Front Sway Bar

[jm599]

Has anyone ever put a FRONT sway bar on a FJ55? If so how did you do it, where did the parts come from and how did it effect everything.
Have 72 SOA. the stock springs are probably too weak and flexy and when quick steering moves are made over 25 mph the front end fills like a boat. Running 36 inch buckshots. no cut and turn. generally rides great on good asphalt or dirt below 45 mph, but if a deer jumps out watch out!
thanks for any help

 

[LC_Hamma]

Yes, I'm running a 55 sway bar up front, on my 40 though. I'm gonna have to move the mounts a few more inches forward cuz they barely rub my y-link bars or I may just cut them down a little. I used stock 55 linkages & fabbed a quick disconnect mount w/ stainless pins:

 

[890man]

From the picture it looks like the links for the sway bar are comming straight out the back. Im not sure that setup is doing anything but scratching up your links.

 

[LC_Hamma]

From the picture it looks like the links for the sway bar are comming straight out the back. Im not sure that setup is doing anything but scratching up your links.

Are you saying my sway bars aren't acting like sway bars should - control body roll movement?

 

[890man]

The only sway bar setups I have seen is with the links attached to the axle housing going straight up and down not front to rear. The sway bar itself is setup with the frame mounting points level with the upper link mounting points. With your setup, it appears from the picture, that your sway bar is just a drop mount for some links attached to your axle. I attached a really bad pic I just took of the rear of my 55. Hope this helps. I too have been looking at front sway options. I have a extra rear bar out of a 55 and a front out of a 60 that I am going to try to fit up. I want to get the P/S installed before I move forward though.

 

[jm599]

when the sway bar is "connected" does it hurt the flexibility alot?

I think my plans are to put in another set of 55 springs and hope for improvement. if it is the same then maybe remove one of the shorter spring leafs and replace with maybe a manafre add a leaf. it that doesn' t help then add a sway bar.

our road shoulders are steep in montana and i've seen lots of rollovers hoping to stabilize the ride without losing the cushy feel.

thanks for the pics

 

[890man]

Sway bars help controll body roll when going around corners at higher speeds. These will hurt flexability off road a lot but thats what quick disconnects are for. Reach the trail head, pull the two pins, tie everything up out of the way (bailing wire or a coat hanger work pretty good for this) and your on your way. The sway bar doesn't affect the "cushy" ride If both sides of the axle move up and down at the same time. The sway bar doesn't even come into play. I put my bar back in my pig after about a month of not having it and really noticed a difference. My wife did too. I only have about three inches of lift on my pig and the body does like to roll.

There are aftermarket bars made for heeps and universal setups but I cant remember the name.