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filter27e
04-03-2007, 09:07 PM
I felt that it's rather important that we have a seperate writeup for the front swaybar because the route that the front swaybar takes from one wheel to the other is DRASTICALLY different than the rear. The author of that post said that you should be good at tetris, which I would agree you gotta use your head on this one. Hopefully I'll make it easier for everyone else because the haynes manual says something to the effect of, 'disconnect endlinks, remove sway bar.' So I had a bit to figure out on my own.

What you'll need
All the basics: a jack, jackstands, and various sockets and wrenches.
You'll also need ramps unless you have long arms, a little head, or are otherwise a contortionist.

Procedure:

1. Now where it starts is kinda theoretical. Personally I started off by driving the car up on ramps, disconnecting the endlinks, then realizing I needed at least one wheel off in order to get it anywhere else. The bar will be loaded if the wheels are off the ground, so if you want to try by jacking it up, removing a wheel, and then disconnecting the endlinks and you wind up not being able to pull the endlinks off, that's why.

2. So now that you have the endlinks disconnected from the swaybar, the vehicle lifted, at least one wheel removed, and the vehicle on jackstands with the jack out of the way, you're ready to think about removing the swaybar. You'll need to disconnect the swaybar mounts that secure it to the front crossmember. Words of caution: these bolts suck, use penetrating oil on the threaded side before trying to take them out. Personally I decided I didn't need to do this and broke both of them off in the crossmember. Yeah... but anyways, on cars like mine, produced before 8/97, the mount is held on by one 12mm bolt, screwed into a nut welded to the crossmember. Once that bolt is removed it hinges downward and you can pull out the bushings.

3. Now heres the part that will save you one big WTF. You need to remove the jacking plate at the center of the the crossmember, unless you happen to be installing headers at the same time, then you could take out the exhaust instead. On my car, the front two bolts had a free nut on the other side, the rear two bolts were more of the screw directly into the crossmember dealies (yeah I broke one of those too). I'm not even positive you could get a new nut on the otherside if you were to drill out the old bolt, so try REAL hard to not break both of these.

4. With the jacking plate removed, you should be able to just pull and turn from there on out to remove the bar. With the bar out, then installation is the reverse of removal. Just be sure to grease the new bushings. Even if you had gotten the old bar out without using ramps, you'll want to bust those out to finish connecting the endlinks, way more trouble then it would be worth to try to get those in there with the vehicle lifted.

Alright well I think that covers everything... I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to mess with washing my hands before every picture, but if someone would like to volunteer a picture of the underside of their front end I'd be happy to draw some arrows on it and post it for reference.

warrior
04-04-2007, 06:18 PM
Good read, very descriptive.. but no pictures? :cry:

Also, what are you immediate thoughts on handling characteristic changes; if any?

Bimmerman
07-25-2007, 11:58 AM
I just installed a 22mm front bar on my car and have a couple of thoughts to flesh out the guide.

After you take the wheel off, remove and replace the bar, and put the wheel back on, do not connect the bar to the endlinks.

If your car is on ramps, back the car off the ramps and drive back on them. Jacking the car up and back down changes the geometry slightly so that you cannot connect both endlinks(especially if you bought low or no-compliance links a la Whiteline/Perrin).

I didn't think about this and spent a good hour trying to force the endlinks and bolts. You can connect one just fine, but the other will not work. Simply backing off the ramps and driving back up fixes the geometry issue and lets you connect the endlinks simply, easily, and without forcing them.

Also, from a safety point of view, when you re-bolt the jacking plate, use a torque wrench to torque all the bolts the same. If they all aren't at the same torque, whichever one is torqued the most holds all the load, which is ~1500lbs. It takes a couple minutes to do, but worth it if you like your car and value your safety. I don't know the exact torque spec, I did mine at ~175 lb-in.

My 02 cents.

omahasubaru
08-10-2007, 11:49 AM
better still, if you just put the car on stands... then get a spare jack to place under one tire, or under the control arm and raise/lower it until it lines up perfectly. That is the route I tend to go.

rougeben83
10-02-2007, 11:36 AM
More fleshing out.

The jacking plate torque specs are 51 ft/lbs.

Endlinks are 22 ft/lbs, round up to 25 is ok
Bushing mounts are 18 ft/lbs, round up to 20 is ok

Jacking plate needs 12mm socket IIRC, stock endlinks need a 12mm and a 14mm. Bushings require 12mm socket.

Maybe it's because I have Group N engine mounts and aftermarket headers, but I didn't have enough clearance to snake the bar out without unbolting the header flanges and letting the header drop about 1/2" or so. Header flange torque spec is 22 ft/lbs, 14mm socket. Got the bar out from the driver's side.

Also, use a C-clamp when squeezing the bushing mounts back into place.
Don't have one? Then get one. The time and aggravation saved from a snapped bolt (personal experience speaking) is well worth it.

FYI, BE cars can use 2.5RS swaybars, along with any other N/A subaru. Only caveat is you need WRX bushings. I ordered my 22mm from Whiteline for $18 shipped.

Below are instructions for BE's. It's the same for BD/BG's but the swaybar mount may be a one-bolt affair like RS's. Use ramps. It makes bolting the bushing mounts and endlinks so much easier.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k153/rougeben83/fsb.jpg

TheSiege
07-25-2010, 07:30 PM
Can BD's fit the 08 WRX front swaybar?

chuckthefuk
07-25-2010, 07:51 PM
Front Turbo swaybars do not fit Non-turbo cars.
-Chuck

Grafton
11-08-2010, 09:02 PM
If you looking for a great FSB upgrade, get an OEM B9 Tribecca front sway bar, it's a 25mm bar, but due to the install it's on effective as a 23mm bar

the tribecca FSB goes over the tie rod and on the outside of the endlink ( stock goes under the tie rod and on the inside )
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6353/tribeccafsb4.jpg

Dremeled out the stock bushings, greased and installed
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1325/tribeccafsb1.jpg

Clearance over my OBX header ( never mind the oil drip lol...)
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4720/tribeccafsb2.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/369/tribeccafsb3.jpg

Huffer
04-30-2011, 12:07 AM
Quick update for Grafton's Tribeca FSB - Energy Suspension bushings PN# 9.5161 will fit the Tribeca bar, and bolt in.
They are greaseable, and the BLACK ones are made of graphite and retain their flex better - the RED ones are not greaseable.

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/pr ... rod=9.5161 (http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=9.5161)

Baddog
05-02-2011, 02:52 AM
What does the Red Ones do? So go with the Black ones?

Thanks for the link I have been curious about bushings.

r3v_v3ng3
05-31-2011, 02:43 PM
Quick update for Grafton's Tribeca FSB - Energy Suspension bushings PN# 9.5161 will fit the Tribeca bar, and bolt in.
They are greaseable, and the BLACK ones are made of graphite and retain their flex better - the RED ones are not greaseable.

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/pr ... rod=9.5161 (http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=9.5161)


thanks for the info. i remember reading this before but couldn't find it. i was looking at the suspension forums.

ordered mine :smt024

Huffer
07-05-2011, 06:19 PM
POsted from another thread:

those who are interested

tribeca front sway bar Part #20401XA00A: B9 FSB $75 shipped from subarupartswarehouse.com
25mm energy suspension bushing http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/pr ... rod=9.5161 $21 shipped
thanks huffer
hardrace endlink on ebay for $75 (front or rear) shipped

total of around 171

depending on the offset of your wheel, the inside of the rim might hit the sway on full turn on the steering. mine still hits with a +20 offset but barely.

also you'll need to put a washer/spacer between the jackpoint and the steering rack, since the sway is much bigger

Wiscon_Mark
07-24-2011, 09:32 PM
if you get that Tribeca bar from subarugenuineparts.com it's around 65 shipped.