Hotchkis Sway Bar Kit Install Comments
08-20-2005, 10:23 PM
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Hotchkis Sway Bar Kit Install Comments
I installed my front/ rear sway bar kit today and thought I would discuss it a little.
The front was cake, the hardest part was getting the stock end links apart since they have some dumb like 1.25" hex cap thats only 1/8" high, so I ended up pulling the wheels off to access it. Other then that everything bolted up and I moved on to the back.
The rear is definitely a lot more involved since there is no swaybar there origionally. I found a little loop in the install thou. They suggest moving the gas tank to access the inside of the frame rail to get the studs in for the end link brackets but with a piece of hard wire I was able to snake the bracket thru a hold mid tank and drop it in the holes with a little twisting of it thru the hole in the bottom of the frame. I would say that took a lota time and bs outa the install. They recommend placing the brackets flush with the otside of the framerail, which turned out to not be the best place. the bar is not centered from side to side the one bracket is flush with outside of the framerail and the other on the inside. I figure centering the first would fix this, maybe in time I will rip it apart and move the holes, until then it works for now.
Handling: great, I did just the front swap first then drove it, good improvement, then the back really made it have better control. Once I replace my "racing slicks" aka worn out tires, with some new tires I know it will feel even better. any sugestions for stock rims????
The front was cake, the hardest part was getting the stock end links apart since they have some dumb like 1.25" hex cap thats only 1/8" high, so I ended up pulling the wheels off to access it. Other then that everything bolted up and I moved on to the back.
The rear is definitely a lot more involved since there is no swaybar there origionally. I found a little loop in the install thou. They suggest moving the gas tank to access the inside of the frame rail to get the studs in for the end link brackets but with a piece of hard wire I was able to snake the bracket thru a hold mid tank and drop it in the holes with a little twisting of it thru the hole in the bottom of the frame. I would say that took a lota time and bs outa the install. They recommend placing the brackets flush with the otside of the framerail, which turned out to not be the best place. the bar is not centered from side to side the one bracket is flush with outside of the framerail and the other on the inside. I figure centering the first would fix this, maybe in time I will rip it apart and move the holes, until then it works for now.
Handling: great, I did just the front swap first then drove it, good improvement, then the back really made it have better control. Once I replace my "racing slicks" aka worn out tires, with some new tires I know it will feel even better. any sugestions for stock rims????
08-20-2005, 11:55 PM
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not as much as I thought, the stocker isnt excessively bad, although mine did still have a sticker on it so i wonder if it had been replaced at one time or something. Plus I was so excited to put the new parts on i kinda just threw the stock one off to the side and didnt compare them. I would say just the 2 hotchkis bars equaled the just the front stocker.
08-21-2005, 03:30 PM
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my front sway bar was dinky compared to the hotchkis front one alone, i noticed a large difference with jsut the front but the rear one makes all the difference in the world with the front one also, i have a longbed so that might sway the scales a lil
08-22-2005, 02:36 PM
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no pics of the install but i also found a hole in the frame where i could slide my finger in and i used that instaid of the wire/string trick
you can find pics of my truck in my www.Fullsizechevy.com/ gallery under username 13dually havent updated that in a lil while tho
you can find pics of my truck in my www.Fullsizechevy.com/ gallery under username 13dually havent updated that in a lil while tho
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