Need help: Drilling/tapping swaybar for endlinks

[turboz523]

I saw on here where a few people have cut and drilled/tapped the front swaybar and installed links. I purchased the links, cut the swaybar, and ruined like 6 drill bits trying to drill a hole in the end. After an hour of cursing I was left with 1 hole about 1/8" deep. How do you drill these things? I've been to a fabrications shop and a machine shop and neither said they could help me out (I think more like didn't want to). Now I have a week to get this figured out before the first autocross of the year, and I can't do it w/o a working swaybar.

[turbovanman²]

We don't drill them, PB sells the end link pieces and you weld them on your sway bar, :thumb:

["Top Fuel" Bender]

I haven't tried drilling a sway bar but the secret to drilling metal is slow speed
Your best bet is a variable speed drill, dip the bit in oil, put alot pressure and you only need a few hundrend rpm (you want to almost be able to see the bit spinning), youd be suprised at how slow you really need to drill thru steal

[turbovanman²]

I haven't tried drilling a sway bar but the secret to drilling metal is slow speed
Your best bet is a variable speed drill, dip the bit in oil, put alot pressure and you only need a few hundrend rpm (you want to almost be able to see the bit spinning), youd be suprised at how slow you really need to drill thru steal

That sh*t is hard, I had to grind some off for the correct length to weld on the machined ends, took forever.

[BadAssPerformance]

Yeah, spring steel is hell to machine... got links to pics of the weld on ends?

[turbovanman²]

Yeah, spring steel is hell to machine... got links to pics of the weld on ends?

Look at Johnny's website, I think he has them posted, if not, I have to post up my sway bar and it has them welded on.

[BadAssPerformance]

Interesting, will have to check it out. We have done this for prototypes at my day job, but it takes some decent welding skill to weld on a bar correctly :thumb:

[turbovanman²]

Interesting, will have to check it out. We have done this for prototypes at my day job, but it takes some decent welding skill to weld on a bar correctly :thumb:

I just turned up my welder and nuked the crap out of it, 6 months and so far, so good, :thumb:

[turboz523]

I don't really like the thought of welding on the swaybar, I just have images of welds breaking doing some hard cornering on the course. I'll consider that a last resort, first I'm gonna try to find a better way to drill this thing. Anyone know a decent machine shop in the Harrisburg, PA area??

[BF/STOCKER SPIRIT]

A sure a bunch of dirt outlaw modified builder/welders out there
the bars on 800hp dirt modifieds stay strong
unless you hit the wall oooooooouch!

[Vigo]

ditto on the speed thing.

the biggest mistake most people make drilling metal is overheating the bit by spinning it too fast, not using any lube/oil (which cools the bit), and not taking breaks.

Granted, to do it well you need a drill with good speed control. variable speed knob or a good trigger thats easy to control speed.

I bet your 6 bits cut fine for the first 3 seconds until they got super hot and lost their edge.

[GLHNSLHT2]

heheh, maybe I should sell my services to do this since it's starting to seem like I'm the only one that is successful at doing this. Here's what I did just like it says on my website. http://www.pnw-sdac.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2579

You'll want a hack saw, two TiN (Titanium Nickel) coated drills, a pilot drill (I used a #1) and the size drill for the tap, and a 1/2" variable speed drill motor and some oil.

Cut the ends to length with the hack saw. Place the sway bar in a vice and clamp it down hard. Now take your pilot drill and slowly start the hole. Pull the drill out and lube every 1/4" or less. A couple hundred rpm or less is all you really need. It'll drill faster than you think. Once you have the hole drilled to a good depth (about a 1/2" longer than the thread depth you need) get the drill that's the size you need for tapping and do it again. After that is done tap it. Go slow, use lots of lube and once you get a couple threads started back it out and clean it off and go a couple more threads. It's really not that hard unless you've never tapped something before.

[turboz523]

Found a machine shop to do it yesterday, they clamped it in the drill press and made fairly quick work of it. However then they didn't have any metric taps, I brought my craftsman 10mmx1.25 tap with me, it was good to do about 1/2 way down before it dulled out and wouldn't go any further. Went back to work and a coworker had a brand new snapon tap that was good to go the rest of the way, so its all done....finally. Tonight I get to put it on w/ new swaybar links and go for a test drive.

[GLHNSLHT2]

you only used a 10mm stud? not sure if that's going to be strong enough.

[crazymadbastard]

you only used a 10mm stud? not sure if that's going to be strong enough.

DOH!:banghead:

[turbovanman²]

10mm is too small, that will break over proper welding. You need at least 12-14mm or 3/8".

If your scared about welds breaking, you shouldn't be driving your car then because the whole car is welded, :confused: :eyebrows:

[GLHNSLHT2]

I gave the part # to use from MSC. It's a 1/2-20 thread.

Simon 3/8ths is smaller than 10mm. If you strip a 10mm nut you pound on a 3/8 socket :)

[turbovanman²]

I gave the part # to use from MSC. It's a 1/2-20 thread.

Simon 3/8ths is smaller than 10mm. If you strip a 10mm nut you pound on a 3/8 socket :)

3/8 is larger than 10mm, not by much but it is, ;)

[GLHNSLHT2]

Simon you've got that backwards. 10mm is .3937008 of an inch where 3/8'ths is .375 of an inch. Like I said above, strip out a 10mm nut and you can pound on a 3/8ths socket and get it out. Been there, done that.

Take your metric size and divide by 25.4

[omnation]

10mm is larger than 3/8", not by much but it is, ;)

Fixed


10mm = .393 inches
3/8" = .375 inches



10mm = little over 3/8".


EDIT: Too late.

[turboz523]

put the swaybar on last night and took the car out last night. What a huge difference! Handling is greatly improved, what is even more improved is straight line traction. So much improved that instead of just spinning the tires in 2nd it actually hooked and I reached the limit of my stock t2 clutch at around 20lbs of boost.

[GLHNSLHT2]

Glad to hear you like it. The straight line traction is amazing. Go find a cloverleaf onramp, turn the boost down a bit and see how you like it :)