,
 |
| Since the shocks fit like the OEM ones, no fabrication is required at all. The Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates replace the upper portion of the stock mount, meaning they directly bolt on, as well. |
Moving onto the back of the car, replacing the rear springs is as simple as disconnecting the sway bars and shocks, letting the axle droop a little, and then placing the new springs in their home. (Like I said, solid rear axles do have some advantages!) The shocks are held on with only 2 bolts on each side.
After removing the stock panhard bar and brace, I was surprised by how fragile they appeared to be. The stock bar, while perfectly sufficient for a stock vehicle, lacks the adjustability necessary for re-centering the axle. The stock brace, however, is a rather pathetic piece of stamped steel.
 |
| The panhard bar is on the top, the brace on the bottom. While there’s nothing wrong with the bar per se (other than its lack of adjustability), the stock brace looks very fragile. |
In addition to installing an adjustable panhard brace, I installed Evolution Performance’s panhard bar brace, as well. Evolution designed this in-house. It is a far beefier piece that adds significant rigidity without a lot of weight.
| Here’s the brace installed. It features a tubular rod that replaces the rectangular piece of stamped steel and has boxed ends to improve strength where the brace bolts to the chassis. |
