Firstfives.org

The bolt that holds the bracket down is a real bitch to get out. There's little to know clearance. Once the bolt was out I could not get the bracket out as it was wedged in. I ended up forcing it out. Now with the new rubber bushing installed the part of the bracket where the bolt goes thru sits about 3/8" or more above the frame making it impossible to get the bolt started! Any ideas on how to resolve this? I tried holding the bracket down with a screwdriver but still cant get the bolt over enough to go into the hole.

You might try lubing up the rubber bushing so it's not fighting friction along with being compressed, but mostly I think it's perseverance and more cursing. Localized blood donation might even be involved.

Well I ordered new brackets. That might help. I may have bent the old ones out of shape? I cant see how the bracket is supposed to slide into that space with the bushing installed or is it easier to loosely install the bracket and then try to cram the lubricated bushing in?

I just lowered the subframe a bit. I've heard of people doing it without, but it's definitely easier.

Is that a big job? What's involved in doing that?

Karl, are you sure you have the right bushings for your diameter sway bar i.e. bushing too thick and designed for smaller diam bar? Sounds like something is amiss with fitment or bracket alignment tab. IFIRC I slid the bushing under the bracket after the bracket tab was in place and before I put the bolt in. No struggle was required.

I may have distorted the bracket or the tab when I got rough with it on removal. I ordered a couple of new brackets from Maximillian so I'll see how it goes when they come in.

RandyM wrote:Karl, are you sure you have the right bushings for your diameter sway bar i.e. bushing too thick and designed for smaller diam bar? Sounds like something is amiss with fitment or bracket alignment tab. IFIRC I slid the bushing under the bracket after the bracket tab was in place and before I put the bolt in. No struggle was required.

You were right Randy. Can anyone confirm that the correct bushing size for my 76 530i is "22mm"

I suggest investing in a cheap pair of calipers to measure it. Or, use a crescent wrench like a micrometer, then measure the gap with a tape measure that has metric spacing.

To figure out how this stuff all goes together and deterine how to loosen stuff up, remember that diagrams are going to be more useful than asking questions. If diagrams like on Real OEM are not helpful, then asking for help interpreting the diagram is next. Some of the sway bar fasteners were not designed to be accessed while on the car. They were attached to the front suspension at the factory before the car body was lowered onto it.

If the hole in the bushing is 23 and your bar is smaller it should be an easy/ slightly sloppy fit. Sounds like the problem is the bracket or your bar is bigger than 23. I used the crescent wrench method, with a precision metric crescent wrench of course, not a cheap sloppy one

Karl, if you haven't conquered your strut tower issue here's what worked for me on my E12/E24 Buster:
I have the style where the cross bar is tied to the mounts by bolts so, I unscrewed the cross-member and tightened only the bolt under it.
The other two I left a little loosie goosie to make sure everything else fit. Re-installed the cross-member & everything is honky-dory.

Good Luck,,,,Greg