Rear Sway Bar Questions

[vaporlock]

I found 2 rear sway bars, both of Suburbans, one is a 96 and the other a 95. They're locatade at the same yard and with the same price so I need a little help picking which to get.

The 95 is a 1/5 ton according to the VIN and marked as a 1500 by the junkyard, with 76.200 miles on it. This sway bar looks brand new.

The 96 is also a 1/5 ton according to the VIN and marked as a 2500 by the junkyard, it has 211.000 miles in it. It's in a less good condition but still straight and useable.

I read somewhere that the 2500's had a thicker sway bar but from the pics they look the same... is there a difference between the 1500 and the 2500 sway bar?

My truck is a 1500HD 4x4 at stock hight (twice the load capacity on the bed as a regular 1500, 2300lbs instead of 1100lbs and still pull the same weight on a trailer) if that matters.

 

[Dylan1991_1500]

I would get your caliper out and measure the diameter of both of them. Buy the thicker one and the related mounting parts.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

My guess is you're looking at a light duty 2500. As far as I know, 6 lug 2500's are essentially 1/2's with slightly beefier spring's.

I would buy the one in better condition.

 

[grampadirt]

Don't recall ever seeing a GMT400 3/4t Suburban with a rear sway bar.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Don't recall ever seeing a GMT400 3/4t Suburban with a rear sway bar.

GMPartsdirect has them listed, same part number for 1500 or 2500 though.

 

[vaporlock]

@Dylan1991_1500 We don't have pick-n-pull here so I can't check it myself but I'm gonna contact them and ask, I just wanted to know beforehand if they existed in two different thicknesses or not.

@Jrgunn5150 That's what I suspected too, I figured a real 2500 would have a 2 in the VIN instead of a 1.

@grampadirt I don't know if it's a 1/2 ton 2500 or a 3/4 ton 2500, all that's left of either Suburban is the sway bars and about 5 other things. The discription is provided by the junkyard so they can basically wright whatever they want... Most gmt400 pick-ups at the yards are listed as single cabs even tho you can clearly see on the pics they are ext. cabs. Also I just noticed while looking at the 95 listed as a 1500, there is a 8-lug hub for sale...

@Jrgunn5150 If they're listed with the same partnumber then they should be the same, right?

I'll contact the junkyard and see what they say, it's really hard to tell from the pics if one is thicker than the other. They aren't in the same pic and there is nothing in the backgrunds to compare with.
Thanks for the replys guys!

 

[Jrgunn5150]

@Jrgunn5150 If they're listed with the same partnumber then they should be the same, right?

That would be my guess, I just went to GMpartsdirect.com and selected a 96 GMC SLT Suburban in 1/2 ton then 3/4 ton and looked under rear suspension.

Sometime's parts are listed as compatible when they are not though. For instance, my own truck is a 2500, but 8600 GVRW so has some different parts that are incompatible with other 2500's.

 

[vaporlock]

@Jrgunn5150 Actually I've noticed that too. Even tho mine has a beefier frame, shocks, suspension and brakes than a regular 1500 alot of thoes parts are listed as compatible even when they're not.

What's the differens between a 1500HD and a 2500LD, if any?

 

[Jrgunn5150]

As far as I know, if you have the F44 1500, with the 14b rear already, the only difference from your truck and a 6 lug 2500 is they have one more leaf in the rear spring pack.

 

[vaporlock]

Yeah mine has all thoes things. Mine has 4+1 leafs, it's funny they made them into two seperate models when that's the only difference.