Write-Up: Front/Rear (Addco) Stabilizer/Sway Bar Installation

Part numbers please.

AA wrote:

Jack, I'll be sending you a set of bushings by the weekend. John at Addco is sending you the brackets today.

John says the rear bushings are still being checked for fit, should be sending out soon.

I received the brackets yesterday. All I need is the front bushings and I'm good to go!

Sorry for dragging my feet, Jack. I sent them out Priority this morning, should be to you by Fri.

Thanks Aaron! I got the brackets and the bushings, just need some time to put it on. If I have to disconnect the exhaust to put it in, I might as well wait until I get a down pipe. Speaking of DP, I read where they are not a perfect fit for the Riv...Is there one name brand over another that fits better?

if you are 100% sure you are getting a DP, wait to do both at once. But it is easy to do without removing the downpipe if you have access to a transmission jack. Just lower the subframe a little and you'll get the front bar out. The Addco one is easier to put in than the stocker is to remove.

Thanks Jason. Can I get it to work with a floor jack or do I actually need the trans jack?

if your car is supported in the front with jackstands, and you think your floor jack (with a piece of wood on it, not to damage the pan) can go high enough, yes, you could do it with a floor jack.

I received the rear bushings from Addco. They'll work, but they're still made of rubber, not hard plastic like the front bushings.

Have located another source that will make us custom rear poly bushings for cheap. See thread:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/suspension-handling-f6/rear-poly-stabilizer-bar-bushings-t1621.htm

great. I just hope people realize that poly isn't the be-all-end-all that some people make it out to be. It has cold flow issues...so even though it will not distort in some ways as much as rubber , it will distort more in other ways.

Why would poly exhibit creep in this application? It's under very little stress (the weight of the bar) except during a heavy corner. Even if it did deform over time, how is this a bad thing, considering it will hold its form in the short term?

If you want them, I can send you the new bushings from Addco. They appear to be similar to the material the stock bushings are made of.

You can consider urethane as a very viscous (stiff) liquid more than an actual solid.

Over time, it willl change shape as the liquid slowly "runs". Unlike rubber, it will not spring back to its original shape.

In something like a swaybar bushing, the bushing eventually effectively oval out. Endlink bushings will eventually wear. This is why you see the OEMs tend to shy away from urethane bushings.

Urethane does have pros. In the quick hit situation (i.e. bar flexes and flexes back) it is usually stiffer than rubber. Especially compared to the OEM rubber mush found on most passenger cars.

Quote :

These are Addco parts. When I said Ford bushings, I meant Addco bushings made for a Ford application. If you want Addco's part numbers, I can try and get that information for you.

AA did you ever get thos epart numbers? Sorry I was just curious?

No, thanks for the reminder. I'll email Addco about it asap.

Hey Aaron,
Only a little off topic but do you know if the guy who was selling us the addco fronts and rears is still doing it?

Since my lower subframe is out, it's the perfect time to upgrade the front sway and bushings...

Yes, Brad is still in business. I just bought a set of swaybars for my roadmaster at a very good price from him.

contact Brad Vlastuin at never enough auto
neverenoughauto.com
877-609-6727
sales@neverenoughauto.com

I think addco raised their prices right after the GP. You can mention the GP to him, he remembers it (I brought it up to him like 2 weeks ago). He does not stock the bar but is a major distributor of addco. To make sure your purchase goes smoothly:
order part #s 02018 (front) and 02015 (rear). Make SURE you tell him to inform addco that you REQUIRE the spacer plates for the front bushings and that you want the rear 22mm bushings from addco too. GM P/N 25666235. I would get the bushings even you plan on getting the ones in this thread because 1) it might take a while and 2) they were supplied by addco for FREE to everyone who purchased the bars.

Go for the bars. They make a dramatic improvement.

"Make SURE you tell him to inform addco that you REQUIRE the spacer plates for the front bushings and that you want the rear 22mm bushings from addco too. GM P/N 25666235"

Amen!

I ordered mine from Brad (nice guy) but it did not come with proper bushings or plates. Never did get them. Went with Energy suspension for the front and made plates myself. Rear poly bushings were from a Ford application I think.

There are no poly insulators for the rear. The custom ones I got from Addco were rubber, about the same durometer as the GM. This is why I considered getting them made from another source.

Just wanted to add a bit about my complete nightmares with Addco. I bought my front and rear sway bars from Addco through Never Enough Auto in early january, when I was replacing my transmission. Figured I couldn't go wrong having the subframe out already. Well I received the two bars from Addco, rear was right on and easy to install. Came with the bushings, but no endlinks.

The front... they sent me the wrong bar. The box was labelled with the right number, but the bars weren't even close. I contacted NEA and they had Addco send me a return through UPS. But it took two months to get the right bar. Okay, so now I have the right bar. Planned this weekend to do my wheel bearings, control arms and sway bar, figuring it would be easier to get the bar in and out with the struts and control arms all out of the way. Turns out you still have to drop the subframe, no easy way out there, BUT.

The new bar is... close, but not bent properly. Now I'm really pissed. It isn't symmetrical, i.e. it doesn't even sit flat on the floor, one corner sticks up. The bends are close, but the center section is not a good fit. It doesn't clear the exhaust. Because of the asymetry, the part where the large bushings hold into place was not along the same axis. To get the bushing brackets tight was... difficult. I was finally able to get the brackets bolted in with some pushing and tugging, and observed that when the bar pivots up and down the bushing brackets actually flex around.

I am in the middle of the job, will post a few pics later of how far off the bar is. I was tempted to heat it with a torch this afternoon and fix the bends, but I think I'll be better off just returning it. I think I'm just going to put the stock bar back in for now.

I'm confused. I had the "right" bar, I think (?). It went in without dropping the subframe on mine.

You could put the front bar in without dropping the subframe? Did you still have the stock exhaust? There's no way this bar goes in with the exhaust in place. How do you do it? I can't remove my rear exhaust unless I drop the headers.

After doing it a few times, it turns out it's actually not that big of a deal to unbolt the steering rack, drop the rear 4 subframe bolts and pull out the rear trans mount bolt, allowing the subframe to drop about 6-8 inches giving plenty of room to slide the sway bar in and out. The whole sway bar is down to about a 3 hour job now that I've done it three times...

Aaron has slp headers. I installed the bar with the stock exhaust in place. As I mentioned, I removed the 4 bolts of the subframe and just pried it.

Since I've done the slp headers, it seems the downpipe isn't as close to the bar as when I had the stock exhaust. The rubbing on the bar was from the stock exhaust, as I haven't driven it since the header install (can't wait though).




Do NOT heat the bar with a torch or the heat will ruin the steel's temper. Return it. There is no reason you should have a product of inferior quality.

It's too bad you have had a bad experience with Addco. I have dealt with Never Enough twice again since the riviera swaybar GP and have been impressed all three times. BUT since I am in Canada, Never Enough ships from their stock directly to me. For USA customers, he has the items drop shipped directly from Addco.

I do believe Addco has a quality control issue, or morons at the shipping dept.

I have a '97 with SLP headers and had to drop the subframe for the swaybar install. It's not too dificult to drop it and it saves A LOT of headache if you don't. I had trouble getting correct bushings and the bushing brackets. Went ahead and ordered them from someone else. Don't know if the problem originated from Addco or John at Never Enough but John was well aware of the problem some of us had had with the bushings (nothing was ever done obviously)

Thanks Jason, I have the SLP knockoffs, they look exactly the same underneath.

The way the new bar is bent, it sticks so far away from the frame it hits right onto the flexpipe before I can get the end links even close. Also, the ends of the sway bar hit the CV shaft.

I'll get back in touch with Never Enough tomorrow and work on it. Very disappointed to need a third sway bar. Seems to be QC problems at Addco.

This might help:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/suspension-handling-f6/front-stabilizer-bar-t366.htm

What car were the addco bars originally made for?