850 Sway bar bushing Topic is solved

[scot850]

Those Energy Suspension anti-sway bar bushes look like the ones I had but mine were 25mm as they were for an IPD HD anti-sway bar, but like I said earlier, mine have grease nipples fitted to allow you to inject grease into them without removing using a grease gun and appropriate grease. It would not take much other than a drill bit, 2 grease nipples and a thread tap to fit them.

Drill the hole right through the bush and the metal strap and then thread and insert the grease nipple.

Bushes look like the one in this kit:

https://truckpartsuperstore.ca/products ... 20%2460.34

Neil.

[manovlov]

Having done this upgrade while undertaking other major work that involved removing the subframe, I don't think it's worth the effort to swap the bushings out on a stock sway bar just to do it.

If you're upgrading the sway bar, do it then. Otherwise, unless the bar is rattling around in the stock bushings, I wouldn't expend the effort.

For me, each work down on this car won't have to be to do in the futur. As a newbie in mechanic, everything is good to have a mechanical lesson.

Manov

[Goupil]

I was planning on doing it on my car, I have the bushings, I had the opportunity to do it while the engine was out of the car but even that way it seems like a pain in the a**

They will wait for the day I have a lift

[volvolugnut]

The stock bushings are bonded to the bar. I've tried burning them off, but in the end, I cut them off and ground off the residual bushing material.

We have poly bushings on both cars. The biggest issue we've run into is a "clunk" as the bar slides back and forth when the front suspension travels over uneven surfaces. Yes, the bar will move side-to-side and you will hear a clunk.
The IPD bars had a stop welded to the bar that rested on the in-board side of the bushing to prevent this.
We've used clamp-on brackets on ours and that has helped the issue.

We'll be putting a new bar on the wife's car in the near future. I'll probably weld stops on that one before I install it, instead of using the clamps.

Welding on the heat treated sway bar would reduce the spring properties. IPD likely had the stops welded before the heat treatment. I think the clamp method would be better.

volvolugnut

[Chuck W]

Welding on the heat treated sway bar would reduce the spring properties. IPD likely had the stops welded before the heat treatment. I think the clamp method would be better.

volvolugnut

True enough. Spaced that bit.

[Sveedy]

Just curious - Do you really think that tack welding stops on with a wire feed welder would put out enough heat to effect the sway bar ?

[volvolugnut]

Just curious - Do you really think that tack welding stops on with a wire feed welder would put out enough heat to effect the sway bar ?

Perhaps using small tack welds would not have much heat treatment change, but a weld would add a change in the shape and size of the bar causing a stress riser and risk of developing a crack at the weld. Sudden shape and size changes are bad for parts with cycling and reversing stresses. Early failure of the bar could result. My thoughts anyway.

Easier and less potential damaging would be a split collar clamped around the bar.

volvolugnut

[erikv11]

I wouldn't touch the bushings unless the sway bar was out of the car already. They don't wear out and there is little to be gained here.

[manovlov]

Hy there

Here are the pics of the bushes.

What do you mind ?

Manov

Bushes 1.jpg (157.47 KiB) Viewed 498 times

IMG_2057.jpg (144.07 KiB) Viewed 498 times

[Chuck W]

As I mentioned previously, unless you have the subframe down for other work, swapping the sway bar bushings on a stock bar isn't worth the effort for the "gain".