mrcheeze36 Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 Hi All! I was going to do this conversion in the near future and was wondering if anyone has already done this. I wanted to get some sway bars but was unsure if there are any fitment issues with the CV conversion. Here are my choices: -MSA -ST -Addco Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 PM Terry (BlueOvalZ). He's done a workaround for the Susp Tech bar. I think there is an issue with the MSA bar too, not sure. Never seen the Addco, so I can't give any help there... Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-Gad Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 I had issues with the rear sway bar when I swapped to CV's. I ended up picking up a shorter bolt for the sway bar to clear the CV shaft. I believe Rick Bowers did the same, as he and I this conversation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeder Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 Yup, I had a problem with the links from the A-arm ripping the outer CV boots. I have the Suspension Techniques 7/8" bar, but I think this problem will occur on most any bar you use. My solution was the same as 'Gad's - Got a shorter bolt for the link and eliminated the spacer in the center of the link. Funny thing about this- When I first did my CVs I did shorten the link with a shorter bolt, but still had a little spacer in there. I put the car on the ground and watched while it was bounced by someone standing in the rear deck area. The link never came closer than 1/4" to the boot, but after a pass down the dragstrip with shocks set to soft I had ripped boots. I've had no problem with the no-spacer setup and there is no difference that I can discern with sway bar performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 Doesn't the sway bar hit the control arm at full compression??? It seems like it would if you had no spacer in between the bushings. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speeder Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 The sway bar and control arm on my car ((77 280Z) stay pretty much parallel throughout the travel. with this setup. After redoing tthe boots and swaybar links I checked the fit by getting the car up on a lift and using a tie-down strap to pull the car down. I think 240Zs have a different rear swaybar mount, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Well that would be a heck of a lot easier than what Terry did (maybe he needed a different size bar). He used a totally different bar, cut the ends off and used a shorter end link. Just using a shorter bolt = EASY. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted February 12, 2004 Share Posted February 12, 2004 Jon, I can't argue with that. It would have been easier, but I found that with a very short spacer (or none at all), I became concerned over 1) reduced flexibility in the link, 2) the sway bar hitting the control arm at full compression, 3) the control arm's motion is in an arc that is perpendicular to the arc the sway bar travels in, and thus the increased resistance to any lateral movement between the two without a spacer to lengthen the link (see 1). In addressing problem 2, one could mount the bar higher than the control arm so that the bar's arms angled downward toward the control arm so that they were no longer parallel with the ground, but in doing so, you exasperate problem 3 (which would then produce a tension/compression movement on the bar's mounts with every up and down motion the control arm makes). This is why I went to the pains of the modified bar. With the Stanza links (ball and socket design), I gained some flexibility over the poly bushings (on one side of the link anyway), and my bar stays well clear of the control arm, and I finally quit tearing the boots as well, so after 3 separate bars, I found a keeper, and it was the easiest one to modify. The "cut and weld" ends only took one afternoon to do, and I'd do this even with an OEM bar just to gain the use of current design bar links (ball and socket arrangement). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z2NV Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Please indulge this poor ignoramous...I just pulled an R230 assembly today to put in my '73. I intended to mount the sway bar behind the vertical supports that intersect with the moustache bar, typical application for 240s... I believe. Are the problems that you are discussing in "NASA-speak" (BlueOvalZ) related to the later style mount (in front of the diff)? If not, then I guess I can add one more headache in my hybridization... :~( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 R230? I was making a bad assumption that you were using the R200. The halfshaft assemblies on the R230 will be slightly different from what I remember in posts I've seen showing photos of the boots. IF the problems with the 230 shafts are the same, then the remedies posted by shortening the end links of the sway bar may provide some clearance. I chose a more "complicated" option of modifying the ends of the sway bar itself (to allow a longer link) because I feel the longer the links are, the better the sway bar will work (reduced binding and friction at the links). An ideal sway bar link has no resistance to link rotation in any direction, and a swaybar link with little to no spacer has a great deal of resistance built into the link due to shearing motion as the suspension moves up and down. A link (especially a long one) turns this shearing into a lateral rotational motion of the parts, which results in much less resistance, and thus, better suspension control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z2NV Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Two different people, with slightly different applications. I am not the author of the original thread; but, came in 'late in the fourth quarter'. Just trying to understand if I should be mounting the sway bar behind the diff with my R230, and how I modify the ends as Terry spoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I personally like the rear mounted bars better because you can use a smaller diameter wire (because the center section of the bar is shorter) to give the same resistance to twisting compared to a front mounted longer and thicker bar, which also translates to a lighter bar as well. On a rear bar I used, I increased the bend angles on either side of the center portion just a bit so that I could lop off the ends and weld new pieces on that would accept the current factory design of bar links present on todays cars (Stanze for example). Eliminating the bushings on top and replacing them with this type of link provided the clearance I needed to keep from tearing boots throughout the entire suspension travel range. Here is a picture of the finished ends: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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