sway a way

which front sway bar will be the easiest to install without any modification to the existing car?

George,

Sorry for not answering your question direct.

If you have normal "Ride Height Spindles" most sway bars would probably be relatively "easy" to install.

I've got "Drop Spindles" and the large front sway bar came in contact with the lower bumper support. I had to "Modify" the lower support to disallow contact with the sway bar on compression.

Jack

This is what I did to put a 19 mm sway bar on.

Ricardo,

not having my car nearby, I can't tell if that was a perfect fit, or you're a really good cut...

Actually I took the bumper brackets out and they were reworked by an ornamental fence guy.

Ricardo,

do you know if there is a bar that won't interfere with anything?

Some people have installed stock sway bars upside down and they say they work; I opted for the more heavy duty one with urethane bushings from Bugpack.

got a 3/4" one from empi as well as a camber compensator. wish me luck this weekend...bloody knuckles...

Don't worry George; the camber compensator install is a piece of cake; maybe you'll need an extra pair of hands for the sway bar installation but it's not difficult either.

just opened the parts, i got an empi model 9603 sway bar... :(

it connects to the bottom shock nut via an angle bracket and runs BACK...needs to be connected via u-bolts to the bottom of the pan. anyone have any experience with this one? should i ditch it an order a different model?

thanks,
george

Return it George; that's a model for a Type 3. Your number should be 9600 if it's ball joint or 9596 if it's link pin.

bummer. i'm really not in a position to be cutting/ welding. do you know of any set-up i can use without making the bumper bracket mod?

Maybe you can try installing a stock sway bar but upside down; I've heard some people have done that successfully without having to modify the bumper brackets.

what a bad time!! i'm trying to install the camber compensator. the bushing that pushes against the axle is wide, not long. the indentation is twice as wid as it needs to be!! can't install it, it will interfere with the shocks and the brake line!! do you think they sent me the wrong bushing?

also, with the thing mounted only by friction onto the transmission casing, does the thing ever "pop" off?

could really use some help here.

Don't despair George; it takes some massaging, especially the brake lines; bend them little by little to get them out of the way of the bushing. Once it's installed everything will work fine, you won't need anything else since the pressure of the "leaf spring" along with the weight of the car will keep it together. Make sure you loosen 4 nuts off the bottom side plates (two per side) of the transaxle; put the center part between them and re-tighten.

Ricardo,

bent the brake lines a bit, and got it installed. it only ended up actually taking about a half hour. the difference in the ride is amazing. i'm still concerned why the bushing/ pad resing on the axle is so wide (the indentation is about twice as wide as the axle). what bothers me the most is that it can potentially rub against the side of the shock...

still in a quandry about the front. i really don't want to get into cutting the car up. i guess i'll be on the lookout for a stock beetle sway bar, unless anyone knows of a setup that works without having to modify the bumper bracket.

george

Congrats! In my car the bushings also look like they rub against the shocks but I don't pay much attention to it. I guess the bushings are that wide to accomodate any movement and/or variations in alignment on different cars.

looks like it's my week afterall!! fellow new englander, gordon, has a spare stock beetle sway bar!!! thanks again for bailing me out, gordon!!

george

Gordon,

Got the Beetle sway bar in yesterday. It fits like a glove and handles great!! Thanks a million!!!

George

Good deal, George, glad it worked out......

Now watch for the Porsche Fest at the Larss Anderson Museum, later in the season, and I'll see you there!

also, please drop me a line if/ when the tanglewood drive happens.