Off-road sway bar install

[goathearder]

Well, I finally broke down and bought an off-road sway bar kit.

For those of you who have seen my earlier threads or have installed crossover, you know that you have to ditch the sway bar. For me (read: my wife) the body roll was just too much so I had to do something about it.

Currie makes these kits for jeeps called Anti-Rock bars and a couple places make universal ones. I got my set from Tony at TK 1 racing and the stuff is very quality and Tony is a really nice guy.

In any case, the package got here last night and I am going to start the install tonight. I'm going to attempt to take as many pictures as I can and document this because I couldn't find ANY writeups on the net, especially for Square Bodies. To start, here is a picture of the kit and the area on the frame I am going to drill out to slide it though. I'm gonna put a 1.5 inch diameter hole in the frame just before the front shackle mounts to slide the torsion bar though. More pics to come as I make progress.

 

[munepit]

Hell ya!!!!!! Can't wait for this!!!!!! Subscribed. Good luck! This is on my list if it works out!!!!!!

 

[ryoken]

cool, yeah this came up the other day.. and I can't say I've ever seen it done.. subscribed!

 

[y5mgisi]

Subscribed!

 

[goathearder]

Thanks guys. I took a lot of measurements and did a lot of thinking before I ordered this so I hope I didn't miss anything.

My biggest concern right now is tire clearance from the arms at full lock and pitman clearance at the arms at full lock. They way I measured, I should have about and inch of clearance in each situation but you never know till you have it mocked up.

 

[63chevyll]

I've been following your issues also. The more. I drive my burb the more I don't like the sway on the street,

Hope this works out

 

[Deuling]

Ya got it on yet??

 

[K85 Octane]

Ya got it on yet??

friggen wise guy from the peanut gallery


valid question though

Wish you were closer, same state, but just too far to swing by and check things out. Maybe some crazy spur of the moment weekend

 

[trav0302]

Subscribed!

 

[goathearder]

Ya got it on yet??

Hahahaha, not quite yet but I did make some progress. Got the holes cut in the frame and some mock up started, looks like my clearances are good so far. Pictures later when I have a decent Internet connection.

 

[supermotard750]

subscribed. good luck !!!

 

[goathearder]

Pictures

Pictures as promised and some notes:

1) The sway bar is made up of a 1.5 inch OD tube with bushings that hold the torsion bar in place and allow it to rotate. You need to drill some 1.5 inch holes in the frame to slide that outer piece though. You can attach to the frame without drilling a hold if you want but I needed the bar to be as high as possible. I used a plasma cutter to cut my holes FWIW.

2) BE CAREFUL on the drivers side that you have clearance around the steering pump. I was very close. For me, the torsion bar clears but the outer tube doesn't which is actually fine.

3) I had to cut the outer tube down to 35" in length. On the steering box side, the sway bar sticks out from the bushing about 5 inches and on the passenger side, it sticks out about 2 inches (as shown in picture).

 

[63chevyll]

Looking good so far.

 

[KirsL]

Looks good so far. My buddy has this same kit on his jeep, now buggy, works very well but still allows crazy amounts of flex. Think you'll be very happy with it.

 

[fallguy]

Subed

 

[dhcomp]

Interested.

 

[imiceman44]

Looks good so far. My buddy has this same kit on his jeep, now buggy, works very well but still allows crazy amounts of flex. Think you'll be very happy with it.

See this is a comment that can't make sense to me.
If it allows carzy amounts of flex, then it's not doing it's job?
It can't prevent roll, which is flex while still allowing flex.
I can understand thos systems that have a push botton lock/ unlock, so when you want to go offroad, you unlock them and you have flex, then you want to drive it on the road you lock them.
But for just a sway bar all mechanical, it either prevents sway or not.

 

[goathearder]

See this is a comment that can't make sense to me.
If it allows carzy amounts of flex, then it's not doing it's job?
It can't prevent roll, which is flex while still allowing flex.
I can understand thos systems that have a push botton lock/ unlock, so when you want to go offroad, you unlock them and you have flex, then you want to drive it on the road you lock them.
But for just a sway bar all mechanical, it either prevents sway or not.

So, I was in the same boat as you and here is my whole understanding of the thing:

1) The bar is less stiff than a "stock" sway bar

2) Because the arms of the bar are connected to the axle with heims at each end, it prevents the binding associated with a factory sway bar during articulation.

All that being said, it allows more flex than a factory bar but also allows more body roll but still less body roll than no sway bar.

 

[imiceman44]

So, I was in the same boat as you and here is my whole understanding of the thing:

1) The bar is less stiff than a "stock" sway bar

2) Because the arms of the bar are connected to the axle with heims at each end, it prevents the binding associated with a factory sway bar during articulation.

All that being said, it allows more flex than a factory bar but also allows more body roll but still less body roll than no sway bar.

And it will allow less flex than without swaybar.
As I said. if it helps with the sway, it reduces the flex.
I know it is more flexible than a stock swaybar, anything is
And I can live with slightly less flex and a bit less sway, but all I am saying is the people that say it stops sway but doesn't reduce flex, they don't know physics.

 

[goathearder]

Oh yea, it definitely reduces flex but I am ok with that too.