Hi all,

Here I talk about how to replace stock 15mm rear sway bar (some call it stabilizer bar) with a more beefier one made for Acura Integra 22mm in size. The upgrade is very much straight forward although there are few catches.

Up front before you begin I would like to mention – don’t start the procedure unless you have the following:

1. a pair of new end links – left and right ones
2. new rubber bushings (a new sway/stabilizer bar usually sells with a new set of bushings)
3. Angle grinder – the tool you have to have in order to remove old links which most likely will be very rusted and certainly you will have to cut them off and angle grinder is the right tool to do so.

On the picture below is the 22mm sway bar that I’m about to install.

OK Let’s begin…

1. Raise the rear of the vehicle and make sure it securely supported on two candle stands. Remove rear wheels.

2. Remove end links on both sides (left and right). Most likely and links are going to be rusted and there will be no way to loose the locking or flange nut, so don’t even waste your time just start cutting.

See how end links are all rusted in my case.

The easiest way to get the link off is to cut it in half first right in the middle of the link, that way you can push sway bar out of the way and get access to the link “head” attached to lower arm.

Once both end links (left and right) cut in half – remove sway bar by removing 4 x 12mm flange bolts and bushing holders that holds sway bar on the car body. Once your sway bar is off we continue with remaining end links pieces that are still to be removed.

Compare old sway bar to the new one side by side … the difference is cute significant (as well as it will be in a car handling when the 22mm bar is installed)…

Let’s get back to our left over end links pieces that are still attached to the lower arms. Cutting them off is very easy, just make sure you:

• wear protective goggles
• wear protective gloves
• when cutting left (driver) side end link protect a gas tank with a damp cloth (cutting will produce lot’s of sparks)

Carefully position angle grinder blade the way it shown on the picture below

Then go ahead and do the job. Keep pushing slowly but surely straight down, try to avoid cutting into mounting bracket

Here you have you end link taken off

Now is the easy part, install new sway bar and end links in place. The procedure is not that hard, all you have to remember is:

1. Put some grease inside rubber bushing before sitting them onto the sway bar
   
2. Align rubber bushings on the bar with colored marks
3. Prepare working surfaces of the car body. I sprayed some paint right where sway bar holders get attached as well as end links mounting brackets.
4. You don’t need to install lower brace that reinforces sway bar mounting points as 1.7 EL has enough metal “meat” to handle the load, although you can it will be just a waste of time/money

So, align and mount the sway bar (don’t over torque the bolts, required torque is quite low 16lb ft and I didn’t have that small torque wrench, so just tight it hands tight until it feels right)

Attach end links on both sides but DON’T torque them as of yet.

When attaching end links remember to use SELF LOCKING nut on top of the link (join between link and a sway bar) and a REGULAR FLANGE nut at the bottom (join between link and axle arm) … see the difference in between locking nut vs. regular one

locking nut is shown on the left!

Jack up axle arm so the spring is under load (like if a car sits on the ground) one side at a time, then torque tight endlink nuts to 29 lb ft. Use hex wrench to prevent inner link bolt from rotating.

That’s all folks.

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