[flash]

i finally got around to putting this DIY together - many want the delrin bushings, but are concerned about noise - this modification addresses that, and more



i do not recommend delrin bushings for a commuter car, or one which sees less than frequent close inspection - also, they are much harsher when it comes to impact transmitted to the steering wheel from bumps in the road - to be clear, this is a race component that must be kept relatively clean



if you have leaks, this modification should not be done until they are resolved - the fluids will deteriorate the grease, and wear out the bushings



all that being said, if you take care of them, these bushings will really improve handling



here it is:

Sway_Bar_Mod.pdf Size: 524.64 KB  Downloads: 232

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[Harvey]

Good going, Flash



H2

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[968bill]

I have the same problem trying to view the PDF as I do viewing JPG attachments (w/ Mozilla). I guess I need to check the other thread to see the status of the fix for that problem.

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[flash]

still not fixed - apprantly it works in explorer, but that browser is too slow for me

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[mitch968]

Thanks for this timely write-up. I'm going to be installing M030 bars with delrin bushings very soon. How necessary is this bushing modification? I've heard from other owners running this combo unmodified and they don't seem to have any issues with noise or performance, and they've indicated that it's not really that much harsher than rubber. As far as leaks affecting the delrins, wouldn't they stand up to oils better than rubber bushings?

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[flash]

there are a few who have not complained, but i wonder if they've been under the car to inspect the bushings, or just can't tell the difference - 3 years ago, before i did the bushing change, i was reading about a lot of people who were complaining about the noise - i had been using delrin for years without problems - i had no idea what they were complaining about - then i installed them - it didn't take long to see the design flaw on this front swaybar, and why they were complaining



it isn't a big difference in harshness, though there is a difference - there is a big difference in handling though



i have found the mod essential - i've already gone through this the hard way, worn out bushings and chased down noises



without grease, the bushings wear - this leads to slop, which makes noise and messes with the handling - BAD



with grease only, the sway bar slides left to right - BAD (right idea - incomplete execution)



grooved and with shaft collars, all is right with the world - GOOD - problem solved



the bushings do hold up to fluids better than rubber, but the grease doesn't - if you have a leak, you just get to get in there and regrease more often



and absolutely positively make sure you have the sway bar brace in there

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[S_Cal968]

I have seen this done before on other applications. And, you can take it a step further. Instead a centrally located grove is milled into the material ID. Then a zerk fitting is added by drill & tapping the bracket and bushing that's indexed to the groove. This way you don't have to disassemble the bushing to add grease and it's distributed by pressure.

BTW, most aftermarket bushing mfg's supply and recommend grease for installation. been there done that...

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[flash]

i thought about that - the problem i saw was that the bracket is too thin to have any threads - it's only 16 guage - i am contemplating brazing on a boss though, so that i can do that

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[S_Cal968]

The zerks that I've seen have a slightly tapered thread, so it shouldn't require much material to get a bite. The delrin can be tapped too... Additionally, you could lock them in place with 609 Loctite.

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[flash]

yeah - after thinking about this a bit, i think the simple answer is to pin the bushings to the bracket (simple locator pin or screw, and then drill and install the zerk - of course, i'll have to alter the grooves to allow the grease to find its way around



i am under there for some other mods soon - sounds like an addition to the mod - if it works, i'll update the pdf accordingly

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[S_Cal968]

... or you could index the split in the delrin with the opening in the bracket where its bolted together and slide a flat piece of material in to retain the orientation. Or just run a small screw up through the split in the delrin.

just some ideas - I haven't looked at it in awhile...



re: grease travel; that's why the groove on both halfs should line up - then the grease will follow the groove all the way around. Once the channel is full, the grease will flow out towards the ends.

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[flash]

yeah - i would have to connect the grooves at this point - no big deal - just need to do it



the halves would really need independent retension pins or screws - they need to be split for installation, and completely close around the sway bar when installed, leaving no gap for any material thick enough to hold it in place



simple enough though, and i'll poke around at it again in the very near future - i have a specific project that will put me there, that i will be wrapping up right after the funrun, if i don't find the time between now and then

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[flash]

ok - i was under there yesterday



pete's idea of using a swedge in between the bushigns will work, if i can figure out how to hold it still, so it doesn't slide out the side - not sure what to do on that one yet, that would be simpler than just a couple of pins or screws into the delrin



however, one zerc won't do it - if i continued the groove to connect them, because the bushings don't form a good enough seal, the grease would squirt out before it would get from one side to the other



still working on it the idea though - it would be more serviceable



that being said, after about 10k miles, the grease was still in there on my current mod, and no signs of bushing wear - so, it's working

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[S_Cal968]

Actually if you use a non-migrating grease, [ie: andok c], it should last a long time.



Since your grooves are in an "x" pattern it probably will come out the sides. As mentioned it's typically one groove in the center.

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[flash]

the problem is between the bushings - there is enough gap there to let the grease out, and way too much for the grease to go from one to the other

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[Techno Duck]

Flash, thanks for the informative posting.. i will be getting a set of delrin bushings for my daily driver / autocross car once i get my 26.8mm bar in the mail and get around to ordering the 19mm rear.



Just curious however. where did you get those shaft collars for the bars from?

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[flash]

you can get them from most hardware suppliers (mcmaster carr, etc)



26.8mm bar? what is that from?

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[Techno Duck]

[quote name='flash' date='Jul 4 2006, 03:31 PM']you can get them from most hardware suppliers (mcmaster carr, etc)



26.8mm bar?  what is that from?

[right][post="23682"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



The 26.8mm bar came on a stock 968, S2 and the 951S. I am looking to try this bar first paired with the 19mm rear to dial out as much understeer as possible.

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[flash]

lol - i'm definitely gettng old - i've had mine out for nearly 3 years now



i've been seeing it referred to as a 26mm bar for so long, and knowing that there was a 25.5, i assumed that was it - only now, going back and re-reading, do i realize that it was really a 26.8



frankly i never measured it - it was one of the first things to come out of the car, just weeks after i bought it



hmm - now i think i need to list it to the 944 guys

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[968bill]

If there is a demand for the stock front and/or rear sway bars then I won't throw my old ones away. I installed the M030 set (ft & Rr.) about 2 weeks ago and still have the stock parts.



I also installed the KLA front bar support.

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