anti-roll bar antics

[Mike Arman <armanmik@n-jcenter.com>]

>
>Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 09:46 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Mark Pollan <Mark.POLLAN@mci.com>
>Subject: Re: [Fwd: Anti-Rollbar Distortion?]
>
>>Thanks for the feedback - yours and others have confirmed the issue.  Lying
>>awake in bed and contemplating all things quattro as I imagine many
listers do,
>>I had a slight epiphany on this subject last night.  Why not use a
come-along
>>(ratchet hoist) under the car bewteen the two anti-rollbar ends to coax them
>>into position?  One might have to find some means (clamp perhaps) to make
sure
>>the com-along hooks don't slip forward.  If someone trys this before I get a
>>"chance" I'd be curious about the results.
>
>
>Just now got a hold of this thread.  My brute force from a 6'2" 190
>lb. frame was not cutting it at all when I redid my front end.  The
>ride is an '86 5KCTSQ.  I coaxed the sway bar in by looping some heavy
>braided nylon rope over the end of the sway bar and some other reasonable
>point in line with the hole in the control arm.  I then twisted it
>with a scredriver to pull it in.  I kept the rope from slipping down
>by clamping a vise-grip on the sway bar.
>
>HTH,
>
>Mark Pollan, '86 5KCSTQ 251K Miles
>
>------


If I read this correctly, you are replacing a ball joint or control arm or
something and are wrestling with the strong, springy anti-sway bar because
all the bits won't line up nicely to be re-assembled.

BTDT the easy way. Drop the front mounts of the sway bar - 4 x 19 mm on
each side, and remove all tension from the sway bar (which incidentally
locates the lower control arem front to rear - and that's why its such a
fight.)

Bolt up the control arm and ball joint, etc, then lift the sway bar back
into place and bolt it in. If I remember correctly, the upper rear nuts
require an open end wrench - if you use the box end and tighten the bolts
(from below) you can't get the wrench back off!

Try it this way -  ten minutes work, and you won't even work up a sweat.

Best Regards,

Mike Arman