Building sway bars (1 Viewer)

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Mar 6, 2007
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I am about to start building my swaybars front and rear. Can anyone tell me what diameters and what type of material is best to use?
Thanks!
 
Your best bet is to buy the sway bars themselves..

Swaybar material is not ordinary everyday bar stock..
 
Sway bars are made of spring steel, which can be very dificult to work with. Your best bet is to adapt something off of the shelf.
 
i have adapted one from an early 90's jeep grand cherokee... took it off the front of the jeep and adapted it to the front of my cruiser...
 
I have a machine shop and can buy just about any material under the sun off of the shelf and I am very familiar with working with all kinds of material including spring steel. My first guess would be 17-4 double aged 1150. I just wanted to save a little $$$ and do it myself being this is a custom job and it may be difficult to find a swaybar off the shelf that will work. I plan on making it detachable. I just dont know what swaybars are made of and i am not sure what size bar to use for an fj40 with a v-8.
 
the v-8 shouldn't affect the handling to much (maybe 200 lbs lighter?) ... i guess it could have alot to do with how soft your springs are and how "stiff" of a ride you want. lol

my bar is around 1 inch or maybe it was 23mm, i forget... i don't know what material is going to cost you nor do i know what your time was worth but just going to the junk yard i found a couple that would work and settled on a cherokee sway bar, width and size was perfect, its detachable and it only took a couple hours to make

i would probably opt for a pre-made one and retrofit it, or goin to the Rock logic anti sway bar thats premade ( i think rock logic makes it?) i forget.. a quick google could tell you...
 
Currie makes a nice one that I have considered. Found out that it is made of 4130 heat treated material, I have lots of that just laying around the shop.
Currie Enterprises 4x4 Rear Ends Antirock
thats the link.
Who knows I may just buy the whole kit and be done with it. It would be nice to save a little money but just think of the time I would save just going the lazy route!
$396.00 each so your looking at close to $800.00 for the set front and back.
 
You might look for a stock car (roundy round type) parts suppliers too. They have kits for sway bars that might adapt easier for less coin.

Nick
 
I used :pig: rear sway bars for the front & rear of my 40. I assumed I needed them, having a linked rig. I guess the TJ coils are stiff enough that I don't really notice much body roll, so I took the sway bars off & it rides great w/o them. I'll go the cheap route again, on my new :pig: buildup, if I encounter any major body roll.
 
I have heard of people using torsion bars off of 4x4 ifs trucks. The T bars are designed to twist just like a sway bar would be and you could score them cheap at a junk yard.
 
I get lots of lean ( body roll ) with my sway a way coilovers! I think I have decided to use the Currie bars.
I am just getting the bars and arms though. I will fab everything else. I think the links are a little wimpy.
I have a tendancy to overkill everything.
 
I get lots of lean ( body roll ) with my sway a way coilovers! I think I have decided to use the Currie bars.
I am just getting the bars and arms though. I will fab everything else. I think the links are a little wimpy.
I have a tendancy to overkill everything.

Aren't those links that connet to the torsion bar splined? I'd assume they offer a quick disconnect (?) I still think if you did a little more test fitting on other options, you'd save allota ca$h & get something *bolt-on.
 
If you like fabbing, have you considered using the front sway bar off the Dodge Power Ram trucks or the Jeep JK Rubi (disconnectable sway bar)? How about the pneumatic disconnectable sway bar from Welcome to Off Road Only! Just throwing some ideas out there...
 
Thanks for all the response. I will kick a few things around and decide on what to do. I have gotten some good suggestions from you guys and some other folks down at my local 4x4 shop.
 

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