So I'm under there with penetrant spray and I have a question, should I replace the rubber bushings at the end of the bars? I have blue ones that are slightly rusty so it looks relatively new, but is it worth upgrading?

And can the front bar be used for the rear? I am gonna measure my front bar, but I think I would want to move it to the rear and get a big one for the front with a wonder bar.

This is just the 95 degree weather with high humidity talking...

 

Blue? Hmmm,you may already have poly end links ,are they rubbery or kind of plastic like(poly)? I don't know how big your back bar is ,so I wouldn't suggest that right now. I don't think I would go over 19mm in the back ,if you make the back to stiff your going to be doing alot of 180's and not on perpose. You do want it to give a little in the back for stablitiy.

 

These aren't the bushings, they are at the end of the tie rod, not near the middle. They look like little donuts on a 6"bolt of some sort. So I'm leaving the stock rear sway bar for sure, and a wonder bar should stiffen the front end and the poly bushings should be all I need.

 

Well I removed the whole bar to find out the bushings have cuts in them so I could have left it in.... . Wasted about an hour and had to jack up the car. It was fun though. Im getting bushings now.

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding ,that is why I first said to measure ,but thinking that you did not have a caliper(not brake)to measure with it is easier just to take it off. You say the END LINKS are blue ,but are they hard plastic like or soft rubbery type material. You will see the differance in material when you buy the big bushings and know what is in there ,the ploy end links will make a bigger differance than the bushing but toghether will make a huge differance. Good luck T.

 

The end links are rubber in the rear, I think plastic in the front. I think i have 16mm rear and 28mm front. Then with poly bushings, rubber end links, and a wonder bar... I hope I don't expect too much!

 

The wonder bar does make a differance ,but not that you will notice. What it will do is stiffen up and brace the front of the sub frame so that your steering box doesn't flex makes a little crisper turning . They used them on the perfomace cars because of the wider tires ,they tend to put undue stress on the frame at slow speed turning and the frame would crack at the steering box. If you want something that will make the car more responsive after you do the wonder bar ,install a Shock Tower Brace(STB)you will crap your pants after that. You sound like you are willing to get dirty and probably on a TEEN bugget so as you are already started doing this go with this........

1) Sway bar bushing AND end licks ,both front & rear ( front first)

2) Wonder bar

3) STB

4) SBC's (subframe connecters)

5) LCA's (lower control arms) These are after market that we are talking here no stock there is a differance. At the same time do the Panhard Rod or have yours reinforced (boxed in).

6) A good quality ajustible set of shocks (koni ,kyb's ,tokico's ,etc.)

7) springs if you wish you DO NOT have to lower the car to make it handle better ,but you may wish to get something a little stiffer out of a Z/28 ,or IROC.

With this combination you will be pretty well set for autocross type of handling and ready to put that bigger motor in ,but do it in this order you will be happier because you will notice each improvement , 3 & 4 can be switched around ,or done at the sametime deppending on your monitary status . Order a Jegs and Summit catalog on line there free so you can get an idea what these parts are going to run you.

 

I've got a summit racing catalog around here somewhere! You are my hero!

 

There will be other things you will want to do as you go along ,like brakes (pads & lines,rotors,tires,etc.)but these points will get you going in the right direction and keep you safe ,and welcome to the world of Hot Rodding. Good luck with your modifications and happy crusing.

Note the changes to the prior list.

 

Of course no one around here has my size bushings... I'm soo mad. Then at auto zone I ask for Sway bar bushings and the guy gets pissed when he shows me end links and I say thats not what I need and actually argued with me about it.

Also, I would imagine a wonder bar and SBC's would make me a bit safer in crash.

 

That's not what they are for ,but wouldn't hurt that's for sure. How about Peep Boyz ,you have them around? You could try NAPA or simillar parts stores.