Roush Sway Bar End-Links

sal07b

New Member
Mar 18, 2004
477
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Springboro Ohio
OK, question for everyone. I noticed when I had the wheels done on the car that the sway bar end-link on the drivers side was missing the top bushing (sitting on the ground split...). Basically, the top of the bolt was against the washer, which was against the swaybar itself. There should have been a poly-bushing between the washer and the top of the sway bar right?

So...I ordered a new set of sway bar ends from Maximum Motorsports (can only order in pairs) because Saleen sway bar ends were on endless back order for a 1996. The set they sent me was for a car at stock height to 1.5" drop. They are a good 1.25" longer then the ones on the car. So, I called them back. They said the shorter ones are for 1.75" drop or more, pretty much just for race applications and they wouldn't be comfortable selling them to me for my car. I told them it was a Saleen and they said that they weren't dropped more then 1.5". So...I called Saleen back and they said that sure enough the Racecraft suspension only dropped the car between 1 and 1.5".

So I took the car apart, and guess what, no bushing on the passenger side either. I called MM back and they said that it sounded like someone put the shorter endlinks on the car and overtightened them (because they were to short), which caused the bushings to fail resulting in my current problem. They said the only thing I needed to do was make sure the end links were straight up and down when the car was back on the ground.

YEA RIGHT, how in the hell are you supposed to know that. The only way to get the suspension under full load was to put the wheels back on the car and let it down. When you do that, yep you guessed it, you can't see the damn sway bar endlink from the side because of the wheel/brakes!! from the front, it looks OK, but who the heck knows what it looks like from the side.

Sorry this was so long, but anyone else have to do this? I was just going to re-use the bolts with the new bushings/washers, but they were both bent. The car is back together, but I'm not convinced it is right. Comments??
 
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Put it on ramps and you should be able to get underneath it enough to see what it looks like.

I put a 4 post lift in my garage last year. First time I put the Saleen on it, I found out my front sway bar links were pretty much just hanging there and flopping around, I must have tightened them when the suspension was in full droop. Big difference when I tightened them with the suspension compressed, the sway bar actually did something other than extra weight.
 
You could of just used Energy suspension end links. They are usually even in stock at autozone. End links wear and break over time, it's common that they get ruined.
MM may of even sent you energy suspension ones. Should of been about $20.

You are "supposidly" supposed to get them level, but if you just use factory lenght you'll still be fine.
Driving up on 2x4's may get you just enough room to see, but i wouldn't worry about it. It's really not that big of a deal.