Rear sway bar

[Uncle Ben]

Picked up a complete sway bar from a taho. Bar, links, mounts. Now how do I make this work on my truck? Do I use exhaust clamps to mount the bar on the rear axle, then just bolt to bar end mounts to the frame?

Also the bar is rusty, is it worth it to sandblast/paint and change the bushings? Thanks!

 

[sewlow]

Use 'heavy duty' 3" muffler clamps. HD because they're made of a heavier gauge & they're longer.
Paint it if you want, (I would) & definitely replace the bushings. It's been a while & I can't remember which ones, but some of the replacement bushings are 2 piece whereas the originals are one.
I did mine with urethane, which I'd recommend, so the replacement rubber ones may be one piece.
I bought the bushings at a local parts supplier. They didn't have specific listings for those end link bushings so I had to go through their divided box of various sizes to find the right ones.
The bar-to-axle bushings had actual listings. Just need to know the bar's diameter. Those came with shells that have grease zerks.
There's a procedure to properly mount & set-up the bar. It's a bit of PitA & requires 3 hands. Let me know if you need to know.

 

[Joe Dirte]

Use 'heavy duty' 3" muffler clamps. HD because they're made of a heavier gauge & they're longer.
Paint it if you want, (I would) & definitely replace the bushings. It's been a while & I can't remember which ones, but some of the replacement bushings are 2 piece whereas the originals are one.
I did mine with urethane, which I'd recommend, so the replacement rubber ones may be one piece.
I bought the bushings at a local parts supplier. They didn't have specific listings for those end link bushings so I had to go through their divided box of various sizes to find the right ones.
The bar-to-axle bushings had actual listings. Just need to know the bar's diameter. Those came with shells that have grease zerks.
There's a procedure to properly mount & set-up the bar. It's a bit of PitA & requires 3 hands. Let me know if you need to know.

I'm interested in this too. Got any pics of it on yours?

 

[sewlow]

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[Joe Dirte]

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Awesome. Does it have factory mounting points in truck frames?

 

[Uncle Ben]

Awesome pictures, thanks so much. Also seeing as I took this off a 96 taho, I figure a set of replacement bushing from energy suspension for a 96 taho should work just fine.

It’s really helpful to see how you put the exhaust clamps right through the shock mounts, now I know where mine will go too.

 

[sewlow]

Awesome. Does it have factory mounting points in truck frames?

There are no holes in these truck's frames for the bar if the truck wasn't equipped. Had to drill the holes for them.
I used the factory mount brackets.
Did you get the specific nuts & bolts from the donor for those brackets?
The nuts have an extension on them that bumps up against the inner rails of the frame in order to keep them from spinning. Getting a wrench of any kind in there is near impossible.

The following has to be done with the weight of the vehicle on the suspension.

Mount the bar to the diff.
Snug up those exhaust clamps just tight enough to hold their position, but still loose enough to be able move them.

The bar has to be parallel to the diff.
The end links have to perpendicular the ground.
This is important.
If the end links are not straight up & down, the bar won't work as it should.
This is where you'll need 3 hands. The bar will swing around inside the bushings. Doing this by yourself is possible, but it can be a frustrating exercise.
Once that's figured out, then you can tighten up those muffler clamps.
Because of the way that the clamps fit inside the shock mounts, you will only be able to access one of those nuts. No matter. Cranking the one side will tighten it all up.
Attach the assembled the end links & brackets to the bar.

Mark the one accessible hole in the mount to be drilled. Just one, because the end link covers the other.
I also marked out the circumference of the frame mount. Just to be sure.
Remove the bracket from the end links. Use it to mark the 2nd. hole.
Drill the holes. Bolt on the bracket followed by the end links & bar.
Go back & tighten everything down, followed by a shot of lube on the diff mounts.
Urethane bushings require synthetic grease.

On my truck, there was one big rivet in the frame which was right where the bracket was to be mounted. That bracket would not fit tight up against the frame due to that rivet. I drilled a hole in the sway bar frame mount larger than the rivet so that that rivet poked through the mount, allowing the bar's frame mount to fit flush.