Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

[crashing_sux]

I stopped by my friends house last night and he was just finishing installing a belltech rear sway bar. Dhen we lowered the truck down it was sitting with the drivers side up higher than the passenger side. He was stumped, the only things I could think of was if the bar was bent, so I unbolted the sway bar from the frame, leaving it clamped to the axle and then swiveled it up towards the frame, when the bar touched his frame on the passengers side there was still an inch and a half between the drivers side frame and the sway bar. Seems like a simple enough case of bent to me, so at that point I removed the bar and set it on the garage floor and it was obvious it was bent. This is straight from the box, never installed before, and these things are beefy, I can't think of any way you could manage to bend it without some serious effort.

I'm going to give Mike at RPM a call tomorrow, see about having it warrantied, just curious if anyone else has run into this before?

 

[Loeryder]

Re: Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

Wow that sounds odd.

I have checked my leaf springs and sway bars on the flat surface and never noticed any of them being out of the norm.

Best of luck getting it replaced with minimal hassle.

 

[crashing_sux]

Re: Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

Yeah, we were pretty surprised. You just don't think to check a part to be straight when it's sole function is to help keep your vehicle straight.

 

[ghettosled]

Re: Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

your best bet is to call Belltech directly and return it to them with proof of purchase. Unfortunately i dont have any extras in stock, and i dont see how it possibly could have bent.. thats pretty weird

 

[crashing_sux]

Re: Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

Thanks, that saves a phone call

I thought it was pretty strange as well, had to come from the factory as those things are seriously strong. I knew we couldn't have bent it but just to lay my mind at rest since it was allready bent and to see if there was any way in hell we could straighten it or have bent it on install I bolted one side up to the frame, then had Bill hang on the end that was bent too far up, trying to see if it would bend down. He is 280# and it had absolutely no effect. No way in hell it was bent at RPM, in shipping, or by us without leaving some sort of mark, has to just be a factory defect. No big deal though, I'm sure they'll have a new one out in no time.

 

[Loeryder]

Re: Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

Call teh Bell Tech sales # and ask for Eric in Sales.
He has or had a Typhoon up until recently.
He is a kewl guy and should hook you up.

 

[ghettosled]

Re: Brand new belltech swaybar is bent?

Erik got fired during the organization of the Belltech GP. Too bad, b/c he was very helpful and willing to hook us up more then he should have.