Quick disconnect front sway bar bracket (5 Viewers)

[tlc81]

I fully agree with you, front sway disconnect is more beneficial than rear.

there have already been a couple nice front disconnects shown on MUD, one in particular is a bent piece of angle steel with an eye, bolted to underside of frame right above axle. using a linch style pin or quick disconnect pin the sway bar is quickly and easily disconnected.

Interested to see yours for sure. if I was closer I would be interested in a set for sure.

You can see my set up... I was pretty lazy but it has worked for at least a couple years now.

 

[corsair23]

Waiting for the prototype evaluation and pics.

x2 - I'm unfortunately the "Mastercard" type of

 

[akarilo]

Took mine off today out of curiosity and went for drive (city and highway). To be honest I felt little to no ill effects; I think it's staying off.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Did it a while back. See my sig line, it's in there under my 80 thread.

 

[MaddBaggins]

In case you're lazy

https://forum.ih8mud.com/az-copper-state-cruisers/228589-80-series-front-sway-bar-disconnects.html

 

[rhyary]

Prototype pictures

First, I would like to give credit to all the people that tackle this issue before me. They inspired me to get into this issue. It should have been in my first post.

My prototype worked last night. But it is still a bracket, not a product.
The bracket has to answer another issue which I neglected to mentioned before as a design goal, and that is the bump stop.

The 1993 80 came with a bump stops that were between the frame and the axle. Subsequent years eliminated these bump stops but the location and the capture nuts are still there.

My bracket is designed to do two things, first a place to hang the disconnected swaybar, second it will be a dropped base for the 1993 bump stop.

On a 4" lift, the bracket will give you a 3" drop base. I would like to include the bump stops as part of the package instead of individually calling cruiserdan. I don't know what it will do to the price but it will be a more complete solution, which is what I am after.

Please note that the bracket will NOT look like the prototype in the pictures. The first proto is made of two pieces and I had to use 70mm M8 bolts. The second prototype will be one piece and be like H on its side. It will use 20mm M8 on the frame side and 20mm M8 bolts on the bump stop side.

I hope to have the second proto done by the end of the week

 

[mot]

 

[tlc81]

MaddBaggins has the cats meow set up... His set up is what i was refering to, but just couldn't remember. Nicely done Baggins... Looks like you are making progress Rhyary but it also looks pretty complicated... Are you worried about adding so much extra material the sway bar will be impeding flex while disconnected???? I want to see your finished result and what the tests results are.
Good Luck

First, I would like to give credit to all the people that tackle this issue before me. They inspired me to get into this issue. It should have been in my first post.

My prototype worked last night. But it is still a bracket, not a product.
The bracket has to answer another issue which I neglected to mentioned before as a design goal, and that is the bump stop.

The 1993 80 came with a bump stops that were between the frame and the axle. Subsequent years eliminated these bump stops but the location and the capture nuts are still there.

My bracket is designed to do two things, first a place to hang the disconnected swaybar, second it will be a dropped base for the 1993 bump stop.

On a 4" lift, the bracket will give you a 3" drop base. I would like to include the bump stops as part of the package instead of individually calling cruiserdan. I don't know what it will do to the price but it will be a more complete solution, which is what I am after.

Please note that the bracket will NOT look like the prototype in the pictures. The first proto is made of two pieces and I had to use 70mm M8 bolts. The second prototype will be one piece and be like H on its side. It will use 20mm M8 on the frame side and 20mm M8 bolts on the bump stop side.

I hope to have the second proto done by the end of the week

 

[rhyary]

tlc81,
"Are you worried about adding so much extra material the sway bar will be impeding flex while disconnected????"

No. I tested that extensively. I climbed over a 22" wall with one wheel. The swaybar was securely fixed to the bracket. There was NO tension on the swaybar at all. It was nice and secured not getting close to the lower control arm, drive shaft or any other items.

The sway bar must be secured to avoid falling down and digging the edges into incoming obstacles.

The pictures show a complicated prototype as I was using it as "modular" building blocks. My next proto will be one "easy" bracket.

I am taking the setup to Rauch Creek on April 3rd for the FJ Cruiser event to test the whole thing wheeling. However, as smarter people here already figured that a front disconnected swaybar is beneficial. The only reason not to do it when wheeling is because it was not easy to do.

About driving with out the sway bar on the roads at speeds. Don't do it. You can't test a swaybar going straight on the road. If you go 70mph and you have to switch lanes in emergency maneuver, say first left lane and immediately right, is how you test you swaybar. As IdahoDag said, you go swing back and forth a top heave, lifted 80 and you are going to flip it.

This is the whole point, if we can do it easy, than we don't have to chose between non-at-all or on-all-the-time. We can have the cake and eat it too.

 

[clownmidget]

when I did this I was more focused on how to make disconnecting the sway bar from the axle easier. So I made these extensions that raised the axle mount a bit. Inadvertently it also alleviated the issues of contacting the driveshaft and control arms.

The bigger issue IMO is how pathetic the OEM axle mounts are once you start wheeling your truck hard and flexing the front to the extent that the control arms/brackets will allow. Lots of folks on here have experienced snapping the axle mounts off and typically tearing through a brake line - typically in the middle of a trail...Of course in this thread you aren't talking about leaving it connected on a trail but lots of folks just leave the front sway bar connected when they wheel hard and it is really under a lot of stress when you have the front axle flexed out.

My little extensions seemed to add some good leverage and snapped them off more better. Punch line here is while you are in there I'd advise adding some welding and maybe a bit more steel to the axle brackets. But that's just me.

 

[rhyary]

Mike R.
Very good point, but Landtank already solved that problem with his bracket. I have landtank U and I don't think it is going to snap.
I do think that if I can find a easy way to disconnect, it avoid the snapping issue and on the road the OEM solution seems to be OK.

Man, if mine work I really hope not to piss off Landtank. Not a good think for me to be on his bad side.

Honestly, any solution the involves welding is losing a big crowd and in salt area you have to deal with rust around the welding area.

 

[landtank]

Man, if mine work I really hope not to piss off Landtank. Not a good think for me to be on his bad side.

You are current with my billing department and you're not using my people to make these so we're good.

Having a disconnect on the sway bar doesn't necessarily negate the need for a HD bracket on the axle. Those things are pretty flimsy and with age only get weaker.

 

[MaddBaggins]

You are current with my billing department and you're not using my people to make these so we're good.

Having a disconnect on the sway bar doesn't necessarily negate the need for a HD bracket on the axle. Those things are pretty flimsy and with age only get weaker.

Very true. I gave mine a nice new weld job a long time ago after one of them snapped off.

 

[rhyary]

More design changes.
After playing with the original bracket and the second prototype concept it went into the metal shop with the following:
The inverted U is going forward 1"
The proto bracket will have 1" square in the middle holding the two plates together. This might end up being two squares or one 1" W x3" L" X 1.5" H
The two plated (think H on its side) will be 3/8 thick.
The bottom plate where the inverter U mounts will have two capture nuts on the inside. This will make mounting the bump stop really easy.
The 1.5" hight will be enough to put a 20mm M8 bolt when mounting to the frame.

I hope to get it today and give it a try. If it works, will give it some paint and will post pictures.

I am starting to think it is going to be a lot nicer than I imagined. I can't wait to pick it up.

 

[rhyary]

Picked up the bracket.
It came out so nice. I will post pictures as soon as I paint it.
And I will paint it as soon as I get home. I can't wait to show it.

You guys are going to love it.

More about the pins. It does not make sense to drill a hole thru the bolt. My original intention was to do it all with one bolt.
But here is what makes sense. For everyday use, an M10 flange bolt 10.9 zinc coated with a locking nut should work great.
When going to a trail, replace at home a common use 3/8 pin which is a bit smaller in diameter. This will be secure enough to drive to the trail, and it will make it easier to unhook the sway bar and rehook it when done wheeling. It will be fine driving home like that.

When at home, replace the pin with the M10 bolt. If you have to original rusting bolt, you may want to replace it anyway.

 

[rhyary]

Pictures of the Ultimate Bracket

Here are the pictures:
I don't know final price yet, but let's see if there is interest.
If there is, I will produce 10 sets first come first serve which include:
2 x Toyota bump stop PS and DS
4 x 10.9 M8 20mm 1.25 JIT flange bolts
2 x 10.9 M10 50mm 1.25 with 2 nuts
2 x Ultimate Brackets PS and DS

I understand that people can't make final commitment without price. But I don't have price yet. So let me know if you are interested. I will create a thread in the merchandise forum as soon as I have a price.

 

[rhyary]

More iPhone Pictures

It looks better in real life
Please note the brackets with the bump stops are upside down. The part that sits on the counter is what goes to the frame.
The pictures on the hood is the right orientation.
The Driver Side has indentation that fits the axle (the long side) so it is curved to fit the curvature of the axle.
The passenger site is meant to hit the side of the differential as it come off the axle (it is the short side of the axle) so it is straight tip.

It is very cool how it fits the specific locations on the axle.
Nothing like OEM Toyota.

 

[corsair23]

Very cool....

Put me in the still interested column

Maybe this is a dumb question, but are these set up with a specific size of lift in mind? I could see that a person could add an extension for a taller lift but what about a shorter lift than the Slee 4"?

 

[cruiserruf]

nice work. count me in. have always wanted a quick disconnect but don't have the tools or fab skills to make one.

 

[fjfar80]

I am in...