Direct bolt in 36mm swaybar bushing?

[Ed Valvo]

Is there a direct bolt in bushing with out cutting the old one to fit the stock GN bracket? For right now, I used a poly 32mm bushing that isn't exactly wrapping all the way around the bar but I figured it would be temporary until I found the right bushing. Anyone?

 

[Ormand]

Ed, I got the F body bushings when I got my 36 mm swaybar. When I put them on, and tried to use the old brackets, I couldn't get them to tighten down "flush". I was afraid to just use brute force, 'cause I didn't want to strip the holes. Then I bought the F body brackets, which turn out to be the same size as the Buick brackets, with a slightly different mounting. Since the were the same size, I couldn't figure out why the bushings should fit them, but not the old brackets. So I used the old brackets, lubed the outside of the bushings, and tightened them "hand tight". They didn't tighten down flush with the frame, but the next day, I could turn the bolts another turn or two. After three or four tries, I finally got them down flush against the frame. (Each time I went to tighten the bolts, I whacked the bracket with a rubber hammer, to help the bushings seat)
I have the F body brackets, somewhere in my collection of useless parts and pieces. Anybody want them? Guess I could sell them, along with the old front and rear bars.

 

[Robert Walton]

That's a nice tip Ormand, I was just going to make spacers out of metal tubing.

 

[TPI79MC]

I bought the replacement 32mm bushings and modified them to work. I took a piece of pipe that was a close diameter to the sway bar, took the bench grinder and sharpened the end of the pipe. Clamped the bushing into a vice, heated the end of the pipe, and pushed it into the bushing. Then I took a 36mm hole saw, started in the groove the pipe made, and cut er' through.

Kinda sounds like a lot of work, but it made the bushings perfect.