Great speed, SoCal Mike. Received my bar today, and installed it in under 10 minutes without jacking the car or removing the wheels as the instructions suggest. Just on my back in my driveway. Great fit, feels nice. Surprised that it does not mount to chassis with bushings as typical swaybars do, but it makes the job that much simplier.

Glad you got it Lee! Having the bar ride up inside the torque tube makes the install a breeze! I'm loving mine. :thumb: My HHR really "hugs" on the curves now...

And the stickers are cool. I have to plan where I am going to put them as I add parts. Wish the muffler had some.

And the stickers are cool. I have to plan where I am going to put them as I add parts. Wish the muffler had some.

Did you use any other mechanical locking type device when mounting it?

I just ordered my sway bar this morning , and also the HHR brake light cover. I feel comfortable ordering parts from Mike at SoCalHHR because he take the time to check that the parts he sells actually fit and produce a real improvement. There are a lot of vendors out there that sell a part as soon as its available to make the quick $$ without any testing.

I have purchased many aftermarket parts for my previous vehicles, such as intakes, headers, exhaust, superchargers, etc. More often than not, the part didn't really fit as indicated and required "massaging" to fit. I bought a rear sway bar for my 94 Suburban from a well-known manufacturer, only to find the mounting brackets didn't fit. Apparently they assumed that since they tested it on a 1/2 ton Chevy truck, it would fit a 1/2 ton Suburban:confused: . After hours of mods and fabrication, I did get it to mount properly. Thanks, Mike, for testing the stuff yourself and saving us from doing the manufacturer's R&D work!:thumb:

I'll be saving money for the next purchase, the intake kit.

Steve

I just ordered my sway bar this morning , and also the HHR brake light cover. I feel comfortable ordering parts from Mike at SoCalHHR because he take the time to check that the parts he sells actually fit and produce a real improvement. There are a lot of vendors out there that sell a part as soon as its available to make the quick $$ without any testing.

I have purchased many aftermarket parts for my previous vehicles, such as intakes, headers, exhaust, superchargers, etc. More often than not, the part didn't really fit as indicated and required "massaging" to fit. I bought a rear sway bar for my 94 Suburban from a well-known manufacturer, only to find the mounting brackets didn't fit. Apparently they assumed that since they tested it on a 1/2 ton Chevy truck, it would fit a 1/2 ton Suburban:confused: . After hours of mods and fabrication, I did get it to mount properly. Thanks, Mike, for testing the stuff yourself and saving us from doing the manufacturer's R&D work!:thumb:

I'll be saving money for the next purchase, the intake kit.

Steve

http://chevyhhr.net/forums/showthread.php?t=934
When it was already known the HHR didn't have a sway bar....

Did you use any other mechanical locking type device when mounting it?

By mechanical, do you mean lock washers? It comes with flat washers. I just tightened the bolts a lot, then checked them twice after driving the car and snugged them down a bit more. It was a bit of a pain aligning the plate with the nuts on it, so now I plan on removing one bolt at a time (to keep the plate in place) and applying locktite (blue) to each bolt. Then I will torque them down as Mike suggests to 45 ft/lbs (the instructions dont specify to torque them down at all).

Finally I will apply the decals to the side windows:nuts:

My instructions said to torque them to 45 ft/lbs. That was why it took me a little longer. I had finished and then decided to see what else was in the bag. Stickers, instructions...Oh wait, maybe I should READ the instructions....:lol:
Then I saw the torque spec and had to dig out the torque wrench and crawl back under the HHR.

Great. Now I have to go out in the rain and look at the instructions to see if I missed it. I could swear it didnt mention using a torque wrench, though.

Oh well, I reread the instructions and I guess I missed the part about torquing the bolts. Seems kind of unnecessary as long as they are very tight, though. But because I am anal, and have a brand new Craftman torque wrench I have not used yet, I will redo them (with locktite) over the weekend.

Mine's on much firmmer ride.

how about a ride eval from someone who has it on
can tell the difference?

By mechanical, do you mean lock washers? It comes with flat washers. I just tightened the bolts a lot, then checked them twice after driving the car and snugged them down a bit more. It was a bit of a pain aligning the plate with the nuts on it, so now I plan on removing one bolt at a time (to keep the plate in place) and applying locktite (blue) to each bolt. Then I will torque them down as Mike suggests to 45 ft/lbs (the instructions dont specify to torque them down at all).

Finally I will apply the decals to the side windows:nuts:

Yes.. loctite or lockwashers... the nuts on those plates aren't self locking.. (which should be included in the instructions, or suggested to use) And as you notice.. the bolts are upside down.. If by chance vibrations.. the bolt backed out... well... they would be tubbling down the street to the path of the vehicle behind you...

Yes.. loctite or lockwashers... the nuts on those plates aren't self locking.. (which should be included in the instructions, are suggested to use) And as you notice.. the bolts are upside down.. If by chance vibrations.. the bolt backed out... well... they would be tubbling down the street to the path of the vehicle behind you...

I think it's funny you mention this Henry. (still got that chip on your shoulder, eh?) :D Progress Tech has literally thousands of sway bars on the road, and they are also very involved in track racing. I'm certain that if they thought bolts falling out would be an issue, they would have recommended or provided locking nuts or lockwashers. Flat washers are always recommended in torquing applications, as lockwashers can deform and come apart when torqued hard.

I picked mine up at the Post Office yesterday. Thanks for the quick shipping Mike. I'm going to install today, after my daughters softball game, and then give my 2 cents on how much better it handles.

I picked mine up at the Post Office yesterday. I'm going to install today, after my daughters softball game, and then give my 2 cents on how much better it handles.

Clarke ,, you wil find it makes the car handle great..
Chevy should of made sure they gave this as standard equipment or included it in the sport suspension for the LT2's

There is a definite improvement in handling with the sway bar. We drove up Ortega Highway last weekend. Ortega Highway is a long windy mountainous road that Cafe racing mortorcycles and tuner cars love to frequent on the weekends. I had driven up it in January without the sway bar installed so I could REALLY feel the difference. The HHR really hugs the road on the sweeping turns as well as the tighter turns. I am sure that it makes a BIG difference in a lowered HHR.

There is a definite improvement in handling with the sway bar. We drove up Ortega Highway last weekend. Ortega Highway is a long windy mountainous road that Cafe racing mortorcycles and tuner cars love to frequent on the weekends. I had driven up it in January without the sway bar installed so I could REALLY feel the difference. The HHR really hugs the road on the sweeping turns as well as the tighter turns. I am sure that it makes a BIG difference in a lowered HHR.

Ortega Hwy.. eh??
I used to live in Orange County..
On my cafe' pocket rocket motorcycle.. ( I"m talking many years ago)
I used to ride that rode.. I got my bike up to 110 MPH.....
Now they have that darn siganl there... speed traps....

I used to love going up Ortega (from the Lake Elsinore side) with my lowered 69 Camaro. It had Bilstein shocks on it and drove like a slot car around corners. I really miss that car ...sigh... The HHR is not as sticky as that with the sway bar, but it is MUCH closer. I think the sway bar is a great mod. Thanks again hvrod for finding that manufacturer :thumb:

I used to love going up Ortega (from the Lake Elsinore side) with my lowered 69 Camaro. It had Bilstein shocks on it and drove like a slot car around corners. I really miss that car ...sigh... The HHR is not as sticky as that with the sway bar, but it is MUCH closer. I think the sway bar is a great mod. Thanks again hvrod for finding that manufacturer :thumb:


Your welcome..
Don't forget if you have lowering/rubbing issues.. I found I had to roll the fender lips, and using the Monroe coil over shocks greatly help..
All information gladly provided... cya..

Your welcome..
Don't forget if you have lowering/rubbing issues.. I found I had to roll the fender lips, and using the Monroe coil over shocks greatly help..
All information gladly provided... cya..

What's the part number on those Monroe's ?

Ng

What's the part number on those Monroe's ?

Ng

Okay.. my mistake the lowest price I found was 75.00
Monroe 58575st some vendors just use the 58575..
you will need some steel 1/2 & 9/16 flat washers to offset it away from the the frame due to the coil.. for the upper part and lower end..

Correct stack up if you don't use loctite..

Here's the detail instructions...

Bolt, Flat washer , lock washer , flat washer.. sway bar

(more detail information)
Nascar mechanics also use lock-wire thru the bolt heads for applications to make sure the bolts don't back out and fall.... its called safety wiring.

I too have installed my rear sway bar. The instructions say to remove the rear wheels. We did not and it's not necessary. But getting to the point. With all this talk about lock washers, loctite, etc, I went to the source for the answer.

Here is a cut and paste of the email I sent to Progress Technology...

Hello,

I received and installed the HHR Sway Bar. The install was very easy. I really liked the idea that I did not have to drill any holes. I am sure (by now) that this has been brought to your attention as there is a discussion on the HHR Forum about it. Is it necessary to "loctite" the mounting bolts into place? Should I be concerned about them coming loose?

Thank you in advance.

Raymond Dosdorian

And their answer...

Raymond,

It isn’t necessary to use loc-tight on those bolts, however, it won’t hurt anything to put a little bit on there. I think the most important part is to re-check them right after the initial installation and then to check periodically after that. Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks,

Joey Berry

I have to agree with SoCal that using lock washers are a bad idea due to the torque spec. With 45 ft/lbs of pressure, the lock washers will just crush and likely not do the job they were designed for.

Just my opinion.

The hardest part for me was aligning the second hole on each side. Once installed, I checked and tightened a little more the next day. This morning I went to torque them down and use locktite. Unfortunately, when I went to use my brand new torque wrench for the first time, I discovered that it went from 26 to 450 INCH pounds (not foot pounds). Aparantly, I bought the wrong one (it was on sale several months ago). Now I have to wait for Sears to have another sale so I can but the right one. FOr now, I just used locktite and made them very, very tight. One thing to remember-once you use locktite, if you retighten the bolts, the locktite will not be effective any more.

From the pics I've seen I can't tell what grade bolts are used, also, are the nuts welded to the plate or is the plate taped....if welded what grade nuts do they use? BTW, I would suggest that anyone doing this mod use red Loctite on the threads. JMO

From the pics I've seen I can't tell what grade bolts are used, also, are the nuts welded to the plate or is the plate taped....if welded what grade nuts do they use? BTW, I would suggest that anyone doing this mod use red Loctite on the threads. JMO

I can't remember the grade of bolts..
But I wouldn't suggest Red loctite.. (its used when you want it pernament)
I would suggest Blue.. loctite... it will hold... and if you had to remove the bolts.. you would be able to..

The bolts are grade 5.

Agree on blue Loctite and NOT red.

Blue:thumb:

Agree on blue Loctite and NOT red.
my locktite is soooooooooooo old it just has a name and u can barely read it.
was from my airplane stuff, 1977. :lol: