sabresfan

Changing the rear tires on my car and I noticed this...

The first picture is my driver side and the second picture is on my passenger side and is obviously missing whatever it is that goes there. I realize its a suspension piece but does anyone know the technical name for it, and how would I go about getting it replaced? And how bad is it to drive around with it missing?



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Injuneer

The missing piece is a "sway bar end link". Measure the length of the one that is still there, and buy a pair of Energy Suspension replacements, with polyurethane bushings. Replace both sides.

http://www.energysuspension.com/univ...ng-charts.html

The sway bar controls body roll in turns. You should be noticing excessive body roll on hard cornering.

sabresfan

does 2 7/8 in sound about right? I attribute the missing end link to the horrible western NY roads. The potholes are miserable around here

Could the missing end link also cause my tire to rub on the lip of the wheel well over large bumps?

Injuneer

I actually took a picture and measured my ES end links for someone. I have a picture (but not the dimensions) of them laying on a sheet of graph paper. But the front and rear links are different lengths. I don't remember which is longer. Counting the squares on the 1/4" graph paper:

Shorter one -length of metal sleeve that separates the washers = ~2.25"

Longer one -length of metal sleeve that separates the washers = ~3.0"

If you measured about 3" for the length of the metal sleeve, then the 2-7/8" ES part would be correct.

As far as the fender lip contacting the sidewall of the tire, do you have stock wheels and tires? Does it rub on both sides of the car, or just one side? Do both tires appear to sit the same depth in the wheel wells? The side-to-side location of the chassis over the rear axle is controlled by the panhard bar. You may have rotten bushings on the bar. Or, if the loss of the rear sway bar roll control allows the body to roll excessively, could contribute to rubbing. But the stock wheels and tires aren't usually that close to the fender lip. It's generally wider, smaller than stock offset wheels that cause tire/fender lip interference.

sabresfan

Forgot to mention that I currently have y2k corvette wheels on the car. The rears are 18" rims with 285/40/18 tires. I've also noticed that when parked, the car sags slightly to the passenger side from the rear.

It only rubs on the passenger side and usually it's only when I have a passenger in the car.