Rear Sway bar mods to fit 9.5" and 10.5" wheels

[Bee Jay]

After numerous requests, I am documenting my rear sway bar mods.
This what I did to fit the rear sway bar with my 9 1/2" wheels and 275/40-18 tires.
First, remove the sway bar, it measures 46" wide at the end link.

Second, place a 45" length of 2x4 between the end links, and cinch it in place with some come along.

Third, heat one corner of the sway bar with a torch. Take your time, it has to get red hot. When the come along slackens and the bar moves slightly your done. Let it cool slowly, then run some water over the hot corner.

Fourth, after it's cool, mount a 44" length of 2x4 between the end links, and cinch it down with the come along. Heat the opposite corner red hot, then let it cool. The sway bar will now be 44" wide at the end links.

Paint the sway bar red (makes the car faster) and mount as usual.
You need to shorten the end link stack so that it does not rub against the frame. Note the scratch mark on the frame.

Notice where the sway bar was rubbing against the tire, now there is a good 1/2" clearance space.

Next, how I modded the sway bar for 10 1/2" wheels.
Bee Jay

 

[Bee Jay]

This is what I did to fit the sway bar with 10.5" wheels and 295/35-18 tires.
First, using the method described in the post above, I modded my sway bar from 44" wide to only 42" wide.
If you are starting with a stock sway bar, you will be going from 46" wide to 42" wide, so you will need 2x4s 44" and 42" wide.


You will need to pick up some 4.5" by 2" by 3/4" aluminum bars, and some 2" x 4.5" x 3/16" steel bar stock. Drill to match the aluminum to the sway bar mounts and the steel to match the trailing arm sway bar mount but with the sway bar end link hole offset by 1".



Mount the 42" wide sway bar to the frame using the aluminum spacers to mount it 1.5" lower.


Using the offset trailing arm mounts, mount the sway bar end links to the UNDERSIDE of the trailing arm.

The 3/16" steel was too thin, it bent, and it was too narrow.

I replaced them with 3/8" steel but 3" wide. I moved the endlink hole inside another inch. I forgot to take a picture of them before mounting, but here is one mounted.


Here is a picture of the modded sway bar, modded body mount, and modded trailing arm end link mount.

Here you can see how much space I have now between the sway bar and the tire.

 

[Twin_Turbo]

Let it cool slowly, then run some water over the hot corner.

Why quench it with water? Just let it cool by air, the last thing you want to do is quench the bar.

nice work, what backspace wheels do you have?

 

[Bee Jay]

Let it cool slowly, then run some water over the hot corner.

Why quench it with water? Just let it cool by air, the last thing you want to do is quench the bar.

nice work, what backspace wheels do you have?

Thanks TT. We waited a long time for it to cool, but it was still too hot to handle still. I will be running C5 Z06 rear wheels, 10.5x18 with 295/36-18 tires with 2" adapters, which works out to about 6" of backspacing.