Quick Question

[P72Ford]

Yesterday I was changing my oil and spending some time under the front of my car. I was greasing fittings and such when I notcied I have a problem. I can see daylight around the sway bar bushings. They are clapped out. I need to replace them, and I'd like to change the end links at the same time. What should I use? Should I buy factory pieces, or something else (urethane, etc)? Do they make those prothane things for my car (1990 P72)?

If you have part numbers, or specs, that'd be great. I haven't yet done much research on this. I need endlinks and bushings though.

Also, I should probably change my front brake pads, as I have a feeling they are what is making the mystery squealing. It goes away when I hit the brakes, and I haven't changed them in a spell. The rotors and all look good. Whats the best brand of pads I can buy for my factory stock braking set up?

Thanks in advance for all input.

[Lincolnmania]

measure your front swaybar before you go to the parts store....you can use large wrenches to find the proper size......the trw bushings from advance are poly and pretty inexpensie......change the end links too if they are more than a yr old

[mrltd]

You can get any pad for your car. They are the same as foxbody stangs. The raybestos are good pads. Get semi-metallics.

As Scott said, measure the bar and get replacements from the local parts store. The mcquay norris and TRW are usually poly. That's what I am running on my car for frame bushings and endlinks.

[Blaze86Vic]

You will have to remove the spring clip on the caliper pad and modify it (bending and maybe some very small notching) for the police spring retainer. The Mustang and civilian calipers are the same diameter, but the police calipers are larger and will require the police caliper pad retainer to be on the new pads.

Here are some pics from when I put Performance Friction Z-rated 92 Mustang GT pads on my car with the police calipers.

[P72Ford]

Thanks for the help guys. I just came from getting the endlinks. They had to order the bushings. They are the TRW ones that MrLTD posted about, and they are poly.

I used Scott's wrench trick to figure out what size sway bar. However, there was a problem. The 1 1/16" wrnech wouldn't exactly fit, and the 1 1/8" wrench was too big (by what felt like 1/16"). So I figured 1 3/32". This was confirmed by my caliper. However, at the parts store, they did not list 1 3/32" bars under the CV section. They specified the 5.8L, and everything else too. So I ordered the 1 1/16" bushings. What this a mistake? I figured it would be better that I have to really work to get them on than to buy them too big. Any thoughts on this?

[mrltd]

That's fine. Sounds about right for your car.

[85crownHPP]

what part did you put the wrench on? was it rusty? its prolly 1 1/16

[gadget73]

Usually police bars are like 1 1/8", but its close enough. I have a 1 3/16" bar, no listing over 1 1/16" even for the car it came from, but I'm using 1 1/16 bushings and it works OK. Mine are rubber tho and have a bit more give.

[P72Ford]

what part did you put the wrench on? was it rusty? its prolly 1 1/16

I put the wrench over the bar right where it runs across the front (in between the two bushings). Theres no rust on the bar though. The 1 1/16 flet like it would go, but it wouldn't. The 1 1/8 just had slop around it. The caliper says in the neighborhood of 1.09 (I wasn't super precise) which would lead me to assume its about 1 3/32 (1.09375).

I guess I'll just have to see when they come in. I think the 1 1/16 should work though. Once again, thanks for the help.