Bomar
SILVER Star
I need to replace mine due to bushings shot and I thought I might just extend at same time. Any ill effects not to do it?
Longer front sway bar links - thoughts? (8 Viewers)
- Thread starter RobRed
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #42
I've been offroading them hard. Went to Death Valley, Bodie Hills and Back to Death Valley so Far in 2014 and the links have been great. I've got my front raised again to 22.5". That's as high as you'd want to go. No problems.
I've raced, jumped and beat on the suspension. It's been a perfect compliment to the other changes I've done.
I've raced, jumped and beat on the suspension. It's been a perfect compliment to the other changes I've done.
Hi,
this thread was started in 2013 and was quite interesting.
Has anyone made progress with quick-disconnect anti-swaybar links for the LC 100 ?
I sent a mail to WabFab to order these:
Their 5 words reply was quite disappointing:
"Not interested in providing these"
Not even "Hi" or "Sorry". Maybe they forgot that without off-road fans, their shop would not exist.
Anyone can suggest another manufacturer of quick-disconnect extended links for the 100, front and rear ?
Thanks
Richard
this thread was started in 2013 and was quite interesting.
Has anyone made progress with quick-disconnect anti-swaybar links for the LC 100 ?
I sent a mail to WabFab to order these:
Their 5 words reply was quite disappointing:
"Not interested in providing these"
Not even "Hi" or "Sorry". Maybe they forgot that without off-road fans, their shop would not exist.
Anyone can suggest another manufacturer of quick-disconnect extended links for the 100, front and rear ?
Thanks
Richard
great to find this thread - I jsut got the MAF longer rears and was looking to how to best do the fronts.... I'm going to have my local machine shop build a set of 2" longer fronts but also taking the truck in to see what they have for ideas on a disconnect.... the owner has a 100 series and an 80...... I'll post up if he has a solution
- Thread starter
- #45
Just came back from 10 days on the road (5 in Moab). Still loving the results of the longer front links.
Any word?
stopping by the shop this afternoon - phone doesn't seem to be a strength nor customer service......
I just took my rears to a local fab shop and they extended my rears for $20.00. I'll be doing the front's after the rears go back on. Money well spent!!
Fabbed my own extended front(thanks to @RobRed and tlcfaq).
My fab skills are a bit rusty(helps if you remember to turn on the gas little before you start welding.
So far test driving I think the longer links make the front end feel less "nervous"....like the suspension cycles more smoothly and less snappy over small bumps.
Fab was very straightforward,...not sure why nobody offers these for sale, except, perhaps low demand.
EDIT: It's possible that the new bushings are partially responsible, although the old ones didn't look terrible. Also, you can see the angle that the bar had been at.
My fab skills are a bit rusty(helps if you remember to turn on the gas little before you start welding.
So far test driving I think the longer links make the front end feel less "nervous"....like the suspension cycles more smoothly and less snappy over small bumps.
Fab was very straightforward,...not sure why nobody offers these for sale, except, perhaps low demand.
EDIT: It's possible that the new bushings are partially responsible, although the old ones didn't look terrible. Also, you can see the angle that the bar had been at.
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Why does a longer link change anything, you would have the same force applied when the wheel tries to lift, just the bar starts at a different position. The force comes from the twist in the bar, if you could lengthen the arm of the sway bar or use a thinner bar then maybe.
Cut and sleeve.
I ended up just ordering pre-cut pieces of pipe that were exactly perfect from Onlinemetals.com .....(I'm sure you understand, my other job as stay at home dad to a 5 month old hasn't been leaving much garage time for me).
I ordered 3 different sized tubes all cut to 2.75" (after measuring the factory links with calipers). The middle size was just right.
0.75" OD x 0.12" Wall Mild Steel A513 Type 5 DOM Tube
If I had to do it again I would have: gone to my old fire station to cut the OEM parts as I discovered my new station of 2 years doesn't have a vise, I'd remember to turn the gas on when welding the first link.....only other thing is to be mindful when welding the eyelet end as the bushing is right there.
As someone said before, when you lift the truck, the links are not working in their factory configuration when the suspension is in its resting state, You can tell from my old bushings that the ends of the bar were not square to the links. The parts are designed to impart forces upon each other in a particular configuration and this returns them to that starting/resting configuration.
I consider it more of a problem for allowing the suspension to fully droop, something @sleeoffroad has alluded to numerous times as being important for ride quality and of additional concern to me with the Icon shocks, which allow additional droop. Extending the links returns the bar and links to their relationship before the lift, thus, hopefully allowing it to perform closer to stock......clearly someone thought it was important enough to offer these parts for the 80 series....I guess it could just be to make money off of people by selling them useless parts.
So far, I'd consider the ride improved....I want to say considerably, but I don't know how much is due to the new bushings and also how much is in my head. Is it a huge deal? I don't know, but it feels right.
EDIT: One other thing that pushed me to do it was the 80 series extended rears, which fit the 100 series. After installing them I felt the rear suspension was able to perform fully as intended.
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YardPig
SILVER Star
Thank you @RobRed finally got around to doing this and WOW, totally different truck to drive. My guess is the bars are so bound up they are reacting like springs. Before entering uneven road surfaces the Cruiser would porpoise and feel really skittish. Another member mentioned a "nervous" feeling which is a great explanation.
I went 2" front and 2 1/4" rear.
Here's some pictures, fairly self explanatory I think...
I went 2" front and 2 1/4" rear.
Here's some pictures, fairly self explanatory I think...
YardPig
SILVER Star
More pictures
YardPig
SILVER Star
More
YardPig
SILVER Star
Fronts installed, don't mind the Fluid Film, I like to hose some of that on before the winter.
@YardPig
Cudos to your fab work.
Noticed on your rear sway link that the spacer cap is missing that fits in between the top of the bottom bushing and the bottom of the bracket mount. Its a small detail that has noticeable results.
Fwiw that middle OEM spacer has a small raised lip on it that is designed to fit snugly into the bottom of the bracket to help hold the link in place to keep it from moving/shifting. I also noticed the aftermarket stem washers dont work too well to hold the bushes in place. The OEM spacer caps have more cup shape and seat the bushing better to keeping them stationary.
Anyway if your noticing some suspension noise, or noticing the bushings not sitting straight you may want to use the oem spacers especially the middle spacer cap to keep the bushes aligned and links from moving.
After my lift, I purchased a set of the Manafree extended rear sway links and used the included generic bushes & hardware which did not incorporate the middle spacer cap Im referring to. Although torqued to spec, I later found the link had been shifting with accel/braking force and articulation. I also found the the threaded stem portion bent as a result of play at the bracket.
Not happy with quality of the previous set, I reached out to Jason at Trail Tailor (@reevesci) and he fabbed up a set of extended rear links with a much beefier threaded stem. I skipped the included hardware and went back with new oem rubber bushes, and OEM stem washer caps.
Long and short if it is, the three OEM cap washers provide the best fit and long term result.
Cudos to your fab work.
Noticed on your rear sway link that the spacer cap is missing that fits in between the top of the bottom bushing and the bottom of the bracket mount. Its a small detail that has noticeable results.
Fwiw that middle OEM spacer has a small raised lip on it that is designed to fit snugly into the bottom of the bracket to help hold the link in place to keep it from moving/shifting. I also noticed the aftermarket stem washers dont work too well to hold the bushes in place. The OEM spacer caps have more cup shape and seat the bushing better to keeping them stationary.
Anyway if your noticing some suspension noise, or noticing the bushings not sitting straight you may want to use the oem spacers especially the middle spacer cap to keep the bushes aligned and links from moving.
After my lift, I purchased a set of the Manafree extended rear sway links and used the included generic bushes & hardware which did not incorporate the middle spacer cap Im referring to. Although torqued to spec, I later found the link had been shifting with accel/braking force and articulation. I also found the the threaded stem portion bent as a result of play at the bracket.
Not happy with quality of the previous set, I reached out to Jason at Trail Tailor (@reevesci) and he fabbed up a set of extended rear links with a much beefier threaded stem. I skipped the included hardware and went back with new oem rubber bushes, and OEM stem washer caps.
Long and short if it is, the three OEM cap washers provide the best fit and long term result.
YardPig
SILVER Star
Hi, thanks I will keep an eye on that. The included bushings are stepped to fit into the bracket. Although I'm sure the step will eventually wear out and allow the bushing to move, I plan to replace the bushings far more often as they don't last long regardless of OEM or aftermarket and the results of new ones is night and day.
You're Welcome-
If you check the diameter of the step on the bushing compared to the hole in the mounting bracket, you find the step is quite a bit smaller than the hole in the bracket, leaving a lot of room for slop. That is how my first set of link stems bent and got noisy as the stem moved around in the mounting hole. The hole in the bracket is larger for the stepped OEM washer to fit into and the step on the bushing fits into a little recession in the OEM cap.
