ireland rear sway bar problem.

[Deutschman]

so i installed springs struts and ONE sway bar today. i could not get the rear sway bar on because it seams like the bushings that came with the rear bar are WAY to big for the stock brackets. i am not getting the bushings for the front bar and back bar mixed up so that is not the problem. was i suppose to get after market brackets in the ireland 22mm sway bar kit i ordered, or are the bushings just way to big? has anyone ells had this problem before? ill try and post some pictures of the bushing and bracket tomorrow.

cheers

[peteinjp]

Ya just have to squish em in there. I have used a longer bolt to get it started and but the stock bolts back in once its cinched down. I seem to remember something about large channel locks being involved.....

pete

[02for2]

I did the Suspension Techniques swaybar from Korman Racing install a month ago and it went slick. I did grease the ID of the oem bracket to get the bushing to seat properly, maybe that's your issue.

But, I did the IE SS exhaust and had several issues. First, they sent me the wrong midpipe and muffler (early vs late model), then they corrected that and it still was a b*tch to get right. Later, I added their SS downpipe and again, it did not fit, spoke with Jeff Ireland who told me it was impossible, that it was jig built and therefore HAD to fit. Long story short, they sent me another downpipe and this one did fit albeit with a significant amount of coaching and pursuation. I returned the original downpipe and never heard a thing from IE.

I know Jeff is highly regarded, but my experience has been less than stellar, so it's not too surprising to hear others having fitment issues.

Did you grease the inside of the bracket? I also used a vice-grips on the bracket once it was placed into the slots on the subframe to force the bushing (and bar) inside it so I could place it flush against the subframe to start the bolts. Try doing this.

If no-joy, email jeff. Based on my experiences, it doesn't really surprise me that their claimed 'direct bolt-in' isn't.

Cheers!

[tjones02]

Sometimes I shave some off the flat side of the D to get everything to fit kosher.

[Deutschman]

ya sadly it seams that a lot of mister irelands stuff has gone down hill in terms of build quality. some of the sway bar bushings had bubbles in them as well as pore fitment.

i emaild jeff this morning and he got back to me and said i can try sanding down the bushing and bending the bracket a bit (seeing as it is old and may be a bit deformed.

i think that they should start putting a bit more effort into some of their stuff. they have such a good selection of performance parts, but the fitment problems always make me think twice before i hit that "purchase" button.

i will try the vice grips, sanding, and bracket bending and see how it goes. hopefully it will fit. i was really bummed the other day after spending two days installing all the new parts with my friend and then not getting it all rapped up like i thought i would be able to.

thanks guys! hopefully i will see some of you at ocean beach on the 12th!

[Kidasters]

Don't lose faith.

I have the IE swaybars (front and rear) and IE header. On the swaybars - it's hard to get those bolts started on the bushings. C-clamps, big vice grips, something to compress them just a bit to get everything started helps a bunch.

On the header - I had fitment issues with my header as well. Had to cut off 2" of the stock resonator and re-flare the end in order to get everything to hang right. Other members have had warped flanges and fitment issues. I even had a IE urethane motor mount (driver's side) fail because it wasn't bonded right - breaking 4 distributor caps in the process.....

All that said - from all the feedback I have ever seen, Jeff and they guys are easy to work with. They get back to you. If you aren't happy - they refund money. Or exchange parts. Whatever you want.

Is it a pain sometimes? Yeah. Do I love the lack of body-roll with my front and rear IE swaybars? YEAH! Do I love my IE header? YEAH!

Be patient. Keep wrenchin'.

Ken

[Deutschman]

i agree with everything you said. i bought a bunch of ireland stuff for my '76 while i still had it and i loved it all. ill get the sway bar in this up coming weekend.

[M3M3]

practically every aftermarket sway bar bushing I have installed appears to be too big. have to shave off various sides of the bushing to get them to fit properly. if you use clamp/c-locks/long bolts to force the bushing on you end up pinching the swaybar and it does not move freely in the bushing. this negatively affects the cars handling. on a street car you may not notice the difference, but on a track car it will screw with your brain trying to figure out what is wrong.