So I got the itch to want for poly sway bar bushings and end links on the Monte. Admittedly, the original rubber ones appear to be fine. You can see a little cracking in the rubber bushings on the end links, but the rubber was FAR from dry rotted.



UPDATED NOTE: For the sway bar end links, get Energy Suspension part number 9.8122r. You avoid all the stuff I did in this write up on putting an end link kit together (the stainless washers cause the car to creak and squeak, using this kit, it works perfect and no odd noises).
Before I start, YES, you can get Poly sway kits from ZZP (about $14+shipping) and I saw some on RockAuto, but they all appear to be blue bushings. Also, to my knowledge, I cannot find a Energy Suspension sway link ket for the 6th gen Monte (or other matching W-Body cars).
The first problem I had is I wanted all red bushings AND all Poly. The local parts stores did NOT carry ANYTHING in Poly!! So, I got creative.
Energy Suspension sells kit 9.8105R that is JUST the bushings and the washers. I did not want to rely on the factory bolt, nut and plastic spacer being re-usable, so I bought the cheapest sway link kits the store had to offer (happened to be Moog). Kits seen below.



Next, shot of my planned usage.


The other bushings are the ones that attach to the subframe. I used Energy Suspension kit 9.5164R. Installation of these babies was a BREEZE! The only down side was using dealing with limited clearance due to the brake lines around one bolt on both sides. If I had racheting wrenches, it may have sped things up.


A shot of the first install. A couple things to notate, I did not like the dust covers Performance Energy had on the grease fittings. I popped them off an replaced them with some of the extra brake caliper bleed screw covers I've collected from the junk yards.


I drove this set up for one day and noted the steering was "OK" but did not feel the same as before messing with it (felt loose). I realised that when I initially assembled the sway links, I did not think the bushings compressed like they should (and I've worked with poly bushings before and they should have). Upon a little inspecting, the problem is the Moog bushings are a little thicker then the Energy Suspension ones!!
The answer.... I bought a BUNCH of stainless steel washers and used them as spacers. I tried a couple test fits until it looked like the bushings compressed properly and made good contact. Currently, I have two stainless steel washers on both sides of the spacer. So far it feels and handles just as it did before I did this swap (which is really what I expected in the first place, as my original bushings were not really that bad, all this is really doing is placing a better item in that has a significantly LONGER life span, virtually forever).



The following day, I did another comparison. I had access to a brand new, never used Performance Energy bushing and measured it against the Moog bushings I'm not using from the sway link kits (seems like the logical step I should have done day #1, yeah, oops). Comparing these and the stainless steel washers I used as shims, the size difference without any compression on a bushing is about 2.5 washers. I am giving thought to dis-assemling the sway links again and added two stainless steel washers to EACH bushing washer, and that SHOULD balance EVERYTHING out.

 

Do you have the GMPP sway bars? how much of a difference do you notice and how hard is it to do? looks great!

 

To my knowledge I have the stock sway bar (though I have been tempted to trade dad for the GMPP sway bar we have to install on his '97 Grand Prix, cheapest replacement for his broken sway bar).

Anycase, the toughest problem I had was getting the old sway links out (the bolts rusted to the plastic sleeve making it a pain to get out). And as I mentioned earlier, the bushings holding the bar to the subframe had tight clearance for tools on one bolt per busting (a ratcheting wrench would have probably been the prefered tool). Since my Monte is low miles and has not seen winter since I got her in September of '08, it was easy.

I honestly can't say I've noticed much of any change in handling. I primarily did this to get rid of the rubber bushings and go to a longer life bushing. But I figure these bushings should go great towards my plans to eventually add front/rear strut tower braces. That and I want to figure out something for poly bushings on the rear sway bar (I have some added difficulty there).

 

I would like to make an adendum to my earlier comment....
Though I think I may still tinker with a couple extra stainless washers/shims on the sway links, the poly bushings DO have an effect on handling.
Again, keep in mind, my rubber bushings were not too bad, so to see a dramatic change is tough. I also haven't driven the car a lot. 90% of the time, no it does not appear there is a handling change. BUT, I have noticed the steering feels tighter when having to make high speed lane changes in a pinch (not something I have to do often, but once in a while during rush hour traffic, it hapens).

Regardless of how much improvement you can notice, I think swapping to the poly sway bushings IS worth while. They last almost forever and are inexpensive.

Right now my '94 Grand Am rub sway bar bushing holding the bar to the subframe are shot. The amount of rust and the spacing available to change them looks like it's more trouble then it's worth to replace them. I'm sure if I even put just rubber ones in on that car, an INSTANT improvement would be felt. I'm almost thinking when I aquire a car in the future if I should swap these bushings immediatly (perhaps use stainless bolts too).

 

Great mod idea! I'll have to keep it in mind when I start to do my suspension. I will need to find things like this

 

Final update about the sway links.

After determining the size difference between the MOOG bushings and the poly bushings I decided to use, I now have 2 stainless steel washers on the outside of EVERY washer for the bushings (thus giving close enough to the same thickness as the Moog bushings that came in the kit).

It does make a small bit of difference shimming these bushings correctly (I noticed an improvement in handling with all these shims instal vs only shims against the spacer).

Again, there IS a kit available with poly bushings (but I would have had to order it AND it had blue bushings, not the red ones I wanted). This is the price I pay for being picky

But having all this done makes the handling in the front feel a bit firmer at higher rates of speed on the freeway. Cheap and worth while mod in my opinion. Next I hope to swap the rear bushings out.

 

Hey, great write up.. Do you have any pictures of the final assembly ? Also, the part number for the blue poly bushings ? I just replaced my end links and don't think I have them tight enough, I hear a "Knock" sometimes when the front end "Unloads" or hit a good size bump....I replaced them with rubber and also want to go to poly, color doesn't matter as much, but want them to be correctly installed though...lol...I also want to install the sway bar mount bushings with the grease able ones like yours... Thanks again for the write up.. Good job... Mjclemm...

 

The Red Bushings Looks Nice.
Looks like your tie rod boot is shot..

 

First, I forgot about this thread. For good poly end links, get Energy Suspension part number 9.8122r (no need to shim anything, far superior to what I first did).

Second, yeah my tie rod boot was split. That was addressed a long time ago (I ended up replacing both my outer tie rods with MOOG units).

 

Where did you buy the end links ? I want to buy them for the beast.. Thanks..Michael...