FRONT SWAYBAR COLLAR: Modification w/ pics

[FJ-Ollie]

To read the original full thread and post questions/comments on this topic, please go to O&B Fab Front Swaybar Collar Mod



This idea isn't totally mine. I'm almost POSITIVE that the swaybar link failure issue is due to swaybar shift from factory collars coming loose. Dustpark ordered some collars to replace the cheap ones on the swaybar. I took some measurements and decided to have my machinist make some super beefy collars. The swaybar diameter at the collar point measures between 1.135" and 1.165". I drew up a sketch of a collar for my machinist and this is what he spit out for me in about 3 hours. He made them out of solid steel bar stock. He cut four of them for me. I'll be beta testing a set and so will Frogeye.

ID=1.150" OD=2.500" Thickness=1.00" The cap bolts are 5/16" Grade
Attachment 16977


The crappy aluminum collars I cut off. (With a jab saw mind you.)
Attachment 16978


Passenger Side
Attachment 16979


Driver Side
Attachment 16980

[FJ-Ollie]

I purposely ran my FJ pretty hard today on some decent woops and up and down some loose and rutted climbs and my swaybar is still locked solid with the new collars.

With a 2.5" collar we discovered from Frogeye's install that the collar hits the frame of the passenger side about 3/16" shy of mating up next to the bushing. The collar needs to be trimmed down or have a shoulder machined into it. If you are running a spacer like the DRs do then there won't be an issue with clearance.

[FJ-Ollie]

DustPark previously said:

Ollie These Pics are different then mine. You have even clearence on both sides, so it looks.

Brent,
I have the DR spacers on both sides. And you are correct, my swaybar has even spacing all the way around. I measured the spacing between the swaybar (at the coil) and the frame to center it up.

Shadow-Warrior previously said:

I have a stupid question, because I haven't crawled up under the front and looked at the stock collars yet. My question is, wouldn't it be better to just leave the existing stock collars on, then using the new ones as a safe gaurd "beefing up" as opposed to cutting off the stock collars? Or is there not enough room to keep the stock and the new ones on too? Thanks

I tell my troops there isn't such a thing as a stupid question... If you use the collars Dustpark (Brent) used to reinforce the stock collars you will be fine and you won't have to worry about them rubbing the frame if you are not running a suspension set-up requiring swaybar spacers. The difference between Brent's collars and mine is the thickness. He's running a 5/8" thick collar with a smaller cap screw. The collars I am beta testing are 1" thick. The radius of the bend in the swaybar is too close to the mount bracket to allow you to run the factory aluminum collar as well. At 1" thick the collar gives you a back up feature. If the collar bolts should back out or the collars should come loose the swaybar won't be able to shift more than maybe a 1/4" either way if your lucky. The radius in the bend of the swaybar will run into the collar not allowing in the travel any further.

In summary... If you run with the stock collars, you need to run with a 5.8" thick back-up collar. If you remove the stock collars, a 1" thick collar seems to be the way to go.

[FJ-Ollie]

FJ CRUZER previously said:

is the diagram above on the spec's we should order ?

Depends on what you want to do. The actual diameter of the swaybar is 1.150". 1-1/8" equates to 1.125". You might have to hawg them out a bit. I prefer a wider collar, as you can see from my earlier posts.

[FJ-Ollie]

SoCalOcFj previously said:

I would like to purchase a set of these! My drivers side link is whacking my coil spring. Just the idea that it has been doing that bugs the crap out of me.

Please let me know how I can get a set these.


Thanks MudlovingFj for letting me know about this thread!

gon2srf previously said:

I've never seen a driver side link whack anything. Can you take some pics and post them.

CoCalOcFJ is running the ProComp 6" lift. He sent me an email with pics last night. I've reviewed them and the mount brackets for the swaybar relocation on the ProComp lift move the swaybar mounting clamps inboard. The clamps actually set right at the bend radius of the swaybar. That should limit the sideward shift because the clamps at the radius effectively lock the bar in place (as I've tried to do with the thickness of the collars I had machined). Whoever installed his lift chould have just cut the factory collars off but instead they just knocked them down the swaybar. Now they are hitting the bushing on each side. See picture below:

Attachment 17199

[FJ-Ollie]

DustPark previously said:

Ya, that swaybar is locked... Have him send us a pic of the other side. That would say alot. The swaybar is not even with the frame. Balance is everthing.

Actually the swaybar is centered very well. He sent me 19 pics from different angles on both sides. The swaybar links are even lined up straight and true. With the extreme lift and the large coils he is getting contact between the swaybar and coil at extreme travel. It probably don't help that the coils on most of these lift systems are located at the bottom of the coilover setup. Some of them are the full length of the coilover setup. When a coil this long compresses it can bow one direction or the other during compression causing it to come in contact with the link mount bolts.

Attachment 17200 Attachment 17201

[FJ-Ollie]

JoeUser previously said:

Just to be clear, I can mount rings next to the stock retainer rings, right? Just to act as backups, in case the stock retainers fail?

If not, how easy is it to remove the stock rings? Will the sway bar have to be removed?

Yes you can. Some people have even used stainless hose clamps to reinforce factory collars.

The factory collars are like peuter. You can use a screwdriver as a chisel to split them and knock them off. It's pathetic how cheap they actually are.