Custom Sway Bar Disconnect

Introduction:

Every time I do any serious off-roading, I like disconnect my front sway bar to increase the articulation of the front axle. The solid front axle sway bar is not too difficult to disconnect; a wrench to hold the bolt and a socket to remove the nut. But you still need (the right sized) tools and while taking the end links off is straight forward, putting them back together is a bit time consuming, getting the right sequence of washers, bushings, etc. Also, I worried about the nylon lock nut wearing out after many off/on cycles, so I went looking for a better solution. I've seen wing nuts used to facilitate easy removal, but I didn't think this would hold well enough. There also seem to be a number of commercial units on the market, but I didn't see any for the solid axle trucks.

Design:

After a bit of research, I determined a standard turn-buckle could be adapted to this use. I located a stainless steel turn-buckle at a local hardware store that suited my needs. It had 3/8" eye bolts on each end, the same diameter as the stock sway bar end link bolt. Furthermore, the length of the center portion was just a bit shorter than the spacer sleeve on the end link. A turnbuckle is built with one right-hand and one left-hand thread, so I also purchased a pair of left- and right-hand 3/8" nuts.

Place the right-hand threaded eye-bolt on the sway bar end, using polyurethane bushings, cupped washers and a nylon lock nut. On the bottom (axle end) I used the left-hand eye-bolt, bushings and the left-hand threaded nut. Put some paint on both the LH eye-bolt and the LH end of the turn buckle to help orient the ends for assembly. I tightened the nuts until the bushings were slightly compressed and provided enough friction to allow the turn buckle to be tightened and loosened without the need of tools.

There is no fabrication involved in this design. All the parts are available off the shelf at most hardware stores. Here's what the installed disconnect link looks like in place:

Operation:

To disconnect the sway bar, unscrew each turn buckle by hand. I find that I can unscrew one side up until it is nearly off, then unscrew and remove the other side (releasing the tension on the sway bar), and finally finish removing the first side. Throw the turn buckle sections into the glove box and you are ready for action. Connection is just the reverse, I find it easiest to start the left-hand threaded end (bottom) a few turns then engage the right-hand threaded end (top) and hand tighten, first one side then the other. For either operation, no tools are required.

With the tension in the sway bar, the turn buckles seem to be quite snug. If one were to loosen (i.e. lengthen) it would quickly pick up spring tension from the sway bar and stop. So far, I've not had any trouble with them loosening and they go on and off in less than a minute.

I also took this time to swap the worn out rubber sway bar bushings for some nice red polyurethane (ProThane) sway bar end link bushings and pivot bushings. On road, the poly is much stiffer and provides more positive anti-sway action. Off-road, I find the poy bushing will hold the bar twisted up to the frame. It seems to stay in place without the need to tie it off. Perhaps as the poly bushings wear, the bar will loosen up and require restraint when disconnected. If that were to happen, I was planning on adding an eye-bolt through the fender well to accommodate a short bungee cord to tie the sway bar end up.

Cost:

  2  3/8" S/S turn buckles   $14
  2  3/8" left hand nuts       1
  ------------------------------
                             $15
  
  A set of polyurethane swaybar bushings will run $10-20.

Rating:

Epilog:

However, after being lazy and not re-connecting the sway bar a few times, I found that the handling is more predictable on-road with the sway bar disconnected. So, I've completely removed the sway bar all together. With leaf springs front and rear (no rear sway bar), the bar in front causes the two axles to behave differently in turns. Under load, the spring shackles will pivot back, making the wheel on that side also move back, in effect turning the axle to the outside of the turn. With the sway bar attached, this is lessened (at least in front). What I found was happening was that the front end would stay level, while the back leaned, causing the rear axle to oversteer. With the front bar out, the whole truck leans, making both axles skew a similar amount. Before I pulled the front bar, crosswinds were wicked (the wind would in effect push the rear end out), now the truck is much more stable. If I ever get around to installing a rear sway bar, I'll re-install the front one, with the disconnects, so I'll get the best of both worlds.

Actually, now that I have cross-over steering installed and have moved my front axle out of its stock location, I can't see ever having the front sway bar on my rig again. If anyone is interested in a slick, stainless steel disconnect system, complete with full poly bushings, let me know. First offer over $10 gets 'em!