End Link LENGTH Questions

[HectorM52]

Aight guys, I've got an S10 with the SPC upper control arms, SPC lower control arms, ATS spindles, Howe ball joints upper & lower, C5 brakes, Hotchkis springs. All for a G-body ('78-'88). Yes, they switch over.

So when thinking about this question please "ignore" the S10 truck part and think of this thing as a "car." I know people get turned off when they think of a truck. It's true! ;) :D


Okay, so here's my questions:

Does ride-height affect the length of the end-link?
Does lowering a vehicle affect the "location" of the end-link?
Does the "angle" of the end link change with ride-height??


Or, better yet, SHOULD these things be affected???? SHOULD I have to move the end of the sway bar based upon the location / angle of the LCA???



WHY do I ask this, you wonder??

Well, because my poly end link seems to be binded the moment I install it. And that fact is confirmed now that I see that the poly bushing on the bottom of the passenger LCA is completely GONE.

And I wonder if the length / angle / location of the end links are the reasons for this.

I just think that something custom-tailored to my application will perform better than what's on there now.

[Rhino]

The most effective sway bar link length allows your sway bar arms to be horizontal at ride height.
Your sway bar is mounted to the frame, or body, at either end, and the suspension in the center. Lowering the ride height will change the static distance between the mount points. To make up for this change, the end links should be changed (usually shortened) as well.
As a sway bar arm moves further from horizontal, it's forward/aft movement increases at an exponential rate.
Without the change, the arms will be in a different position in their movement arc. As such, they can go through increased forward/aft travel with the same amount of suspension movement.
The further the sway bar arms are off at static ride height, the sooner the end links could potentially bind.

How much they should change, or even if they should change really depends on the situation. How far from horizontal are your sway bar arms? How much has the truck been lowered?

[HectorM52]

Thanks Rhino, I really appreciate the info.

Take a look at these pics. The truck is jacked up on the passenger side so this more represents a "compressed" shot versus a ride-height shot.

Anyway, you can sort of tell that the angle of the LCA is kind of "northwest" while the angle of the sway bar is facing kind of "southwest."

Don't you think that they both should be on the same plane??

Also, notice how the end of the sway bar is a bit too far "back" compared to the LCA.

Would you see any benefit to shortening the end of the sway bar AND twisting the end of it so it is on the same plane as the LCA?

I would think that I could do this at ride height and that way 'above' and 'below' that point would have some bind but not like there is now.

Any thoughts?

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/01/IMG_7351sized-1.jpg


https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/01/IMG_7352sized-1.jpg

[Eric Howell]

Jeremy (s10cyncrvr) had the same problem with the sway bar mounting holes not lining up. He cut the end off the sway bar, turned it and re welded it. Then he used a heim on it. Not sure if he modded the LCA at all.

You could always use these;

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

http://www.ridetech.com/catalog/Posi_Links-2484-1.html

All the bind is coming from the LCA side. I has too much of an angle for the bushings.

[HectorM52]

Okay, so let's say I got a sway bar and I cut off the end and then welded it back so it had both the right "angle" and the right "placement" over the LCA.

Would I use that posi-link above on the LCA side or on the bar side? Would I want one on top AND bottom or just one?

Thanks guys!

[David Pozzi]

What I'm seeing in those photos is not bad enough to bother with in my opinion.
David

[HectorM52]

Really? Not even a more "simple" solution like cutting down the length of the link to make it less obvious? Or even modding another bar?

Plus cutting up another bar isn't that big of a deal to me because I'm "upgrading" to a thicker bar soon either way - so I'd have the chance to do this without any down-time. And let's pretend that 'time is NOT money' in this case too! :D


The reason I feel like it's a big deal is because one of the poly bushings was completely destroyed and I feel like it is due to the angles - I didn't take a picture of it because I wanted to show the "actual" angles not what it looks like now without the bushing.

Thanks for the input, though!

[Eric Howell]

Okay, so let's say I got a sway bar and I cut off the end and then welded it back so it had both the right "angle" and the right "placement" over the LCA.

Would I use that posi-link above on the LCA side or on the bar side? Would I want one on top AND bottom or just one?

Thanks guys!Looking at the picks the problem seems to be on the LCA side. You could probably just use one there.

Jeremy cut and welded his sway bar but I wouldn't. Unless you really trust someone to do the bar for you I say no. In no way am I saying he's wrong or I wouldn't trust his work but rather the average guy couldn't and shouldn't cut and weld on any spring.