Rear sway bar?

CheeseSnake · #1 (**permalink**) 05-02-2006, 08:38 AM

I have a 92' CR with a 351 Cleveland, Tremec 5sp, and 8.8" posi rear with 3.55:1 gears. I am in the process of upgrading the front suspension to tubular upper/lower (strut-less) control arms, 375lb coil-overs, and Wilwood brakes. The front already has a sway bar with poly bushings. For the rear I am going to go with 225lb coil-overs as well and a conversion to Wilwood discs.

I have the following questions regarding the rear suspension;

1) Do I need to keep the rear sway bar? I plan to box all 4 rear control arms and install polyurethane bushings, but if I keep the sway bar I have to leave some of the lower control arms open to allow the sway bar to be mounted.

2) Are the stock CR upper shock mounting points beefy enough to handle the coil-overs without adding any gussets? I have already broken one of these mounts in the past and it would not be hard to strengthen these mounts while everything is apart.

Thanks,

Jim

dscott · #2 (**permalink**) 05-02-2006, 08:50 AM

Jim, It is always recommended to run both sway bars. If the car is used for the street only I don't use them at all. The car will handle great without them. The rear shock mounts will handle the coilovers without a problem but it is easy to beef up the mount for added security.
Don

CheeseSnake · #3 (**permalink**) 05-04-2006, 01:40 PM

Thanks Don, I'll make sure I leave enough open on the bottom of the lower control arms when I box them to be able to get the sway bar back on.

BTW, does anybody have any pics of the rear suspension on a CR with the coil-overs installed - particularly the upper and lower mounting points? There does not appear to be much room for the coils at either mounting point unless the shock/mount part of the coilover extends quite a ways above and below the coil itself.

dscott · #4 (**permalink**) 05-04-2006, 05:17 PM

I mount the coilovers with a 1 1/2" spacer between the shock and the frame. I use grade 8 1/2" bolts for mounting. The shock is spaced far enough from the frame for spring clearance.
Don

CheeseSnake · #5 (**permalink**) 05-04-2006, 05:41 PM

Thanks again. I just ran into another issue with the rear control arms. I bought a set of Energy Suspension poly bushings for the rear, and the uppers fit fine, the lowers are too large. The upper control arms had a Ford PN on them, the lowers do not - the rear-end is an 8.8" I believe out of a late 80's Thunderbird Super Coupe. What control arms did CR supply for this application in 1992? It appears that the metal bushings (inside the rubber) are 3" long, the bushing hole in the control arm are 1.5" diameter, and the control arms themselves are 2.5" wide - meaning .25" of bushing protrudes out of each side.

I already boxed, powder coated and installed the uppers, but I don't want to start welding on the lowers until I am sure I have bushings to fit (the existing ones will probably get trashed from the heat). Do you know what application covers the lower rear control arms?

Tx again,

Cheesy