Last week I went for an alignment, but the front left and front right camber were off by 1 degree. I was told that the control arms or spindles were probably bent or damaged to cause the big difference in alignment. Front left camber = -3.0 deg, front right camber = -2.0 deg. Before this, my camber was -2.5 deg on both front wheels.
I almost went ahead and bought new spindles and control arms, but it didn't make sense after I rationalized it a little. If the spindles or control arms or spindles were bent, it shouldn't have affected both front wheels by equal amounts (1/2 a degree each). I attempted to install the Tyrolsport collars for the subframe before, but couldn't align everything up. It ended with me installing collars for just two bolts. Heck, I even bent two of the collars the first time when I forced it without 100% lining it up first. Tolerances are tight!
Anyway, my guess is that the subframe must have shifted to cause the imbalance in camber.
So, it was a big day today. I went ahead to drop the subframe and install the remaining Tyrolsport collars I missed before. Since the subframe was dropped, I thought to install my VWR swaybars at the same time for less hassle. These swaybars were bought almost a year ago too.
I found that almost every single bolt for the front subframe had to come out for the swaybar to be removed (like the last time I did the install). The only bolts that were left untouched were the control arm pivot bolts. Actually, with all the bolts out, it was significantly easier to push/pull the subframe every which way to line up the collars slowly. It was not easy to line everything up, but I started with the control arm rear bracket 18 mm bolts first, and left them partially installed so that the collars were properly seated (but not tightened up all the way). I repeated this step for the two stainless steel ARP bolts that replaced the black bolts at the rear of the subframe (also 18 mm). With everything loose, it was at least easier to push/pull on the brake rotors to align the subframe. What also helped was putting a jack close to the bolt I was working on, and gently lifting the subframe with the jack while I wigged the subframe in small amounts to get the collar to line up.
With the subframe lowered, there was not enough room to manevour the swaybar out until the front subframe horns were free. The subframe "tray" itself is not bolted up in this picture.
Today's highlight
Front swaybar, old vs. new. The reason I went with VWR is because they are 3 way adjustable, and only mildly stiffer than stock. I don't like swaybars, but at least this way I can tune the balance of the car sacrificing suspension independence too much.
Front swaybar installed. I put some tape over the swaybar before fitting it on the car. This helped prevent the paint from chipping off and eventually leading to rust.
Rear swaybar.
ARP bolts (on right). Delicious. They are only a 14 mm hex drive, but were to be torqued to 90 lb-ft. This is basically the same torque as the lug bolts!