SR Performance rear control arms

[bmcgc]

Installed upper and lower today. SR Performance from American Muscle.

I had the necessary tools, air tools and a helper.

Install for all 4 control arms, shocks and removal of the quad shocks and mounts ran 8 hours.

Ran into problems reinstalling the sway bar. All the instructions and videos I watched stated that the sway bar installs on the inside of the brackets. The SR sway bar brackets are welded on the bottom of the tubular bar and sit lower than the oem mount.

No way my factory Cobra sway bar was going to fit between those brackets. I ended up installing the clips on the control arm bracket and installing the sway bar on the outside of the brackets. Since the clips do not fit the bracket, I am going to have to buy hardware to properly secure the sway bar.

The sway bar is barely above the scrub line.

The ABS line was not long enough to snap back into the bracket so I wire tied it to the brake line until I figure out something else.

Other than the issue with the sway bar mounts, I pleased with the kit.

 

[PinkieT]

I had the same control arms installed on my wife's car. The factory sway bar hangs lower than I like, and AM's response was "so what". I see other arms with the bar mount holes at an angle so the sway bar tucks up where it belongs. I am going to do the install on my car, and am thinking of grinding and welding the sway bar holes so the bar doesn't hang so far down.

 

[bmcgc]

Yep, I thought about going to a muffler shop and getting them to weld the holes up for me and redrilling them lower.

 

[ttocs]

not the best option but maybe if you make the mounting holes a little larger you can get it to angle up higher.

 

[bmcgc]

Long weekend working on the rear suspension, but learned a lot. Info for anyone else looking.

All the threads I read stated the rear sway bar hardware was 5/16. My 97 Cobra has 3/8 hardware.

I could not install my sway on the inboard side of the SR Performance lower control arms. Installing the sway bar on the outboard side of the mounts means you can not use the nut clip on the rear bolt if you want to remount the ABS sensor line holder. That bolt will require that you buy grade 8 bolts, washers, lock washers and nuts. You can use the nut clip on the front hole, but the bolt will thread toward the outboard side, not the inboard side as the directions state.

My ABS line did not have enough slack to clip back into the holder because the tubular control arm sway bar mount is much lower than stock. So low my sway bar is barely above the scrub line with 17in wheels. Tonight I noticed that there is a second mount where the ABS line enters the car body. I was able to bend this bracket down by hand and gain a couple inches of slack so the ABS line now sits in the bracket bolted to the lower control arm.

I also learned tonight my rear wheel bearings are shot. I suspected as much, theres a nasty growl coming out of the rear end, I couldnt tell if it was bearings, gears or tranny. Its definitely bearings. Thats a job I will not do myself, time to start looking for a shop. I would like to find a new edge rear end for the extra width, maybe I will go that route.

 

[SnakeBit!]

I have noticed when installing either a factory sway bar on after market lower control arm or an aftermarket, larger sway bar, you cannot put it in straight up from the bottom of the mounting brackets. it will appear to be too wide and you will want to try to mount it to the outside, if you shove it in, from the rear of the car, toward the front, it flexes enough to go in. you are basically pinching or squeezing it in that way. you cannot pinch it together from the bottom. too stiff.

 

[bmcgc]

I was afraid that I would pop the welds on the mount if I forced it in.

 

[ttocs]

something is jacked up if your wedging it in. Could be the car, could be the part or a little bit of both but its not supposed to be difficult

 

[SnakeBit!]

the way I described, I had to do on my car and another car. in fact, I put in a Steeda 27mm bar my car so it was even harder. no issues wit the weld and it flexed enough to go in when there was no other way to get it to mount up. I called Steeda and they were no help when trying to do it from the bottom up and no help overall as the guy had no idea. once I started sliding it in from the back. just took several attempts as it kept moving around enough to pop out before lining up the holes.

 

[bmcgc]

I will give it another shot this weekend