The install went pretty good but now the car is on the road, I've found that the driver's side bearing cap stud on the support cover hits the panhard bar support bar. Not the panhard bar itself but the stamped steel support that is above it. I noticed the bump stops aren't in the best shape and I didn't get the bump stop spacers when I switched to 17" rims. At ride height there is only about 2-2.5" of travel between the cover stud and the PHB support flange that it hits. The car isn't lowered and has stock FE4 springs and DeCarbon shocks. Can I grind a notch in the support to clear the stud or will this weaken it? Any suggestions?

 

You can grind down the panhard rod brace to clear the studs..... common problem. Or, I beleive that BMR claims their panhard rod relocation kit will reduce the interference, because it includes a new tubular brace, which is bent to a different shape.

 

Thanks, Injuneer. That's what I was thinking of doing but wasn't sure if it'd affect the integrity of the brace. I did talk to DTS today and it seems they put on the wrong support cover, they have one with the bearing cap tensioner studs that are recessed into the cover and should clear. They're going to switch the covers and replace the pinion seal that is leaking just a bit on Monday. The 500 mile break in should be done by then so I'll get a free lube change, woohoo! Off to the races soon

I've looked at the relocation brace from BMR and like the fact it'll allow true duals, something I have plans for in the future. It definitely looked like the tubular design would clear the existing cover but if I can get DTS to fix it for free, I'm gonna go that route 'til the fundage situation is a little better. I can't run LTs and/or true duals until I move out of this house anyway -- damn driveway

 

My Strange has the LPW cover, and the preload bolts stick out quite a bit.

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun.../DCP03552a.jpg

So far the brace hsan't hit it, but I'm afraid if I spray the 300-shot off the line there might be enough suspension squat to make it a problem. I've marked the brace with pieces of tape to indicate where I need to grind, but then I though maybe I'd take the whole brace out, since its not a street driven car.

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun.../DCP03674a.jpg

 

Yep, that's where it's hitting. I haven't done any hard launches yet so I don't know if my car will squat low enough to hit it. I'm really starting to wonder if the shocks and bump stops are worn out, letting the suspension travel too much. It doesn't hit if I go slow over bumps, it does it at 30-40+mph on dips in the road. Not bumps where the suspension moves up and back down, but dips where the susp. drops and the car body follows it down as the pavement forces the susp. back up. The shocks, springs and PHB brace are the only rear susp. components that haven't been replaced yet. The car still seems to handle well and the rear doesn't wallow and bounce like the shocks are worn. The fender lip does sit a little closer to the tire in the rear than the front does.

Removing the brace is not an option for me since the car is driven mostly on the street with some track duty and I'd like to try some autoX (my shift kit's gonna make that really interesting). A drag only car wouldn't seem to put big lateral loads on the panhard bar and I followed a thread some time ago where some guys had pulled the brace on street cars and not had any problems.

Hopefully the new cover will fix the prob but I will eventually go to the tubular relocated brace, for true dual clearance, strength and looks. The coating on the stock brace is coming off in sheets and looks nasty.