Black Betty 2018 Z71 Silverado....build

[Doubeleive]

So this the problem I have the sway bar end link hole and the control arm end link hole do not match up, the closer they are together the farther apart they get.
Options?
1. Drill a new hole in the control arm (even if I have to have a piece welded on for more room)
2. Grind the sway bar a bit and drill a new hole in it
3. Use the factory sway bar off of the Yukon which is slightly bigger than the oem Silverado one but may not line up any better.
4. Weld some metal to the frame and relocate the sway bar d bushing mount holes back a little.
All I can think of at the moment
even though it doesn't really look like it but once the bushings are off of the control arm there is a little room to make a new hole that is better aligned, that may be the easiest.
I am assuming @Rocket Man must have ran into a similar problem?

 

[wjburken]

So this the problem I have the sway bar end link hole and the control arm end link hole do not match up, the closer they are together the farther apart they get.
Options?
1. Drill a new hole in the control arm
2. Grind the sway bar a bit and drill a new hole in it
3. Use the factory sway bar off of the Yukon which is slightly bigger than the oem Silverado one but may not line up any better.
4. Weld some metal to the frame and relocate the sway bar d bushing mount holes back a little.
All I can think of at the moment
even though it doesn't really look like it but once the bushings are off of the control arm there is a little room to make a new hole that is better aligned, that may be the easiest.
I am assuming @Rocket Man must have ran into a similar problem?

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It looks like you have enough room to drill another hole in your control arm.

I would make a template out of steel or plexi-glass that you can use to lay out the holes on both sides to keep them symmetrical. In your template, i would make a hole you can use to line it up with the existing hole and then I would drill a small hole, 3/16 or so, where you want the new hole and use a center punch to make a mark on your control arm then use a small bit to make a starter hole then go up to the size you need.

Might not get your link 100% vertical but it can get close.

 

[Doubeleive]

It looks like you have enough room to drill another hole in your control arm.

I would make a template out of steel or plexi-glass that you can use to lay out the holes on both sides to keep them symmetrical. In your template, i would make a hole you can use to line it up with the existing hole and then I would drill a small hole, 3/16 or so, where you want the new hole and use a center punch to make a mark on your control arm then use a small bit to make a starter hole then go up to the size you need.

Might not get your link 100% vertical but it can get close.

thanks that is a great idea

 

[Doubeleive]

I saw some nice poly bushings at the truck shop I was at the other day, I will grab some of those also they were only $10 a set.

 

[Rocket Man]

So this the problem I have the sway bar end link hole and the control arm end link hole do not match up, the closer they are together the farther apart they get.
Options?
1. Drill a new hole in the control arm (even if I have to have a piece welded on for more room)
2. Grind the sway bar a bit and drill a new hole in it
3. Use the factory sway bar off of the Yukon which is slightly bigger than the oem Silverado one but may not line up any better.
4. Weld some metal to the frame and relocate the sway bar d bushing mount holes back a little.
All I can think of at the moment
even though it doesn't really look like it but once the bushings are off of the control arm there is a little room to make a new hole that is better aligned, that may be the easiest.
I am assuming @Rocket Man must have ran into a similar problem?

View attachment 233353 View attachment 233354 View attachment 233355

Why would I have run into this? I don’t have this new of a truck. And my bagged 08 is a totally different suspension system, there’s nothing stock. Your sway bar needs to be parallel to your control arm though, not necessarily the ground, in order to work best. BTW that sway bar looks like DJM according to the finish on it. Energy Suspension has a great explanation on end links in their catalog, with instructions on how to measure and order.
http://energysuspension.com/assets/files/energysuspension-catalog.pdf

 

[Rocket Man]

BTW that control arm/ sway bar geometry is seriously f’ed up. In order to get the sway bar to where it needs to be (parallel to the control arm) the end links will be nonexistent and the holes will be waaaay off center. Whose arms are those?

 

[Doubeleive]

BTW that control arm/ sway bar geometry is seriously f’ed up. In order to get the sway bar to where it needs to be (parallel to the control arm) the end links will be nonexistent and the holes will be waaaay off center. Whose arms are those?

what year is your truck? the front suspension should be the same for the 1500 suv's and trucks from 07-18
the drop kit is Inez 4/6 info is posted on it above, I just thought that maybe since yours was lowered that you might have run into a similar problem (or maybe this kit is just ****** up), I am going to contact the drop kit maker tomorrow and hellwig to see what I can do aside from drilling a hole, just trying to figure the best way to fix it without having to completely change everything. I might be able to flip the sway bar if there clearance for the front axle and that might give me a slightly better angle.

 

[iamdub]

BTW that control arm/ sway bar geometry is seriously f’ed up. In order to get the sway bar to where it needs to be (parallel to the control arm) the end links will be nonexistent and the holes will be waaaay off center. Whose arms are those?

This. For the sway to be where it should be, it'd be on the same plane as the arm. It looks like you could bolt the sway straight to the arm with maybe one of the link bushings in between. You'd probably bend or rip the mount on the arm because they don't move only up and down. I'd modify the mount on that arm before modding the frame. Just going off the pics, I'd make the sway mount on the arm lower, like with a step-down, gusseted mount and use the shortest end link kit I could find.



Or lift it and not have these troubles.

 

[Doubeleive]

This. For the sway to be where it should be, it'd be on the same plane as the arm. It looks like you could bolt the sway straight to the arm with maybe one of the link bushings in between. You'd probably bend or rip the mount on the arm because they don't move only up and down. I'd modify the mount on that arm before modding the frame. Just going off the pics, I'd make the sway mount on the arm lower, like with a step-down, gusseted mount and use the shortest end link kit I could find.



Or lift it and not have these troubles.

I see what you saying, it's not that far off, it's just not lined up straight I have the same sway bar on the yukon, it's a stiffer bar and doesn't bend precisely the same as the original, as long as the top crest is level with the control arm and the link goes on straight then it will be fine. I have had the Hellwig bars on all my trucks just haven't ran into this problem before, I was looking at the factory arms on the Yukon and it does look like the end link hole is lower on the arm

 

[Rocket Man]

what year is your truck? the front suspension should be the same for the 1500 suv's and trucks from 07-18
the drop kit is Inez 4/6 info is posted on it above, I just thought that maybe since yours was lowered that you might have run into a similar problem (or maybe this kit is just ****** up), I am going to contact the drop kit maker tomorrow and hellwig to see what I can do aside from drilling a hole, just trying to figure the best way to fix it without having to completely change everything. I might be able to flip the sway bar if there clearance for the front axle and that might give me a slightly better angle.

Mines 08 but it has no stock front suspension parts whatsoever. No sway bar. It travels 10” or so without changing the camber. Different beast.

 

[Doubeleive]

Mines 08 but it has no stock front suspension parts whatsoever. No sway bar. It travels 10” or so without changing the camber. Different beast.

I don't know how that all works but I am going to call them today and ask about it, called IHC suspension, talked to tech support sent them the same pictures, there answer was "it doesn't look that bad" but they suggested trying to adjust the sway bar, on to Hellwig....

 

[Doubeleive]

Talk to helwig they had a new idea, they suggested maybe sloting the d bushing brackets so that the sway bar can be moved back and also drill a new hole in the lower control arm and that may straighten everything up

 

[wjburken]

Talk to helwig they had a new idea, they suggested maybe sloting the d bushing brackets so that the sway bar can be moved back and also drill a new hole in the lower control arm and that may straighten everything up

Not sure how much you are going to get from slotting your bushing brackets.

Just a thought, if you have access to some 1/4" or 3/8" x 2" bar stock, a drill and a welder, you can make an offset bracket for your sway bar bushings and might not have to drill your control arm.

Here is a quick sketch of an idea I had. Would need to get some flat head bolts and some nuts. You tack weld the flat head bolts to the bracket to create studs for your bushing then bolt the bracket to the existing frame holes in your truck. Then you can put your bushing bracket on the studs and use a locking nut to hold it on. Just offset the holes the amount you need to line up your sway bar links to your control arm.

 

[Doubeleive]

Not sure how much you are going to get from slotting your bushing brackets.

Just a thought, if you have access to some 1/4" or 3/8" x 2" bar stock, a drill and a welder, you can make an offset bracket for your sway bar bushings and might not have to drill your control arm.

Here is a quick sketch of an idea I had. Would need to get some flat head bolts and some nuts. You tack weld the flat head bolts to the bracket to create studs for your bushing then bolt the bracket to the existing frame holes in your truck. Then you can put your bushing bracket on the studs and use a locking nut to hold it on. Just offset the holes the amount you need to line up your sway bar links to your control arm.
View attachment 233365

I'm going to have to get this jacked back up and get the sway bar loose and see what I have to play with, thanks for the great idea's one way or the other it should work

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Not sure how much you are going to get from slotting your bushing brackets.

Just a thought, if you have access to some 1/4" or 3/8" x 2" bar stock, a drill and a welder, you can make an offset bracket for your sway bar bushings and might not have to drill your control arm.

Here is a quick sketch of an idea I had. Would need to get some flat head bolts and some nuts. You tack weld the flat head bolts to the bracket to create studs for your bushing then bolt the bracket to the existing frame holes in your truck. Then you can put your bushing bracket on the studs and use a locking nut to hold it on. Just offset the holes the amount you need to line up your sway bar links to your control arm.
View attachment 233365

Fixed.

 

[wjburken]

Fixed.

View attachment 233366

Thanks for the clarity. Couldn't recall the exact bolt size so didn't want to guess. Yes, should have just said 3/8" thick.

 

[Doubeleive]

Thanks guys, hellwig is sending me some adjustable bushing mounts once I get those I'll see what all I need to do. Got the Duraliner installed today, while I was waiting I saw a advert for the air lift system this has and I'll be dammed it has a app to control the pump, got it downloaded and synced and dropped it to 5psi should be level now, saved me a $100 that they want for a replacement remote control

 

[wjburken]

Thanks guys, hellwig is sending me some adjustable bushing mounts once I get those I'll see what all I need to do. Got the Duraliner installed today, while I was waiting I saw a advert for the air lift system this has and I'll be dammed it has a app to control the pump, got it downloaded and synced and dropped it to 5psi should be level now, saved me a $100 that they want for a replacement remote control

View attachment 233369 View attachment 233370 View attachment 233371

Gonna have to update your signature picture now to show the new truck!

 

[Doubeleive]

33" front and rear

 

[Doubeleive]

Gonna have to update your signature picture now to show the new truck!

Ya it's time for a new one