im got my sway bars today. they look good, why wouldnt they. they dont have any bracket to attach the hiem joint to. im wondering if it was supposed to be attached to the flat ends on the sway bar but the flat ends were done 90 degrees wrong. im just going to make my own brackets for the lower control arm and frame i the rear to take the hiems and ill either use the above uniball thing. this part is a bit disappointing that adco didnt get it right.
Well, I decided to call John and he called me back. He was not aware of any issues. I directed him to this thread. He was under the impression that a diagram should have been included. I have not received my bars and I do not plan to install them for a while. So, I am hoping that we can get this all straightened out. John appears to be truly concerned about any problems that are encountered and wants to make it right. John provided me his email address and told me to post it: johnw@addco.net So that we do not inundate him with a bunch of emails with the same problem, can those who have received the bars spell out exactly the problem and what you believe needs to be done to correct it. I sent John a shortcut to this thread and suggseted that he check it tomorrow morning for updates to the problem. Lets give them a chance to make this right. Micah
I appreciate that. Really we just need him to look at the photo I posted and make sure everything is correct. Also like previously stated some sort of diagram as to what they were thinking the install should look like.
The thread is long.. but some of the parts needed to correct the assembly are located and linked within it. In fact, the Scott Drake part linked a few posts up from this one is similar to what I expected to receive.. and that's what would be needed to complete the assembly at this point. I haven't looked at their catalog.. but it seems fairly safe to assume that Addco must have other applications that use similar style end links which could be substituted into this kit to make it a complete bolt on package. If that's not the case.. which would be very odd indeed.. I myself would like to see some sort of partial credit to my card to help offset the extra parts and time required to complete the install with emphasis on maintaining proper end link geometry.
ive found a site that has link balls in different sizes (all metric) and even some with left hand threads. http://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110300372160/ i belive these are what is needed to attach to the sway bar end correctly. maybe addco will provide these.
as i think about this more, the flat ends of the sway bar being horizontal will be prone to flexing at the point where they meet the round section. most likely this will result in the ends cracking and braking off. im thinking at this point addco messed up when they made these bars and need to remake them with the ends being vertical.
Hey gang. I just got off the phone with John. He received photos of the bar from Mikah and is beside himself on what went wrong. The mounting flange was intended to be vertical and not horizontal as it is. He has notified the plant manager and owner of the issue and will be getting back to us on how they will be correcting this. After thinking about it, you notice the holes on the flange are the correct size for the 3/8 shoulder bolt for the heim joint. There is no way those urethane bushings would fit there properly without drilling the hole out to something like 5/8. Another minor issue is the heim joint is 3/8-24 and not 3/8-16. We do not have the correct bolt for that either. In addition. He wants to know from those who had ordered the rear 7/8 bar whether the mounting tab is vertical or horizontal. I think he said they are supposed to be vertical as well. (I could be wrong about that) So please post up here what it looks like and I'll let him know. Please lets not have 10 people calling him about this. It gets confusing about who he told this and that and who he needs to call back. Im soo sorry this has been such a hassle. It may take some time but Im confident they will get this corrected. I'll get some updates as soon as I get them.
Now that you mention it and I think about the geometry details involved here.. that makes much sense and seems about right to me. Thanks for following up on the resolution aspect and very nice to hear that John is on top of the issue now. I'll just patiently sit back and wait for things to get sorted out.
I'm still waiting for mine...I wonder if I shouldn't even accept them from UPS, and just let them return them...so I don't have to pay brokerage fees twice.... Chris, If you talk to John again..., see what he says? I won't bug him.
Great news! John gave me a call back to let me know that the bars are going back into production next week to be remade the correct way and as soon as they are comepleted they will be shipped to us. They do NOT want to waste our time or any more money with these existing bars as they are worthless so keep them and do with them whatever you want. He said for me to call him back this time next week to get an update. You can accept it if you feel its worth keeping but he said there is no problem if you want to reject it.
Wow.. talk about a smart businessman with great customer service intentions! Kind of a "cut our losses since they're not even worth the price of scrap to ship them back to us" mentality. I like it.
since I did not order a rear bar, where these adjustable too? if they just have one 5/8" hole, then they are not adjustable and are fine with the flat/horizontal ends, providing Addco included the correct hardware. I have a Quickor 3/4" rear sway bar w/same horizontal flat ends and end links are attach to the inner rear frame rail sides via "L" bracket which is bolted to the frame. Hole has to be drilled horizontally through the frame rail and 3/8" bolt, square reinforce plate/washer is supplied and bolted. I liked Quickors rear mounting system better than Addco's, as I have heard about Addco's "U" bolt ripping out the bottom of the frame rail.... I've had my Quickor for over 20 years! I am sure Addco will solve the problem with the front end links, I will be picking mine up tomorrow, which I will compare with the OEM one I still have (no, I do not have it on the car, currently have modified 67 Shelby 15/16" bar) and check to make sure all dimensions are correct. Hopefully if everything other than the horizontal ends are correct, I will just fabricate "U" bracket/adapter to bolt up to the flat ends and then Heim joints can be bolted. Will have to check thread type to see if end link bolt/heim joint use the same thread or if I have to purchase new bolts. Since my vehicle has been lowered, I had to shorten the original end link bolts to maintain correct bar/lower control arm "parallel" geometry, so the 6" bolts maybe long enough to rethread the shank portion to match the heim joint (if it is a fine thread). Again, remember that this was a custom adjustable bar made just for us, never been done before (for Mav/Comet) and yes, perhaps things got mixed up during production, but give Addco a chance to solve the problem before jumping to any conclusions or posting negative comments....... I just read the great news! Thanks again to Chris and John at Addco!!!
the ends on the rear bars are just like the ends on the front bar. 3 holes on a flattened section on the end of the bar.
