Whiteline rear adjustable sway bar, heavy duty mounts, and Noltec endlinks

fengshui-fu · 04-17-2003, 10:59 PM

What can I say about an install thats supposed to take 30 minutes? Well, how about that it took 6 hours! Thats right, regardless of all the reading about sway bar installs here and there, no one mentioned anything about how long it would take to fandangle the mounts on. First, the garage I was at wouldn't let me use ramps, but I didnt really need them since I was able to squeeze under the stock height car to undo the endlinks, sways, and the stock mounts. After that I believe it took 20 minutes just to monkey the stock bar around the muffler, without dropping it.
The next problem was with the ride side mount. One of the bolt holes to the chassis is nearly directly under the tank fill line. This took probably 2 hours just to get the right tools to thread the bolt and tighten it, and heres the trick to save you some time: Undo the bolt and pull back the fuel fill line protector plastic flap. Then get the bolt threaded by holding the bolt with one finger from underneath and the other hand's finger over top the fuel line. Once its threaded, use an open ended 12mm wrench and slowly tighten from over top of the fuel line(trust me no room to work = slow). This was the most problematic part, and everything else went on without a hitch, except getting the new sway bar around the muffler. The endlinks came with grease which was applied to the bushings and easily bolted up. I set the sway bar to 22mm (center holes) and then dropped all the crap and tools off to take a test ride. After filling the baby up with 94 octane, I set out for my favorite river drive, and proceeded to corner hard. I noticed immediately the feeling on the side supports of the seat whenever I would turn hard. Its appears the turn-in has tightened and the car pivot has moved forward a bit. Although it wasn't what I thought it would be, I intend to race this weekend at 22mm and then work from there.

Just wanted to give you all a heads up as the problems you may run into that aren't commonly documented.

chris

Cornering used to be

Now its

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

moktod · 07-03-2003, 03:11 AM

I did this same install at my house last week, in the rain. It look me like 50 minutes. Very simple.

I had no help nor did I have ramps.

/shrug/

-moktod

tcarter · 08-05-2003, 06:09 PM

It took me about 10 hours.

It was going to be about 30 minutes.. Then.... the bolt for the heavy duty bracket broke off in the frame.. Not a good thing at all. Got a hole drilled in the bolt and put the extracter tool to it and BAM!!!! the extracter broke off.

Now.. backing a broken bolt out is one thing. Extracting an extracter is a totally new nasty nasty animal. We finally got that drilled out and ended up tapping the hole/bolt/remaining extracter end..... hehehe.. it finally tapped and we got it installed. Yippeee!!! WHAT A PAIN!!!!

Enigma76 · 08-05-2003, 06:38 PM

I had a special experience with my sway and endlinks.

I purchased a cusco sway and helix endlinks, but i was sent the wrong metal spacers for the endlinks, so i had to wait for them to arrive. in the meantime, i installed the sway w/stock endlinks.

doing this first job, i did it w/o ramps. im a fairly big guy, but i managed to squeeze under there. finagling that bar out was a pain, but putting the new one on was going to be a bigger pain i could tell. so i just got it looped over the exhaust, got under teh bar and whacked the hell out of it until it fit.

when the endlink spacers came (btw, Gruppe-S when i alerted them that they sent me the wrong spacers, shipped out the correct ones to me free of charge, overnight delivery. thumbs up gruppe-s) i had purchased ramped in between. lemme tell you, at least for me, it was night and day.

i could actually get some leverage to loosen and tighten the bolts...i could actually lie on my side.

i think doing it on ramps would make it alot easier.

then again, it didnt take me 10 hours or 6 hours...more like 2

tcarter · 08-05-2003, 06:49 PM

My 10 hours did include changing venus once.
Going to Autozone for an extracter kit.
Going to Sears for a Tap and Die set.

Sooo.. actual hard drilling time.. about 3 or 4 hours. But it sure sucked.

Wheeldog · 08-05-2003, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tcarter
It took me about 10 hours.

It was going to be about 30 minutes.. Then.... the bolt for the heavy duty bracket broke off in the frame.. Not a good thing at all. Got a hole drilled in the bolt and put the extracter tool to it and BAM!!!! the extracter broke off.

Now.. backing a broken bolt out is one thing. Extracting an extracter is a totally new nasty nasty animal. We finally got that drilled out and ended up tapping the hole/bolt/remaining extracter end..... hehehe.. it finally tapped and we got it installed. Yippeee!!! WHAT A PAIN!!!!

Geez that's harsh!

What happened, did you overtorque the bolt when you were putting the new HD mounts on, did it get cross-threaded? What brand of HD mounts are they?

tcarter · 08-05-2003, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wheeldog

Geez that's harsh! What happened, did you overtorque the bolt when you were putting the new HD mounts on, did it get cross-threaded? What brand of HD mounts are they?

I think it got a little cross threaded. It was almost all the way in. I tried to back it out and had no luck, so I tempted fate and lost.

I have the whiteline HD mounts. Both sway bars are whiteline and the rear strut tower bar. I have the 22-26 mm rear sway set on 26mm.. hehehe..

CobraKLR · 08-14-2003, 06:40 PM

It took me 1 hour 20 minutes to do the whiteline unit and the perrin endlinks with no ramps - but my car only has 7000 miles on it - maybe that has something to do with it. I found this to be a rather easy swap.

04-17-2003, 10:59 PM	#1
fengshui-fu Scooby Specialist Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 21847 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: New Jersey Vehicle: 2002 WRX Sedan World Rally Blue STX#555	Whiteline rear adjustable sway bar, heavy duty mounts, and Noltec endlinks What can I say about an install thats supposed to take 30 minutes? Well, how about that it took 6 hours! Thats right, regardless of all the reading about sway bar installs here and there, no one mentioned anything about how long it would take to fandangle the mounts on. First, the garage I was at wouldn't let me use ramps, but I didnt really need them since I was able to squeeze under the stock height car to undo the endlinks, sways, and the stock mounts. After that I believe it took 20 minutes just to monkey the stock bar around the muffler, without dropping it. The next problem was with the ride side mount. One of the bolt holes to the chassis is nearly directly under the tank fill line. This took probably 2 hours just to get the right tools to thread the bolt and tighten it, and heres the trick to save you some time: Undo the bolt and pull back the fuel fill line protector plastic flap. Then get the bolt threaded by holding the bolt with one finger from underneath and the other hand's finger over top the fuel line. Once its threaded, use an open ended 12mm wrench and slowly tighten from over top of the fuel line(trust me no room to work = slow). This was the most problematic part, and everything else went on without a hitch, except getting the new sway bar around the muffler. The endlinks came with grease which was applied to the bushings and easily bolted up. I set the sway bar to 22mm (center holes) and then dropped all the crap and tools off to take a test ride. After filling the baby up with 94 octane, I set out for my favorite river drive, and proceeded to corner hard. I noticed immediately the feeling on the side supports of the seat whenever I would turn hard. Its appears the turn-in has tightened and the car pivot has moved forward a bit. Although it wasn't what I thought it would be, I intend to race this weekend at 22mm and then work from there. Just wanted to give you all a heads up as the problems you may run into that aren't commonly documented. chris Cornering used to be Now its * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

08-05-2003, 06:09 PM	#3
tcarter Scooby Specialist Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 12366 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Birmingham, AL Vehicle: 2002 WRX WRB	I did it!! It took me about 10 hours. It was going to be about 30 minutes.. Then.... the bolt for the heavy duty bracket broke off in the frame.. Not a good thing at all. Got a hole drilled in the bolt and put the extracter tool to it and BAM!!!! the extracter broke off. Now.. backing a broken bolt out is one thing. Extracting an extracter is a totally new nasty nasty animal. We finally got that drilled out and ended up tapping the hole/bolt/remaining extracter end..... hehehe.. it finally tapped and we got it installed. Yippeee!!! WHAT A PAIN!!!!

08-05-2003, 06:49 PM	#5
tcarter Scooby Specialist Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 12366 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Birmingham, AL Vehicle: 2002 WRX WRB	Well My 10 hours did include changing venus once. Going to Autozone for an extracter kit. Going to Sears for a Tap and Die set. Sooo.. actual hard drilling time.. about 3 or 4 hours. But it sure sucked.

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07-03-2003, 03:11 AM	#2
moktod Scooby Newbie Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 34768 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: i am everywhere Vehicle: 2002 Impreza WRX White	I did this same install at my house last week, in the rain. It look me like 50 minutes. Very simple. I had no help nor did I have ramps. /shrug/ -moktod

08-05-2003, 06:38 PM	#4
Enigma76 Scooby Newbie Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 37247 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Cranston, RI Vehicle: 2004 WRX Platinum Silver	I had a special experience with my sway and endlinks. I purchased a cusco sway and helix endlinks, but i was sent the wrong metal spacers for the endlinks, so i had to wait for them to arrive. in the meantime, i installed the sway w/stock endlinks. doing this first job, i did it w/o ramps. im a fairly big guy, but i managed to squeeze under there. finagling that bar out was a pain, but putting the new one on was going to be a bigger pain i could tell. so i just got it looped over the exhaust, got under teh bar and whacked the hell out of it until it fit. when the endlink spacers came (btw, Gruppe-S when i alerted them that they sent me the wrong spacers, shipped out the correct ones to me free of charge, overnight delivery. thumbs up gruppe-s) i had purchased ramped in between. lemme tell you, at least for me, it was night and day. i could actually get some leverage to loosen and tighten the bolts...i could actually lie on my side. i think doing it on ramps would make it alot easier. then again, it didnt take me 10 hours or 6 hours...more like 2

08-14-2003, 06:40 PM	#8
CobraKLR Scooby Newbie Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 12986 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Planet Utah Vehicle: 2002 WRX White	It took me 1 hour 20 minutes to do the whiteline unit and the perrin endlinks with no ramps - but my car only has 7000 miles on it - maybe that has something to do with it. I found this to be a rather easy swap.