[Kevin]

I bought a set of Addco swaybars and ENS bushings for my Marquis, and LOVED how it turned out.

What I want to do now, is NOT add Addco's to my Cougar, but JUST the polyurethane bushings, at the mounting points, and the endlinks.

What some people have done with their Vics/Marquis is to keep the OE 'stab' endlinks, as there are no compression surfaces. I used the ENS links on my Marquis.

What do our Cougars/Birds have?

How hard will it be to install ENS stuff on my Cougar, on it's stock bars?

Can someone give my part numbers for ENS stuff if they know them?

Oh yeah - maybe I should give the car's year - 1992 Cougar XR7 .

Thanks,

Kevin.

 

[Sir William]

If you know how much the ADDCO bars help out, why do you NOT want to install them? I'm fused.

 

[Kevin]

LOL - I should have been clearer !

My MARQUIS had puny swaybars, about 5/8th's on the back, and maybe 7/8th's on the front. I realize the Vic/Marquis was NEVER meant to be a handling car, but I was very unhappy with it's handling when I bought her. I loved that she was a framed, RWD V8, and knew it wouldn't handle great, but after a few months I had to firm it up.

Well, Addco's 1.25" on the front and a 1" on the back was a HUGE increase on the Marquis! But, some other members on the Crown Vic boards found a happy medium with just ENS bushings on their stock bars. I know my stock bushings on the Marquis were in poor shape too.

The stock Cougar bars I have seem really thick (anybody know the specs?), at about 1" up front, and 7/8th's on the rear. I haven't look closely at them, and am going off memory. Since the Cougar is lighter than the Vic, the stock bars should be thick enough, but its the 10 year old rubber that's compressing that could use some tightening up.

Also - I'm trying to pay off my credit card, not add to it .

 

[GreenBird]

Well....

GO HERE for your stock anti-sway bar size.

Second, I don't think ADDCO is too big. My SHO has 1.25 bars (STOCK!)on the front and rear, and it is alot smaller than the bird. You could go with 1.25 with decreasing ride comfort in any signifigant way. But you might be sensitive than me.

 

[Sir William]

There is simply no comparison between the stock bars and the ADDCO bars. The 1.25" rear bar is the best improvement for the buck you can do for the handling of your car. I could be wrong, but seeing as how we've sold nearly 600 of them to TCCoA members, I think the numbers speak for themselves.

 

[Kevin]

I can see how upsizing the rear bar makes sense, but not the front. It's already flat in the corners, despite wearing out shocks, and 16's. The rear however, has a tendency to lean, and come 'around'.

As per the front bar though, I do want the ENS stuff for the bushings, they make a difference by keeping the bar from moving in it's mounts.

Ride quality can go out the window - not a concern ! Heck, my Marquis is my 'comfortable' car, even with all the suspension work done to it, it's STILL smoother than my parent's stock Concorde . My 'Boat'.
The Cougar can ride like a haywagon for all I care...

Alright - how hard is the rear bar to change? I've looked at the front before, and that sucker is really tucked away inside the 'frame'. Hopefully the rear is a simple swap.

What's the TCCOA price on this bar? And, discounts? I'm really liking this board now (heck 10 posts in 24 hours has got to be a sign), and want to be a member.

 

[68COUGAR]

ADDCO 1 3/8" F/R Competition Kit

I put the 1 3/8" Competition F/R sway bars on my '89 XR-7. It rides a little harsher than stock, but not a lot. I think they are a HUGE improvment! You can change the back bar in about 20 min. My car handles like it's on rails now! Lowered cars will benefit even more. If your car is lowered, be sure to tell ADDCO that. Lowered cars require a shorter end links.

Make sure you grease the poly center bushings really well! If you don't, they will creak & groan over every bump! Energy Suspension makes poly center mounts (in all sizes) with a grease zerk & grease channels in the bushing. Definately a worthwhile upgrade!

The rear bar will also help to control Vertical wheel hop. However most of our wheel hop is fore-aft, & the sway bar can't control that.

68COUGAR

 

[Kevin]

Wheel hop - not much of a problem here, but it's going to be.

The greasable bushings ARE great, and I have to do that on my Marquis tomorrow. It's creaking badly. Also, I'm looking into putting zerk fittings into the control arm bushings too - those poly bushings also are starting to make noise.

If I go 1 3/8", and leave the stock bar up front - am I not asking for trouble?

And, it's good to know that they change out easy on the back.

My car is NOT lowered at this point, but when that happens (distant future), I'll just buy new bolts, and trim the spacer shafts to length .

Alright - now, to figure out which bar to use, and what part numbers for the stock front bar's brackets and bushings, as well as new endlinks.

Oh yeah - do our cars use a 'stab' style endlink (has the mechanical joints)? Or are they the ENS style (http://www.suspension.com/1endlink.gif)?

 

[M10N]

Alright - now, to figure out which bar to use, and what part numbers for the stock front bar's brackets and bushings, as well as new endlinks.

Oh yeah - do our cars use a 'stab' style endlink (has the mechanical joints)? Or are they the ENS style (http://www.suspension.com/1endlink.gif)?

i have similar issues right now. the front are Z shaped w/ball joints on the end. I guess thats the "stabbing" kind. the rears are similar to the picture. i havent found anything yet, except replacement moogs,(front) they appear to be a little shorter. addco has the rear.

 

[Kevin]

After pulling the swaybars off a parts car (89 SC), I got a good look at how they're done.

It appears to me, that the stock endlinks are an excellent design. And, it also looks like Ford had poly endlink bushings (light green/blue) right from the factory! They're ROCK hard, uncompressable. The mount bushings - they're squished rubber... I'll have to get new ones of them, but I'm definately keeping the stock links .

 

[TMcColl]

Need the link to Addco

Anybody have the link or phone number to Addco ??

Thanks

T

 

[68COUGAR]

www.addco.net.....................n/m

68COUGAR

 

[68COUGAR]

GREASEABLE Sway Bar Mounts

These P/N's are for the Energy Suspension greaseable sway bar bushings.

7/16"--11mm--9.5151 RC
1/2"--13mm--9.5152 RC
9/16"--14mm--9.5153 RC
5/8"--16mm--9.5154 RC
11/16"--17.5mm--9.5155 RC
3/4"--19mm--9.5156 RC
13/16"--20.5mm--9.5157 RC
7/8"--22mm--9.5158 RC
-------23mm--9.5159 RC
15/16"--24mm--9.5160 RC
1"--25mm--9.5161 RC
1 1/16"--27mm--9.51162 RC
-----------28mm--9.5163 RC
1 1/18"--28.5mm--9.5164 RC
1 1/4"-- 31.5mm--9.5165 RC
----------32mm--9.5166 RC
1 5/16"--33mm--9.5167 RC
1 3/8"--35mm--9.5168 RC

I hope these P/N's help some of you with groaning poly bushings. Autozone carries the 1 1/4" bushings, but NOT the 1 3/8" bushings. The 23mm, 28mm, & 32mm bushings don't have an inch rating.

68COUGAR