[jseabolt]

This concerns my 1998 Chevrolet full size conversion van. Not really a hot rod but I'm wondering if anyone has ever experienced this.

I've installed rear sway bars on several vehicles I own. I've never had any issues except with this van.

First of all, I never could understand why a company would convert a 1/2 ton cargo van into a conversion van instead of going with a 3/4 or 1 ton chassis. Who does that? I realize a ton chassis would cost more but you would think they would at least install a rear sway bar to compensate for the extra weight.

For some reason when it rains, the rear end pops when making a sharp right hand turn. Like when the rear end lifts a bit. The weird thing is this only seems to happen when it's raining (the suspension is wet).

I can't remember who made this swaybar but I'm thinking it is Addco. Not knocking their product, they make good bars but the instructions that comes with their sway bars are horrible.

I installed a rear Addco swaybar on my Yugo (yeah they actually make one for the Yugo) and it was so hard to figure it, it took me about 6 hours to figure out how to went on the car but an hour to actually mount it.

Initially the bolts holding the L brackets to the frame kept working loose. So I replaced the nylon lock nuts with some standard nuts, some lock washers and some Lock-Tite. That seemed to fix that problem.

I also realized I had the L brackets mounted upside down and at times one of the end link bushings on the right side was rubbing the leaf spring. So I reversed the L brackets and everything seemed fine.

Now for some reason whenever it rains, the rear end pops when making a sharp right hand turn.

I know I can rotate the sleeve that goes between the bushings. So I'm wondering if the end link bolts need to be tightened up again.

These are rubber bushings. I'm thinking of going with polyurethane which I have on my Fairlane and Fiat 124 Spider.

Anybody ever have this problem? I've been meaning to disconnect the end links and zip tie them up in the meantime to make 100% sure it's the rear sway bar that is causing the popping sound.

This sound sound more like a thud. I can feel it through the vehicle's body it's so loud.

[techinspector1]

Originally Posted by jseabolt

I've been meaning to disconnect the end links and zip tie them up in the meantime to make 100% sure it's the rear sway bar that is causing the popping sound.

Sounds like a reasonable idea.

[jseabolt]

So today I got around to investigating this popping noise. I bought some polyurethane bushings. The rubber bushings were OK but looks like the passenger side end link bracket has worked it's way loose again!

This makes the third or fourth time this has happened. The driver's side never works loose.

Last time I replaced the nylon nut with a typical nut, a lockwasher and Lock-Tite.

So this time I decided to tightened the bolt up once more and went one step further and welded the bracket to the frame.

If this doesn't work, I don't know what to do.

This van handled so sloppy without the rear sway bar that was never installed from the factory. This sway bar is really needed on this conversion van.

The company that converted the van used a 1/2 ton chassis. Who does that?Knowing all that stuff is going to add extra weight and make it handle worse like a pig.

Dad used to have a Ford E350 15 passenger van with a ton chassis and that thing handled like a sports car. Well as far as vans are concerned. .