Hotchkis front sway bar install help

[CSUnited14]

Well i am installing my front sway bar and i half to align the cradle back and thread this long bolt in.. anyone else do the front sway bar install this bolt is extremely hard to do.. i can not get it to thread when i get off work today ill post pics if no one knows what im talking about.

[Drey]

Oh man! I installed mine last friday. What i did i left those 4 steering rack bolts so my cradle wasnt dropedall the way. Thats enough room to put your sway bar throu. Now funny part is i left those bolts in just because i couldnt get them loose no impact wrench here. I just used jack to lift it up back in place.

[mattieg]

i did mine last week as well no problems and you dont need an impact gun to take off the strut nuts. Drey I hope your not just putting the strut bar on top of those nuts. But United what I think your talking about are the four screws that attach the two mounts to the bar. They are a little tough but make sure you do not strip them. What I did was leave them lose and tightened them all the way when the bar was tightened all the way down on the struts.

[Drey]

No I was talking about 4 cradlle screws or nuts my bad. 4 14mm nuts I got one loose and stripped other one. I believe its step 7 in your install guide. There is a pic of those screws.

[mattieg]

lol ok i got scared. you gotta kinda muscle it a bit but mine came off no problem. I would suggest going to your local car parts place and getting a small breaker bar with an extension if you cant get them off. Impact is really over kill.

[Drey]

Yeah I got smarter later so I got me a pipe lol but it was to late. Does anybody know how to loose stripped nuts? I want to replace that whole bolt eventually.

[mattieg]

does it keep spinning? and sorry United i dont want to thread jack but this would be good info for you too. If it keeps spinning in place what i would do is take a flat head screw driver and pry up on the nut as you spin it. its kinda tricky but does the job. and i would only take it off if you have another bolt or strut assembly ready. i believe the only way to take it out would be to put it in a hydraulic press.

[Drey]

no it's not spinning,not at all. It's round now cuz all sides are gone. I was trying to grab it with pipe wrench but unfortunately. Its still in right place, tight and torqued i just can't get it loose. I know i will have to do it eventually and i hope not any time soon. Anyways...CSUnited how's ur progress?

[3min3m2]

well, ifits rounded there is not muchleft to do. sometimes you can get the vise-grip to bite on to it, and it can get it off. Other solutions are to cut new side on it if you have a cut-off wheel and air compressor, or just cut it off.


Good luck

[CSUnited14]

man i finally finished all of it today front and rear... rear was simple as can be.. but man that front was retarded.. i took all the bolts out and dropped the cradle.. and when i used a floor jack to push it back up nothing would align right.. what a pain in the ___ i will never do one of those again lol.... but eventually i just loosened all the bolts it says to loosen and it went in finally with some jimmying..

But i noticed a good amount of difference it handles really well... i even loosened the four bolts like right in the center i guess it would have something to do with the steering rack. because i couldn't get them tight because of the bolt on top spins soo i drove it some and man the steering was soo loose feeling.. but today i went and got a opened end wrench through the passenger tire area and was able to hold the bolt tight and tightened it all and everything feels like a hundred bucks.. i put everything in the most stiffest spot.

[Drey]

Cool man! I'm glad you put it together without big problems. I've heard best settings for hotchkis is soft front and hardest rear because it will provide like a balance between understeer and oversteer. I put my rear on medium just to be safe but I'm going to change it to hardest when I'll be changing my springs. Hopefully i'll get them by weekend, second week of waiting already.

[SVicksTC]

Drey try knocking a smaller mm socket on the bolt with a hammer and hope it catches this has worked for me in the past with a stripped bolt

[mattieg]

What about those new things from Vise grip. You slide a larger nut over the stripped one and when you loosen it, the teeth will grab to the sides of the stripped nut and come off. I was afraid you stripped the bolt im relieved that its only the nut. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and as around. I just went there today and they had them (where i live).

[Drey]

Thanks guys ill check it out when i'll be bored. I think i leave it like it is for now until i really have to it.

[CSUnited14]

so do you think i should make the front soft and the rear hardest would that make the best set up or what?

[Drey]

Originally Posted by CSUnited14

so do you think i should make the front soft and the rear hardest would that make the best set up or what?

Ok just fyi: Stiffer rear = oversteer. Stiffer front = understeer. Our stock tcs already got to much understeer so you dont want add more understeer by making your front too stiff. Try to play with settings and if you dont like it you always can go back. Btw have you noticed any rattles yet? Especially in 5th around 3-4k.

[exzess]

how long does the install take?

[CSUnited14]

install took me three days lmao... because i couldnt get the front cradle to line up after i dropped it... i didnt know i didnt half to drop it but the manual says to oh well lesson learned

[paulky_2000]

I will be taking mine to the dealer to have the front sway installed.....you can bet on it! The way I see it, the money is well spent. Did the same thing with my springs.....just so I could get it aligned w/ a lifetime warranty.

Who needs that aggrevation? OOF!