'02 OBW. Recently discovered one of my rear end links had broken apart. I'm trying to figure out what the best replacement/upgrade route is and wanted to see what folks thought. Pretty positive that in the next month or so I'll pickup a new rear (maybe front too) sway bar from Rallitek or Whiteline.

 

I can't quite justify spending 100+ for new Whiteline links. So I'm wondering if it would worth it to go with the MOOG aftermarket OE-style end links which seem a bit sturdier, and run about $60-70. OR stick with OE ($50) or a lot less if I can find some in decent shape at a local yard.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

I had one break on my too on '00obw. The genuine ones do seem kind of flimsy. I ended up going with the Whitelines but I didn't really look into other options at the time.

'02 OBW. Recently discovered one of my rear end links had broken apart. I'm trying to figure out what the best replacement/upgrade route is and wanted to see what folks thought. Pretty positive that in the next month or so I'll pickup a new rear (maybe front too) sway bar from Rallitek or Whiteline.

 

I can't quite justify spending 100+ for new Whiteline links. So I'm wondering if it would worth it to go with the MOOG aftermarket OE-style end links which seem a bit sturdier, and run about $60-70. OR stick with OE ($50) or a lot less if I can find some in decent shape at a local yard.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I agree $80 is a bit much for a bent piece of metal with two bushings stuck in it. But you will definitely want something tougher than the stock links if you go with an after market sway bar.

I manufactured a set of front end links for my 93 legacy wagon. Cost me less than $20 in materials. Took about 2-3 hours of my time to get everything just right.

I manufactured a set of front end links for my 93 legacy wagon. Cost me less than $20 in materials. Took about 2-3 hours of my time to get everything just right.

 

Come on now, you can't tell us you made something and not post a few pics of it!

What did you make them out of? Where did you get the materials?

Come on now, you can't tell us you made something and not post a few pics of it!

What did you make them out of? Where did you get the materials?

 

+1 on this!

 

Very interesting... A quick google ("diy end links") shows some folks use "rod ends". Looks way stronger than stock, plus they would be adjustable... Hmm, the wheels are turning!

I just made mine out of 1" gray PVC stock. Cut it to the right size and shape it with a sander. Use a vice to press the steel sleeves into the holes you have to drill at each end. voila. A bit stiffer than stock.

 

The other option (and significantly more expensive) is to use some allthread and a pair of Heim joints.

Interesting, the PVC is strong enough? I wonder where I could find that..

 

I actually was able to find a couple rod end/heim joints locally this evening. While they weren't cheap, still less than most OE/aftermarket replacements. ~11/piece x 4 pieces (I'm sure cheaper if I ordered online). I opted for the 1/2", but the sway bar hole is only ~3/8" (or whatever the closest metric is), so I would need to get a sleeve to reduce the size for those bolts. Plus some washers, a lock nut, and maybe some rubber grommets. Still seems very strong and adjustable to boot!

 

Maybe going down a size to 3/8" would be a cleaner solution, and stil strong enough? Compared to the OE links I'm sure they'd be tons better!

Edited July 29, 201015 yr by nickb21
Added pic!

I bought whiteline front endlinks for my impreza and had a lot of problems with the bushings on the passenger side one. The kept popping out under any sort of cornering, and I eventually lost one of the bushings. I have rallitek rear endlinks and they are great.

If you use PVC you should be able to find the sch 80 conduit, that is like twice as thick as the regular sch 40.

Not PVC pipe. I went and got PolyVinylChloride in a 1" thick sheet. I cut my link out of that.

 

Tap Plastics usually has it in stock. So do a few other places whose names escape me at the moment.