Are all years of sway bars the same size?

[JeepsAndGuns]

After reading the thread about the sway bar bushings I got looking at mine and noticed they need replaceing. I noticed my YJ (that I just replaced the bushings on) has a huge 1 1/8 bar, compared to my cherokees puny 7/8 bar. I was wondering if all the sway bars are the same size or if any years had larger ones? I have a good idea in my head about some home brew discos, so I was thinking if I could find a larger bar to put on at the same time I could help get better road manners with a larger bar, and better off road by adding the discos. So are they all the same or do other years have diffrent sizes.

[Bob Barry]

They are not all the same; the later GW's used a 1" or 1 1/8" bar. I put one of those on my '78 Cherokee. With the SOA, a bar makes on-road handling MUCH better.

[J10-401]

I have an '84 J10. Would it be wise to scout out the newer thicker bar?

I added a 7/8ths rear bar (works great too) and it feels like a little thicker front bar would "trim" things out a bit more. I'm sort of a city-trapped redneck type that likes trucks that can 'cut corners' on pavement. But I do have JKS disconnect links now for offroad.

[Menace]

Addco makes a 1 1/8" sway bar for the front, and a 7/8" bar for the rear of the FSJ's.

Dennis

[JeepsAndGuns]

Yea a 1 1/8 bar for the front would be sweet, beats the heck out of the tiny one on there now. Now all I need to do is find one.

J10-401, never thought of adding one to the rear. If I find a bigger front one, I might save the old one for the rear. Mount it up when I do the SOA and axle swap, and make up some discos for it too.

[AlsChopShop]

were sway bars standard? my 79 doesn't have sway bars.... maybe the DAPO removed them? it might explain the chero's goofy nature on road.

Al

[JeepsAndGuns]

I think they might have been optional. I had a 77 that didnt have one, but it had the mounts for one (so my guess is someone removed it) But I have read on here of some people who dont have them, and it was stock that way. But I do know that they only came on the front. Look under it and see if the small little brackets are there. The one on the drivers side is just behind the steering box, on the the bottom of frame rail. Should be two holes a couple inches apart, and two more lined up with those on the other frame rail. Also, the spring plates will have two studs sticking out the side where the end links hooked to.

[pb]

FWIW, my 75 doesn't have any nor the brackets/holes for them.

[JeepinPete]

My '79 also doesn't have the brackets. Apparently the brackets were available separately, since the PO sent them with the box of parts that I got when I bought the Cherokee. They have never been welded, so I assume they were available thru the dealer...

[J10-401]

Jeeps and Guns,

Yeah, I love my rear bar. But since adding it, I've put JKS diconnects front and rear. You could actually make your own out of stock ones with access to a machine shop to keep the costs down.

[JeepsAndGuns]

You could actually make your own out of stock ones with access to a machine shop to keep the costs down.

yep, thats what I plan on doing.

[Ralph]

I think the '86-later FSJ's had a 1" sway bar, and it's an easy swap.

Keep in mind that the effect of the sway bar is to keep the leaf springs from twisting. So the thickness of the swaybar is one thing, but it's also important to have good bushings in both ends of the leaf springs, as well as the swaybar and endlink bushings.

The best handling setup is to have polyurethane bushings. Also, my experience is that Edelbrock IAS shocks make for a really sweet handling package for FSJ's.

And if you're lucky enough to have front ('87-later) and/or rear ('89-later) track bars, they're worth keeping because they make impose even more control on the leaf springs. For a lifted vehicle, two ways to keep the track bar are to either drill the mounting holes into slots; or cut the track bar in half, have each end threaded, and use a tie rod adjusting sleeve.