment done at a well qualified race shop, they do race cars for GM, and the clearance is different on one side from the other. I hope this eases your mind.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
Actually, there is nothing wrong and your installation is o.k. too. On my stock Z06's front end I have exactly the same situation. It has been lowered and has different shocks, but the sway bar has not been removed or reinstalled and I have less clearance on one side than the other. If you see any evidence that it has been hitting you could make a little extra clearance in the control arm. You will probably notice there are relief notches already cast into the arms right where the sway bar crosses it. I have had my vehicle's ride height professionally adjusted along with the alignment done at a well qualified race shop, they do race cars for GM, and the clearance is different on one side from the other. I hope this eases your mind.
That certainly does ease my mind. At least I think I will be able to sleep tonight. Thanks.
DIXZ,
I will check the orientation of the bar tomorrow. Can't get to it tonight.
Stay tuned.
Thanks for the input.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 989
Likes: 8
From: Chino Ca.
Best of luck guys! I'll stay tuned.
I have upgraded to the T1 bars which are a lot larger than the Z06 and I can get my whole hand wrapped around the bar between the bar and the LCA.
I'll tune in tomorrow.
Dick>
I have upgraded to the T1 bars which are a lot larger than the Z06 and I can get my whole hand wrapped around the bar between the bar and the LCA.
I'll tune in tomorrow.
Dick>
Pro
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 731
Likes: 9
From: Ivins, Utah
kvozel, yours does seem to be closer than mine, mine has about the clearance as your passenger side.
When I was installing mine I was able to move the bar, a little bit, one way or the other to gain a little more clearance.
I do not see how one could "wrap thier hand all the way around the bar"
When I was installing mine I was able to move the bar, a little bit, one way or the other to gain a little more clearance.
I do not see how one could "wrap thier hand all the way around the bar"
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
I looked this morning and the center portion does dip down. Maybe not completely below the bar, but it is lower. I took some pictures but unfortunately forgot to bring my camera cable to work.
I did go over to the dealer this morning to get my oil changed, and I am having them look at it. I'll keep you posted.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
kvozel, yours does seem to be closer than mine, mine has about the clearance as your passenger side.
When I was installing mine I was able to move the bar, a little bit, one way or the other to gain a little more clearance.
I do not see how one could "wrap thier hand all the way around the bar"
When I was installing mine I was able to move the bar, a little bit, one way or the other to gain a little more clearance.
I do not see how one could "wrap thier hand all the way around the bar"
Mine is lowered too, but only 3 turns per side; where I remember keith saying he got 5 maybe 6 turns on each side.
I looked this morning and the center portion does dip down.
looks like you're back to considering that one side got lowered more than the other ????
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
Ok sports fans, here's the update.
As I said, since I needed an oil change anyway, I took the car over to my dealer (Voss in Centerville) and had them look at it. Dave the Corvette tech worked on it for about an hour, got it adjusted a bit, but then determined that the bar was bent slightly. That is apparently why the driver's side was low. So.................
Since I bought these from Bob Wendorff at Fichtner Chevrolet, I quickly gave him a call. As usual, the gang at Fichtner comes through with great service. Another front bar is being shipped today, and unless GM asks for the current one back, I don't even need to go through the hassle of shipping the old one back.
I'll continue to drive with the current one, since Dave says it won't hurt anything under "normal" driving. Just a pain in the "you know what" to do it again, but I guess I'm getting good at this mechanical crap
Thanks for all your inputs and ideas, I'll update again after the new bar comes in.
BTW Tim,
Up for another install party
As I said, since I needed an oil change anyway, I took the car over to my dealer (Voss in Centerville) and had them look at it. Dave the Corvette tech worked on it for about an hour, got it adjusted a bit, but then determined that the bar was bent slightly. That is apparently why the driver's side was low. So.................
Since I bought these from Bob Wendorff at Fichtner Chevrolet, I quickly gave him a call. As usual, the gang at Fichtner comes through with great service. Another front bar is being shipped today, and unless GM asks for the current one back, I don't even need to go through the hassle of shipping the old one back.
I'll continue to drive with the current one, since Dave says it won't hurt anything under "normal" driving. Just a pain in the "you know what" to do it again, but I guess I'm getting good at this mechanical crap
Thanks for all your inputs and ideas, I'll update again after the new bar comes in.
BTW Tim,
Up for another install party
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
Oh, BTW, a shameless plug for Voss Chevrolet....
He worked on the car for over an hour, charged me NOTHING ! ! ! !
Last edited by kvozel; May 1, 2007 at 03:04 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,799
Likes: 1
From: Dayton Ohio
I'm glad it worked out for you, Keith. You'll love the bars, and I noticed that you also installed a cat-back recently. The fever has set in.
Thanks for the heads-up about Voss. I'll definitely ask for Dave when I bring it in.
Thanks for the heads-up about Voss. I'll definitely ask for Dave when I bring it in.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 61
From: Centerville OH "If we weren't all crazy we would go insane"
CI 3-4-5-6-7 & 9 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08
UPDATE:
Finally got around to installing the new front bar tonight. It went on perfectly, and both sides have sufficient (proper?) clearance of the lower A-Arm. So I guess Dave at Voss was correct and the first bar was bent.
Thanks to all for your insight, and thanks to Bob Wendorff at Fichtner for replacing the bar without any questions or issues.
Yeeeee HA !
Finally got around to installing the new front bar tonight. It went on perfectly, and both sides have sufficient (proper?) clearance of the lower A-Arm. So I guess Dave at Voss was correct and the first bar was bent.
Thanks to all for your insight, and thanks to Bob Wendorff at Fichtner for replacing the bar without any questions or issues.
Yeeeee HA !