DIY: Homemade Sway bar mount plates - for when swaybar tabs selfdestruct

[MaksV]

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING IF YOU FUCK IT UP.

otherwise feel free to ask me questions.

Sway Bar Reinforcement - HomeMade Style

So I managed to snap one of the tabs that hold my sway bars in. the thin piece of metal really cant deal well with modified suspensions, so this is a good idea, especially if you plan on ever dropping the front subframe.

Another important thing is that while I dont have a welder, I highly suggest welding it in rather than doing what I did, but I beat on it for an hour and it was just fine so far.

DIY:

Getting Ready:

1. get the car in the air


2. unbolt the sway bar end links from the sway bar (i chose to remove them to make it easier but its your call)
3. unbolt the sway bar from the mounts


broken piece

Fabbing the Mounts
1. get some sheet steel mine was 2.8mm thick - from the pile of stuff in my garage


2.cut pieces flat in the fallowing dimensions




3. remove the rear most subrame bolts from each side




4. use the holes to line up the holes you need to make in the piece
5. drill holes with the fallowing bits (big hole 25/64" small hole 21/64")


Reassembly
1.Put the plates int and bolt the sway bar mounts into the plates
2. reattach the end links
3. be happy with yourself

finished pics:

[AT-JeffT]

Wow, nice work. How come this has not become popular? I should be welding something like this up soon. I'll probably slot the plate like the original design though.


10 or 12 ga steel is around 2.8mm BTW


PS: **Following** not Fallowing

[Thizzelle]

Need dims for hole locations

[Knightrider35]

Perfect, I was looking for a solution like this!

Weekend passed:

same Idea, Thanks OP! ( steel strip cost $12-14, bolts and washers another $5) $5 ace coupon $12 fix :) with extra material for misc projects not sure how it will hold up but IMO better than nothing.

[KIRIEIW]

I think i might have to do this... any reason why these would hold up better?

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-suspension-steering/e30swybrpvtmt.html

Also hows yours holding up Knightrider35 and OP?

[DER E30]

Why not weld the plates to the subframe?

[KIRIEIW]

Why not weld the plates to the subframe?

I cant find the plates, only "reinforcement plates". Mines completly ripped like the first pic. I would get someone to weld in a new piece along with reinforcement plates but cant find a supplier

[henryki]

PO tried to do this to my car. already destroyed it... gonna do this tho to hopefully hold till I can afford some thicker sway bars..

[DER E30]

I cant find the plates, only "reinforcement plates". Mines completly ripped like the first pic. I would get someone to weld in a new piece along with reinforcement plates but cant find a supplier

Oh dang, I wish I'd made a set and welded mine in when I had the subframe out for my kustom motor mount reinforcements... Too late now and pulling the subframe was just enough fun to not want to do again for a while...

[KIRIEIW]

Oh dang, I wish I'd made a set and welded mine in when I had the subframe out for my kustom motor mount reinforcements... Too late now and pulling the subframe was just enough fun to not want to do again for a while...

At least yours are still there :D

[diamonddonbmw]

For my clarification since I have a broken tab on the right side: is it best to install left and right replacement plates so that both sides match, even though only one is (currently) broken?
I'm really glad to see this older posting get added to. I've been wondering how to get the sway bar properly resecured.

[KIRIEIW]

Im just going to replace the whole sub frame. $55 from pick n pull and just weld in reinforcement plate this time around (what i would have done, though i have a stock sway bar)

[goldenbb]

Don't know if this thread is still alive or if anyone cares, but Ireland Engineering sells a kit:

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-suspension-steering/e30swybrpvtmt.html

I think the ones in the link are weld-in. I'm considering it because when I got new bushings, I could not get the bolts back in because of how BMW designed this stupid POS with those idiotic tabs. I ended up leaving the old bushings on for now. I have the right bushings, I double-checked, but I could not get the bolts started.

I know IE has had some spotty reviews on certain products, but this one looks decent to me.

[KIRIEIW]

Read my comment from 2/26 on this thread ;)

Don't know if this thread is still alive or if anyone cares, but Ireland Engineering sells a kit:

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-suspension-steering/e30swybrpvtmt.html

I think the ones in the link are weld-in. I'm considering it because when I got new bushings, I could not get the bolts back in because of how BMW designed this stupid POS with those idiotic tabs. I ended up leaving the old bushings on for now. I have the right bushings, I double-checked, but I could not get the bolts started.

I know IE has had some spotty reviews on certain products, but this one looks decent to me.

[KIRIEIW]

DIY: Homemade Sway bar mount plates - for when swaybar tabs selfdestruct

Just installed the IE reinforcement tabs, you can tell a difference in handling and there's a LOT less body roll, which I'm really surprised about! On for the pics and this thread I made for help.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=324439