Anti-SwayBar Replacement:
 
Handling can be greatly improved on the Z witha common upgrade for to most cars. Replacement of the anti-sway bars(ASB) with a stiffer set will reduce body roll. Combine this with a setof stiffer springs and the handling of the Z comes right in line. An antisway bar is designed to reduce body roll. It keeps the vehicle 'flatter'in turns by transferring the pressure exerted on the outboard wheels andapplying opposite pressure on the inboard wheels. In this way weight ismore evenly applied to all four wheels, helping the vehicle stay more levelwith the road. The stock ASBs are hollow and smaller in diameter then thesolid, thicker after market versions. I have had some people try to explainto me that a solid bar is not necessary, that it's the diameter where thetortional strength is gained. I can agree to a point, but if a drinkingstraw is taken and twisted, what does it do in comparison to a wooden dowelof the same diameter? Extreme, but there's something to be said for thesolid piece, it's not likely to try and compress itself while being twisted.

This replacement was done with the Suspension Techniques kit on a '91NA and a '91 TT at different times. Special thanks to ~2TURBOZ~ for the original document this page is based on.

Special Tools:
Air impact wrench 
Torque wrench 

Notes:
Depending on the installation, the rubber bushings might have to beground down to fit properly. Refer to the instructions included with thekit for more details. Basically, the flat surface of the bushing shouldonly extend 1/32" to 1/16" out of the supplied bushing bracket. The frontkit comes with some washers for spacing, the rears might still need tobe ground down some. 

The front ASBs have 2 different adjustment holes, most street driverswill choose the holes on the end of the ASB. The rear has three holes,most street drivers will choose the middle set of holes. Moving to theend holes will increase understeer, while selecting a hole towards thecenter of the ASB will increase oversteer for whichever end the ASB ison.

If you are fortunate enough to use a car lift, removing the front ASBis going to be much easier to snake out. Only the passenger side tensionrod needs to be disconnected. On the flip side, installing the rear ASBwill be more difficult without being able to left up the hubs easily.

Installation:

1. If installing on an NA remove the passenger side intake hose (2 hoseclamps 8 mm) (1.), stuff a rag in the lower opening to avoid droppingforeign objects inside.

2. Unclip the plastic hanger on the passenger side aluminum air conditioninghose (2.). DO NOT disconnect any pressure fitting on the AC hose.The freon will escape & the system will need to be recharged. Somethingthat could be really expensive can EASILY be avoided. 

3. Break loose all the wheel lug nuts (20 x 21 mm), only a 1/2 turnor so each. Jack up the front of the car & put it on jack stands observingall safety measures. Remove the front wheels.

4. Remove lower engine shielding (6 x 10 mm), there is 1 on the extremeleft and right sides. 

5. Read the rest of the procedure to see what bolts/nuts will be removed& spray them with a penetrating lubricant. I recommend 'PB Blaster'brand. 

6. Unclip the lower AC hose clips on the front suspension cross member(3. & 4.) & one on the side of the passenger fenderwell. It's behind the power steering hose (view from below 5.). 

7. Remove the plastic air deflectors from the tension rods (if equippedwith). Remove the nuts on the tension rod ends (2 x 17 mm) and disconnectthe tension rods from each lower control arm (6.)

8. Remove the nuts on the connecting rod ends (2 x 12 mm) to free upthe ends of the ASB (7.).

9. Remove front ASB bushing retainer bolts (4 x 14 mm) (8.).Remove bushing brackets & the bushings from the ASB. 

10. Pull the AC hose down as far as possible. Do not apply too muchforce to this hose. It is rigid aluminum and can be easily damaged. Getthe driver side end of the ASB under the lower control arm. Be very carefulnot to pinch the AC hose, or the ABS/brake lines around the passenger sideof the ASB. I found it effective to use the floor jack to gently lift upthe driver side lower control arm to facilitate this move.

Note: Patience is a virtue here. It will take some timeand effort to jockey the ASB so the driver side will drop down. Once bothsides are down the ASB can be snaked out to the drivers side. Make a mentalnote of the process to get old ASB out. It makes installing the new ASBsimpler.
11. Get the new ASB in place in reverse fashion as above.

12. Use the provided lithium grease to lube the inside of each frontbushing (9.). Slip the bushings onto the ASB in the appropriateplaces. Refer to the Notes section at the top of this page for fittinginfo. Use two of the supplied washers in-between the new bracket and theframe rail for each bolt. Loosely bolt the brackets back in place (4 x14 mm) (10.). If the bolts don't go in place, the bolts holdingthe front of each tension rod bracket might have to be loosened (2 x 17mm ea. side). Once the entire tension rod bracket is loose, then holescan be re-aligned if required.

13. Bolt the end links back on the ASB (2 x 12 mm). Torque to 18 ft-lbs.

14. Torque the front tension rod bracket bolts (2 x 17 mm) to 80-94ft-lbs if required. Get the tension rods attached to the lower controlarms. The instructions that come with the ASBs are incorrect listing a22 ft-lbs torque spec for the tension rods, *please* ignore that! Torquethe nuts (2 x 17 mm) to 80-94 ft-lbs for all except the convertible, whichneeds 69-83 ft-lbs. Torque the bushing bracket bolts (4 x 14 mm) to 18ft-lbs. 

15. Re-clip the AC line in the engine bay, replace the intake hose ifinstalling on an NA. Don't forget to remove the rag. Replace the plasticair deflectors on the tension rods.

16. Install lower engine shielding (6 x 10 mm), there is 1 on the extremeleft and right sides. 

17. Re-mount the wheels, finger tighten the lugs. Lower the front ofthe car back on the ground. Torque the lugs to 80 ft-lbs in a skip 1 pattern(10 x 21 mm).

18. Jack up the rear of the car & put it on jack stands observingall safety measures. Remove the rear wheels (10 x 21 mm).

19. Disconnect the exhaust at the axle (4 x 17 mm) (11.). Disconnectthe end links, use a 10 mm wrench to hold the middle of the link (red dotin 12.) and 12 mm to remove the nuts on top of the the suspensionarms (green dot in 12.).

20. Remove the rear ASB bushing brackets (4 x 12 mm). Move the ASB aroundand slip it through the gap in the exhaust pipes (13.). A helperpulling on the muffler sections will make this easier to fit the ASB through.

21. Build up the new end links according to the diagram provided onthe instructions, which works like this: Take the end link bolts, put onone of the cupped washers with the inside pointed away from the bolt head.Put one of the red round bushings on the bolt next, with the rounded sidegoing into the cupped washer. Drop that through the lower control arm wherethe old end link was mounted. Slip another red round bushing up the boltfollowed by another cupped washer, both inverted compared to the top. thelower control arm is sandwiched now. The long sleave/spacer is next, followedby the smaller jam nut holding everything in place. Run the jam nut upthe bolt until the red bushings start to bulge (14.). Finally, arod end (spherical bearing) goes on last. Twist it as far up as it willgo while leaving it angled forward. Using more hands then a single persongenerally has, hold the bolt still, while holding the angle of the rodend the same, and back the jam nut into the eyebolt to hold everythingin place. Do this on the other side too.

22. Lube the inside of the new bushings with the provided grease. Slipthem onto the new ASB at the far sides right up against where they sweepback. Get the new ASB in position by putting it up through the exhaustpipe gap. Refer to the Notes section at the top of this page forfitting info. Bolt the rear bushing brackets on (4 x 12 mm) (15.).Torque bolts to 18 ft-lbs.

23. Use the jack to carefully lift up a lower suspension arm. Put thejack's cup on the lower shock mount and slowly lift the arm up. Don't liftthe car off the jack stand!!! Lift to where the end link is outside thesweep of the ASB. We opted to us the middle hole on the rear ASB on Jeff'scar. The bolts are another assembly: The mounting bolt has a regular washer,then a short spacer, then goes through the rod end into another short spacer.Use the jack to change the angle and run the bolt through whichever holeselected on the ASB. The end link will go to the outside of the ASB. Afterit's through the ASB, there's another regular washer and a nylok nut holdingit all together (14.). Torque to 18 ft-lbs. Use the same basic techniqueto attach the end link on the other end of the ASB. Be patient, it willprobably take a couple tries with a touchy hydraulic jack.

24. Put the exhaust back together (4 x 17 mm). Torque to 32-41 ft-lbs. 

25. Re-mount the wheels, finger tighten the lugs. Lower the rear ofthe car back to the ground. Torque the lugs to 80 ft-lbs in a skip 1 pattern(10 x 21 mm).


 

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