TimZ Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Okay... tonight I started test-fitting things with the my one good CV adaptor, and I have an interference problem with the sway bar. Not a big surprise - I was pretty sure that this would happen to some extent. This is a '78 280Z, BTW, and I'm sing the ST 7/8" rear bar. Out of all the people that got in on the group purchase, somebody else must have had the same problem - any clever solutions? I could try shortening the links, but it will end up being _really_ short in order for everything to clear. Or, I could make the links longer, so that the bar is above the CV joint, but I think that the bar will crash into the underbody with suspension travel. Or, I could relocate the sway bar pickup points - ick. That's about all I could think of, offhand - any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 If i remember correctly shortening the endlinks will make your bar "stiffer" in the rear. May be a good thing. I dunno Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 i have same sway bar on 77.i was thinking about cutting off ends and welding a 2x2 piece of square tube below new end on control arm the putting a frame clamp and bushing (the kind of hold down on front sway bar to frame)on top of 2x2.i have just put parts aside for know.my car is not for drag racing-it is used for sears point ,laguna seca,and thunderhill.i have spent 3 years getting it to handle good enough to out run some race cars.know i REALLY dont like messing with handling.i have some parts around that were tried and then pulled off .expensive r&d. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimZ Posted April 11, 2001 Author Share Posted April 11, 2001 Shortening the links shouldn't change the stiffness of the bar, unless they are so short that the travel is limited, due to something binding somewhere. (This is what I'm worried about with that solution, BTW) I think that you are thinking of shortening the length of the sway bar arms - that will increase the stiffness of the bar. Also, stiffening the bar isn't necessarily good or bad - it just changes your understeer/oversteer balance. Stiffer rear bar increases oversteer. Stiffer front bar increases understeer. [This message has been edited by TimZ (edited April 10, 2001).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 I am still running the stock sway bar on my 77 but I guess I will have something to look forward to on the install of my CV adapters. Ick is right. Still, it has got to be done. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 TimZ, when you say one good CV adaptor, are you sayin the shop did one correct and screwed up the other? ------------------ Scottie 71 240GN-Z Scottie's GNZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsil Posted April 11, 2001 Share Posted April 11, 2001 Yea, I ran into the same problem. I used shorter bolts and discarded the center "sleeve" of the link. Then I bolted it together. Makes it tough to bolt iton since it's a bit offset and the longer link accomodates that, but doable. You can kind of see it in this pic: http://zcar.netdojo.com/upload/mvc-354s.jpg At least you can see how much space there will be. I will see if it makes a difference in the stiffness. Al ------------------ http://zcar.netdojo.com My Upcoming Solo Album Site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimZ Posted April 11, 2001 Author Share Posted April 11, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Scottie-GNZ: TimZ, when you say one good CV adaptor, are you sayin the shop did one correct and screwed up the other? Yes, that's right. My shop screwed one of the adaptors up when they welded them together. When I received them from you, they were fine. Sorry- I had just posted about the screwup in the "Driveline" forum the night before- hope I didn't make anybody think that I was talking about the adaptors as I received them from you - this was not the case. [This message has been edited by TimZ (edited April 11, 2001).] [This message has been edited by TimZ (edited April 11, 2001).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 Hey Tim, What did you end up doing to resolve the interference problem? I'm currently in the same dilemma and was wondering what others have done to get more clearance. Thanks, Ruben '72 240Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 And as a follow on, Please keep me in the loop on this, as it MAY effect how we (ZF Racing) make the rear control arms... Ruben has my tubular arms, which SHOULD provide more clearance, but not much... I also thought running the CVs required mounting up the sway bar off the mustache bar... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 Mike; I currently run the sway bar off the uprights (actually, off the plate that replaced the OEM uprights) and it can cause problems with interference on the rubber boots around the CV joints. A properly modified bar can be made to avoid the CV joint boots in just about all conditions except full droop. A compromise must be reached because if the links are made too short (bar will run under the joint) then the bar will hit the OEM control arm at full compression. Too long and then the bar will hit the boot at full droop. So a compromise must be reached. I modified the ends of the bar to gain additional clearance here, but it was still very close. I will look again at the possibility of mounting the bar above the shafts, but I believe that at a typical "lowered" ride height that most modified Z cars have, the interference between the bar ends and the subframe in that area will exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 Mike, I hope you don't mind my posting this here. Don't want you to think I'm discarding your advice, just want to see what others have done before doing any more work. I'm hoping someone has come up with a brilliant easy solution (LOL, it could happen). Ruben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 Terry, How much clearance do you have between the CV boots and the sway bar? Does the clearance change when cornering and on uneven roads? Ruben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 On that same subject; I had to re-boot my CVs for the same reason, this week while I had my car down for a coilover conversion. I'm a little leary of installing everything back the way it was until I hear of a good fix from you guys on this subject. BTW, V.B. sells OEM quality boots. My question is, what would leaving the rear sway bar off do for normal street driving? Would my car ride way differnt?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 My solution thus far is a combination of two approaches. First, I re-evaluated how I wanted to set my suspension up. Instead of the stiff/weak spring approach (F/R) using a rather large bar in back as worked well in the past, I instead reversed the spring rates so that it was weak/stiff (again F/R). Then I used a much thinner rear bar that was modified (bent) in a way so that it curved around the boot rather than a straight shot against the boot. I've not yet been able to push the car to the limits on a skid pad to determine the final outcome, but under normal driving conditions, the balance appears to be fairly neutral. This (west coast?) approach at the suspension settings seems to favor this problem with boot interference. I feel at this point that complete removeal of the rear bar may even be possible, but only the skid pad will tell me for sure at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 Ruben, Nope I don't mind at all...we're all learning and I need as much info as I can to make the parts better in the long run... And Terry is right, it is the uprights (Not the mustach bar) that you mount the sway bar to. I just did win an adjustable rear sway bar and the uprights on ebay ($50) and it is a nice setup that allows some adjustment...I'll mock that up and see what that gets us... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianz Posted December 7, 2002 Share Posted December 7, 2002 A bit off topic but may help... I too have the ST rear setup and noticed that the sway bar ends don't line up above the end link holes in the swing arms (sway bar arms are too long). This can cause binding in the end links and will be compounded by shortening them. I've seen a few guys make spacers for the sway bar brackets that move the sway bar back aligning the holes for the end links..... hope this helps good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Posted December 7, 2002 Share Posted December 7, 2002 Mike, I saw in Ground Control's website the uprights with their sway bar kits. Perhaps I can just order the mounting hardware from them and see how it fits. Anyone else have CV's and rear sway bars? Scottie, Pete... Ruben '72 240Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted December 8, 2002 Share Posted December 8, 2002 No rear bar. But when I go from 300 to 225 lb/in springs back there, I'm wondering if I'll want one. I rode in a friends V8 240Z that had cut down 240Z springs, a 280Z front bar, no rear bar, and 275 tires in the rear (235 front). It handled pretty neutral, as far as I felt like pushing it. My setup also has that 22mm 280Z bar up front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruben Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 When mounting the rear sway bar from the uprights, do the sway bar links attach to the control before or after the CV axel? Does anyone have any pictures of what it looks like? I'm trying to visualize the different options that have been mentioned to see which will work best. If anyone else has used a different approach please feel free to post. Thanks, Ruben '72 240Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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