axl911

I am thinking of changing my front sway. I don't want to remove my struts since its extra work and will need an alignment afterward.

Anyone here changed the front sway without removing the strut? How did you do it and how difficult is it?

thanks,
anthony

viperbob

Yep, done it a bunch of times. Have the a-arms elevated with the strut makes it a little easier. The strut in place does add a little more complexity. It is like a Chinese puzzle. When you get the old one out, remember how you did it. Also, getting the front as high as possible helps...

axl911

Thanks viperbob. What would you say the hardest part would be in doing this /w the struts in place? Snaking the bar in & out?

viperbob

the clamps are probably the hardest. You just need to use a screwdriver and pop the tab from the bottom, and it will come right out. When you reinstall the clamp on the bushing, get a longer bolt so it can pull the clamp down into place, and then install the factory bolt.

Greg H.

As I recall - and VB would have a lot more experience than I do - the trick is to turn the steering wheel one way or the other part way through the procedure.

Greg H.

TroyN

I DIY'd my whole suspension replacement, except for the front bar. I got the car up, poked around at it for about 15 minutes, and then said "f-this" and paid a shop an hour's labor to do it.

Garth S

With the AWD front end, I could not get the two bushing clamps to release until slacking off the lower control arm bolts - the front bulkhead prevented their forward rotation.
When the new bar was in place, feed the greased bushings onto the bar, and a love tap with a ball pein hammer will snap the clamps back into the control arm. Pry their tabs rearward in these slots, and bring the clamps down with a C-clamp ....

I thought this job to be a major PITA ... until replacing a seal in the front diff easily superseded it for that honour ...

4X4SCHE

The hardest part for me was threading a rear swaybar on the front by mistake.

John

axl911

Thanks for the tips.

Now if only they guy I bought the bars from would actually send me the bars...but that's another story.

---
anthony

chris walrod

From the East coast area?

axl911

Not sure where it's from. I have a thread on it on Pelican Parts.

TRINITONY

lol.

Don Plumley

The clamps were the real pain for me. Threading it in, no sweat. But those clamps...

Paul E. Dodd

Clamps were no problem on mine. Threading it was a total pain. Oh, and by the way, make sure you don't put it on upside down. Once you get it in and then realize its wrong you'll become near-suicidal. Or so I've heard...

diet97993

Yea... the front sway bar was a PITB....I used a Vice Grip "C" clamp to draw it together and a tapered punch to align the bolt holes. Stock bolts went right in the clamps.....Patience is a virtue!