Swaybar On 2007 Ford Focus

[GreenEnvy]

Website with the brackets...
http://www.etrailer.com/pc-JA~DL22443.htm

well, after months of searching, trying to devise, manufacture, and just plain throw something together, I finally hit upon the perfect perches to weld to the subframe to mount the damn thing. seems ford in their wisdom doesnt weld the perches to the subframe anymore unless you order the car with a swaybar.
I happened to stumble upon the exact part needed in of all places the trailer section, specifically the jack area.
seems the bolt on jacks have a kit with the long bolts and 2 plates. after checking that the width was 1.5" i bought them, nuts , and bolts. the plates already have holes in them and guess what, they line up with a stock bracket perfectly. now granted, these plates are long. but its simply a matter of bolting the sway to them, marking and cutting off the excess. this is some pretty heavy steel, so unless you want to get worn out i wouldnt suggest a hacksaw.
now, remount the sway to the perches and follow along...

the pic has them mounted to the swaybar.
3/8x1" long bolts (flange bolts if you can find them)
3/8 flange nuts (these work best to tac weld)
mounting plates for a toungue jack on a trailer
A buddy with a welder helps out a bit too
total cost- $4 for the plates about $1 for the nuts and bolts in bulk


perches came in the bag, notice the nice lip, its important that it allows room behind for the nut. 2 swaybar endlinks also.


notice how the bolt sticks out of the nut and past the flanges on the perch, this is kinda important and you'll see why in a sec. (don't mind the paws at the top of the pic...lol)


tac nuts with swaybar bolted to perches, then place swaybar ends on top of bottom suspension arms. top bolts in the perches will go into holes in subframe. lines things up nicely that way. now, hold the assembly up and tack each side of the perch fairly solid, then unbolt the swaybar. proceed to solidly weld and you have this...








Hope this helps some others out. now, i just need to clean things up and give it a shot of paint.
this mod gave a tremendous handling change. a whole lot more solid than it was and it doesn't drop the rear while corning anymore.

[Sponsor]

[ignited83]

where did u buy the end links n the brakets? i have my rear sway bar, but it only came with bushings, no end links or brakets for the bushings......

[GreenEnvy]

the endlinks were 5 bucks apiece at checker auto, but any parts store should have them. the brackets for the sway bar bushing i had to purchase through ford.
go to the vendor section, hilbish ford, and drop mike a note with what you need. it would be alot cheaper than going to your local dealer and paying full price. mike does very good pricing on stock parts.

on a side note. after driving it awhile there is a major handling difference. firmer but smoother ride and way better handling. It feels like a car really should.

[Klondike]

very nicely done loco, where did you get the sway from, junkyard?

but for the price its cheaper then getting it from steeda, even tho thats what ill end up doing sometime in the future

again good write up, makes perfect sense

[GreenEnvy]

actually, a friend, celldweller, had one since he changed to a larger bar.
thing with the steeda kit is it clamps around the subframe. I just didn't like that idea, i like the mounting tabs welded solid, no chance of movement that way

[GreenEnvy]

well, after 2 days of being on and several hundred miles i decided to inspect the mounts. everything is a-ok. no cracking or anything. cheap mod that did wonders in the handling department

[Geezer]

Originally Posted by goinloco1

well, after 2 days of being on and several hundred miles i decided to inspect the mounts. everything is a-ok. no cracking or anything. cheap mod that did wonders in the handling department

Nice beefy welds...i doubt it'll go anywhere!

[GreenEnvy]

lol, and they were done with a 110 welder and flux wire

[Klondike]

hmm i think your right with the welded on part over just being bolted in, hats the chance of it rusting? where i live we get alot of salt and sand tossed down and wanna know the best way to prevent rust, just give it a good paint job...

[GreenEnvy]

I'll be removing the bar and cleaning up the mounts and welds shortly. clean them outside and as best you can, inside. then simply prime and a good coat of paint.
almost forgot earlier, on the outboard side of each bracket we could only get an inch or so of weld due to an existing bracket, but it should hold fine and pose no problem. didn't have a stick welder or we could have gotten it the whole way.