Focus Fanatics Forum banner

"How To" - Front Sway Bar Install

112K views 96 replies 43 participants last post by  Cheese1 
#1 ·
Well I would like to mention if your not sure of your mechanicall skills let a PRO do the install. This install will take 2 hours for an experienced person but for some one who is considerd a Rookie it may take 6 hours from start to finish. By all means have a second person with you to ease the install time and for safety reasons of course.

Tools Required:
1/2 inch drive sockets, Metric
1/2 inch drive ratchet
1/2 inch torq rench

13MM
15MM
18MM

Box wrench
13MM

Hydraulic jack
2 Jack stands

Nice long breaker bar or extension pipe for ease of bolt removeall.

Oh yahh one more thing, clean pair ooooo shorts on hand. Some bolts require some Arm, Back, and some grunting muscles. Darn bolts are tight, Not kidding.
So here it goes, hope you guys like the write up.
 
See less See more
#2 · (Edited)
jack placement

lift car by subframe. notice that the jack is lifting on the the subframe at the motor mount bolt location.

The stands need to be placed 2 inches behind the subframe. Note it's very important to have the spaceing.
 

Attachments

#6 ·
Now lets see some muscle. this is where you get dirty.

You will need the 18MM socket to break these loose. Make sure the bolts your breaking loose are these or this could become really dangerous for you very quickly. There will be the 2 on the passenger side and two on the driver.
 

Attachments

#8 · (Edited)
These are the upper subframe bolts these are tighter than the lower subframe bolts. No reallly I'm not kidding these are held in place with a grade 10.9 bolt there tight so if you got this far with a 3/8 ratchet stop now before you hurt your self. These are 15MM bolts.
 

Attachments

#9 ·
After the removeal of the bolts from driver and passenger side it's time to lower the subframe. Lower jack slowly and be sure the car doesn't rock or woble for safety reasons of course.
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Remove brackets from subframe and sway bar. the assembly will be re used so be careful not to damage the bolts. The rear bolts are about 4 inches long so those are where I started first. Basicly get the hard part outa the way first. The driver side looks identicle but there is a slightly more confined space to work with, the steering components are an inconvenience but easily worked around.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Now we are too the point of the actuall removeal of the bar. The bar can only be removed from the back side. Take your time. the bar should come out easily and evenly. Then at a ceratain point youll simply drop the bar out one side and then the other. Now is the point in time you will reallize the spaceing of the jack stands from the subframe.
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Sorry for the bad pic Ive got more pics actually 376 pics of extreme detail but used this one couse it is the general idea of it.
 

Attachments

#19 · (Edited)
The silver brackets had to be removed, they are held in place by notches in the sub frame so there easy to remove and install. But now is the time to put these back in.
 

Attachments

#21 ·
The rubber boot sould be centerd between the bracket evenly. This pic basicly shows what it should look like when done.
 

Attachments

#22 · (Edited)
On the subframe reinstall raise the floor jack up till the sub frame is about a 1/2 inch from the under body. then place all bolts in place by hand. Then tighten the bolts in this pic. I tightend these to 140ft/lbs. I' cant find specs for these bolts so I just went by common sense and bolt grade ability. So if any one finds these specs please post them.
 

Attachments

#24 ·
Now it's time to connect the links back to the sway bar. I didn't torque these I just made them tight and tossed some blue thread loc on the post and nut.
 

Attachments

#25 · (Edited)
This install took 4 hours do to pics. But now atleist to whom checks this out you will have some idea of what to expect.

I would like to give a thanks to CELL DWELLER for useing his car as a demo for this install. Basicly I orderd the H&R sway bars and removed my bars off my SVT. Then we put the SVT bars on to his Mach Audio Manderine copper ZTS. The install for the ZTS and the SVT is identicle. So this will cover all focus for the most part. If any of you have any extra notes or info you fill was left out please post it so others can use it for future reference.

Also I have a great deal of pics so if you need a pic at certain point of install I will post it for you. Just send me a PM.

I will also be covering some more mods like custom fiberglass projects and interiore mods. These mods WILL NOT BE FOR THE TIMID. We will get reall messy and complicated. Iwill post web pages and all info possible to under stand electrical and electronics theory, and circuit design.

Please let me know what you guys think of this I would like this to be a sticky but you guys must let the moderaters know to do it. Thankyou and I hope this helps.

One more thing, Comeing soon I will show how to pull an engine the easiest way possible for rebuild.
 
#26 ·
Nice write up there bud. I'm still sore and tired from it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top