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I'm in the process of adding sway bars front/rear so that I won't be slow when I get to SMO.

The rear bar is on but with the front I have some questions. The bar is mounted but I had to readjust my steering box stops as I had contact with the inside of the tire on one of the bushing clamps. I've turned the clamps to keep the threaded studs away from the inside of the wheel.

I'm using a bar that I had and it fit just fine but that was before I had installed dropped spindles and I see on the Aircooled site that they offer two bars for standard and dropped spindles. I have a new front bar which is stamped 9163 and believe its Empi.

When I mount this bar up it sits flat on the lower control arm (drivers side ) but will not sit flat on the other side as the grub screw and lock nut interfere.

Some of this might be normal/ok but looking fro some input/experience.

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@aircooled posted:

Mike.....Is that a rubber floor in your garage ?  I've often thought I'd like that blue rubber dimple matting in my garage................Bruce

Yes it is but they are just repurposed from a garage where I installed checker board tiles in a clients garage. I cut them to fit under all my vehicles (5) as a vapor barrier and I role them up when we expect flooding.

I put pieces of carpet under my jack stands to prevent cutting into the rubber material.

The garage this came from was a over sized 3 car and was used as a queen garage, not a working one.

@DannyP posted:

Mike, how much room do you need? You can grind the grub screw a little for clearance if you need just a little.

I'll have to take another look and see but I also believe the lock nut has a pretty thick shoulder as well. I'm modifying the bumper supports this weekend to accommodate this bar.

I don't know what the thinking behind changing orientation of the set screws as the drivers side is located on top. I would have liked to install what Aircooled use to offer with a drop links on either end to the bar.

https://vwparts.aircooled.net/...table-OTT-p/bwf8.htm

We all had the same idea all at once. I took a 15mm Subaru rear bar, cut it and had the ends milled square. I made some levers from 3/8th aluminum.  That's as far as I got before I just went with the 12mm stock VW bar, courtesy of Dan Piperato Performance. I'm still going to do the 15mm bar at some time, but running the 12mm bar will give me something to start with.

Sway bar sub

swaybar 1

Yes, my stock bar is all up in that grub screw's business on this side.

This little bar, the limit straps on the rear, and Sportracs all around, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Now to tackle some of the other stuff on the list.

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  • Sway bar sub
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Last edited by Carlos G

Carlos G, you're actually the one who got this started for me with your sketch 3 or more years ago. I think I may be the first one on the list to build this type of sway bar. DannyP followed pretty quickly with his. It was easier to build than my overly engineered design. They work great. I'd build another one for my Speedster but have added the "Weight" modification to the front beam.

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  • Speedster Weights
Last edited by Jim Gilbert - Madison, Mississippi

No. They're too much work. Cutting the splines is tedious. On the bar they need to be aligned at each end with each other. The internal splines also need to align so that the bar will lay flat on a table when assembled. One spline is 10 degrees. A little difference can be adjusted out with the turn buckles. With the drawings and description I provided you will be able find someone in your area to build it. Danny's bar would be much easier to build.

Last edited by Jim Gilbert - Madison, Mississippi

That's what's great about this group. We share ideas and every one has their version or improvements. Everyone benefits in the end.

I have yet to really test the stock 12mm bar I installed. I agree with Danny that a 15mm bar would be the perfect size, for a Spyder at least. More testing is necessary. Finding a bar around 15mm or 5/8s is the trick.

I just got my Sportracs installed, time to go do some testing.

No. They're too much work. Cutting the splines is tedious. On the bar they need to be aligned at each end with each other. The internal splines also need to align so that the bar will lay flat on a table when assembled. One spline is 10 degrees. A little difference can be adjusted out with the turn buckles. With the drawings and description I provided you will be able find someone in your area to build it. Danny's bar would be much easier to build.

Yeah. The place I know wanted too much to build it from your drawings.

Yeah. Combined with the fact that other than one old Bridgeport (that they never use,) it’s a CNC shop. If I had a program, it would be about $150. It’s the programming that costs a fortune. In the old days, it was the setup fee.

This is the same place that told me they could make me replica Alfins for $800-$1000/set if I made 10 sets. But that’s a pretty simple program to write apparently.

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