TacoBill

Looks... like real bullets! 50 CAL size!

Umm.. how did you torque down the lugs?

LEO_06GT

As tight as I could. I think it should be OK considering whenever I've used your torque wrench the lugs move about an 1/8 inch before it stops.

So is it or ??

NVM I saw your response.

KdF

KdF

Yeah , I`m still alive.
A little frozen , but still alive.

LEO_06GT

Thanks. Mike I'm so sorry I keep forgetting to mail you that door trim. I promise I'll send it tomorrow.

TacoBill

Regardless of how much the lugs move, it clicks when it hits the torque mark.

Guess the 'calibrated Elbow Method' will suffice, but it's a good habit to use a torque wrench on safety critical items.

TacoBill

Do I have any takers for my MGW Shaker ****? It's the silver brushed finish.

All offers entertained.

Boltzman

HELL NO!!

KdF

NP.

Not like I had to have them yesterday or anything.

TacoBill

Brian's 15 minutes of fame has finally come! Guess this also means 'Ponies on the Run' will get a lot of visitor hits real soon.

Excerpt from my club's monthly newsletter:

I Googled and found a link to an east coast website that had photos in one of their forums. Thanks to our old friend Brad at Bradbarnett.net, as well as whoever took these photos. Scroll down after you click...

habu

First I'd like to thank all the little people.... j/k


Interesting. It's cool that that, or this, thread is in the newsletter. I wish I would have posted more pics. Thank god I tooks some decent pics.
Hopefully being a member of the same club ?? I might get the same newsletter at some point ???

TacoBill

PM me your e-mail addy and I'll make it happen.

89Trooper

I forgot to tell you all that I felt that my nose was too low. It definitely was lower than right after I put on the Ultra-Lites (they do take awhile to settle completely). So, I just put spacers in between the strut assemblies and the strut towers. This gives the same spring rate and ride comfort, but with the body slightly higher in the front. And, I still want to get rid of the dead weight of the radiator brace and replace it with the swaybar delete bar from BMR (since all the weight from the swaybar and end links is already gone).

All I did was take out all four nuts on one side, jack up the nose until the studs fell out of the holes (the strut assembly just moves an inch or so to the side), slid in 1/4" spacers, lowered the car back down onto the 4 studs, and tightened the 4 nuts (26 lb/ft, by the way). Then I did the other side.... I didn't even have to take off the wheels!

1/4" doesn't sound like much, but it made all the difference. See, I don't like the raked look and that's what was starting to happen. I don't like the nose-high look, either. I like the rear end to look like it's on it's haunches ready to pounce but with the tire gap ever so slightly greater in the rear. If I "pointed" with my index and middle finger, they wouldn't fit straight on in between the fender well and the tire (in the front). Now they do with a little room to spare.

From the lower lip of my front rim to the fenderwell (reading the measuring tape straight on) is now 24 3/4" on both sides in the front, and right at 25" in the rear. Bill & Leo (or anybody else with Ultra-Lites) and 18" rims - check yours for comparison - I'm curious.

The pics of my car just washed is with the spacers:

http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showpo...postcount=5464

I should have a pic directly from the side... that's when you can see the look I'm talking about (the first pic in the top row is on a slight angle). The 3rd pic in the top row shows how the rear is ever so slightly higher than the front.

TacoBill

I hope not as low as this witch!

Leo and I like the slight forward rake look, but I know several people that prefer the level look.

Adding the spacers was a good idea to acomplish what you were after.

I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to take that measurement for you, leaving town tomorrow afternoon for the weekend.

Curious, do all 18" wheels have the exact OD? If no, our measurements would be inconclusive.

89Trooper

Not that low! And, well, it's still not level - that little bit of difference is very obvious.

Well, all 18" tires are the same! All 18" rims are 19.5" in diameter. But, to make sure, measure your rim diameter precisely from outer edge to outer edge and write that down. Then hook the tape to the lower edge of the rim and, while looking straight on level with the fenderwell, give me that reading, too (front and rear). Using that I can figure out your gaps. Our sidewall height is the same within .01".

LEO_06GT

Tom, your analness never siezes to amaze me. To me your car looks the same. I think that ever so slight rake your seeing is just because the trunk is level and the hood as a slope.

LEO_06GT

Tom-I have a few questions for you about removing the front swaybar:

How long did it take?
What's involved other than lifting the front end?
Did you need a breaker bar or pentrant for any of the bolts?
How's difficulty compared to installing the O/R H or rear springs?
Do you have any pics of the removal process?

89Trooper

I hate being so picky. And, it really does look different. The measurements don't lie!

89Trooper

Tom-I have a few questions for you about removing the front swaybar:

How long did it take? No time at all, really.
What's involved other than lifting the front end? You don't have to lift the front end.
Did you need a breaker bar or pentrant for any of the bolts? No. What's pentrant?
How's difficulty compared to installing the O/R H or rear springs? No comparison.
Do you have any pics of the removal process? No.

Start the car and turn the steering wheel all the way to the right. Turn off the car.
Now, on the passenger's side, you can take off the two nuts that hold the sway bar to the radiator brace (just follow the sway bar toward the front of the car and you'll see what I mean). On the driver's side, you can remove the nut that holds the swaybar link to the strut assembly (this nut was removed when you changed springs).
Now start the car and turn the steering wheel all the way to the left.
Do the opposite of what you did above.

When all the nuts are off, make sure the studs on the links are out of the holes in the strut assembly. Reach under the front of the car, grab the swaybar, push it toward the rear a little to get it off the 4 studs in the front (it's heavy, but not too heavy to do this). When it will come down, lower the swaybar to the ground and drag everything out from under the nose.

Then you can replace the huge, heavy radiator support with the BMR bar since the light BMR bar won't need to take the forces of the swaybar... all it has to do is support the radiator now.

LEO_06GT

Sounds easy enough. Now assuming after driving with it for a bit I decide I want it back on will I need to jack the car up then?

One more removal question. When I pull it off and let it drop is that going to damage anything?