I have two questions about sway bars, so I will put both of theme here:

1. My rear end has started an interesting habit. From time to time, it seems to want to "walk" is the best way I can describe it. It feels like it is pulling to one side for a second, and then it returns to normal. I have only noticed this during brakig turns, but it may do it other times as well. I'm not much of a mechanic, but I think it may be my sway bar or bushings. Could this be it?

2. I know there are many sway bars - hollow, solid, large, small. I am now thinking about replacing the front and rear swaybars. What kind are they best and is bigger better?

Thanks.

 

Check your pan hard rod.

Kat

 

Parn hard rod? Is that the diagnol piece that runs from the fram to the rear axles? If not, what is it? Thanks.

 

well thats your upper panhard bar....there should also be one that runs flat across directly underneath it....if you dont have that, there's your problem. As for sway bars, I jsut installed my chrome-moly Spohn ones.....too cool is all I gotta say

 

Those Spohn sway bars looks good. Black I think. Ok, I think I remember seeing the part you are talking about, but it is now dark and the muffler is still hot, so I will look for that tomorrow. I will check back in tommorow and tell you guys if I can see the problem.

 

What exactly should I be looking for? A worn bushing, a loose blot, a worn piece or what? If that is the problem, can I fix it myself, or should I take it somewhere?

 

get under a look around before u spend money.. look to see if any of that stuff is mission or worn... but i think it would be your panhard bar.

 

there's my panhard rod.. i guess use this pic as a location reference.. I suggest you take a good look at your panhard rod's bushings, it sounds like they could be the culprit.

 

I would tend to lean towards a bad LCA bushing that is flexing the arm longer on one side during hard braking and making the axle steer that why until the braking is lightened up and stablized.

Under throttle, the LCA's will force shorter, under braking they want to pull longer. Bad rubber bushings will allow this movement.
It could be just one bad collapsed section of bushing that is allowing too much movement in only the rear direction of the 360* rubber portion.

 

I looked around at the bushings and didn't see any damageed bushings; that doesn't mean that they aren't, just that I didn't see them. What is the LCA? Lower control arm? Where is that? DId you get that panhard rod from Spohn? Did it make a difference?

 

Does Eibach or any other company make factory upgrade springs that aren't lower ing springs? I want to replace mine, but I don't want the extra expense of having to lower the car. Are the Moog springs any good? I already have new shocks, struts, ball joints, tie rod ends. I am planning to get springs, new aftermarket sway bars and the panhard bar. Are there anything else that I should get to improve my suspension and handling?

 

One of my friend's camaros did this not too long ago. It shook like crazy during braking. I got under the car and poked my head in right behind the passenger's rear wheel and had him shake the car laterally. The Passenger's side panhard bushing was really worn. I told him to get the Energy Suspension one from Summit (I was placing an order at the time). Turns out that was the whole problem. Strange thing is the old one looked perfectly fine...

To replace in 10 minutes (assuming no frozen bolts):
·Jack both rear wheels and support the frame with jack stands (don't put them under the LCAs)
·Pull both rear wheels
·Pull both panhard bar bolts
·Lightly tap the bar ends with a hammer to drop the bar
·Heat the round metal bushing carrier ends with a torch
·Press out with a 20:1 arbor press (Harbor Freight - $40)
·New ones go in in a snap and the whole piece bolts in w/o a problem

Hope it helps!

{edit]: I just reread that you're gonna get a new aftermarket panhard bar -- just left his up in case anyone else who hasn't done it needs to know. I went with a full polygraphite aftermarket bushing set, moog springs (I like all their stuff), KYB shocks/spring dampers -- in all about $300-$350 and WELL worth it. The last piece I need to do is my torque arm mount which I will be getting to Saturday when I do my rear swap!

 

Thanks. I think I am going to do a full aftermarket replacement of most of the suspension components. I'm glad that I can get a good set of springs and not have to lower the car. That might be the thing I should do, but there is more time involved in it than I wanna spend. Maybe if I could find find .5 inch springs, then I would, but trying to park when you live on a hill is enough of a pain without a lowered car.

Oh, are the LCAs the metal bar that runs from the area where
the shock mounts to the axle and into the fram in front of the car? Somebody mentioned them earlier, but never told me what they are exactly what they are. All this is helpfull, but unfortunatly, going to get expensive.

 

yeah.. They are.

 

I saw the tubular A-arms and the coil over kits. If I want to go this route, what do I do about the new front springs I buy in the kit with the rear. Can I get just rear springs?

 

There's only one panhard rod (or track bar), it's the one that runs from the bracket on the axle to the bracket on the other side of the frame. The upper piece connecting the frame rails is the track bar brace.

 

Track bar. Much easier to say without getting funny looks.

What is the bar that runs from the front of the car and connects to the rear differential?

 

That's the torque arm.

Actually it looks like the aftermarket is using the terms upper and lower, so forget about what I said.

 

sorry for calling it the 'upper panhard bar'...meant to put it in quotes as I did not know the tech name for it, and knew there was only one bar.

 

That's ok. As long as I knew what to get to fix it. That is just a funny name for something. I browsed around on Spohn for all the parts I want for my car and I came to a total of $1850. I think I will buy it one piece at a time..... I am gonna get the track bar now and maybe the complete sway bar set a little later. Do the coil-overs and a-arms help handling and control noticably?

 

I replaced the pan hard a while ago and it took out most of the play, but there is still a little.... I am guessing LCAs... Oh, well. I will replace those when I do the rear end assembly and springs. I also got the wonder bar. Those two things have made a difference in the cornering etc.