Rear sway parts - Needed or not?

[packmule1911]

Thinking bastard pack project for the rear part of a budget boost, and have seen some videos on the process that suggest that permanent removal of the sway bar, and sway bar links; stating that none of it is needed and it's just in the way. It is recommended to keep the bracket that mounts to the axle for use as a pin eliminator for the shocks.

What do you all say about the rear sway bar need.

[OrangeXJ]

I took mine off with no on road problems.

[abebehrmann]

Thiniking bastard pack project for the rear part of a budget boost, and have seen some videos on the process that suggest that permanent removal of the sway bar, and sway bar links; stating that none of it is needed and it's just in the way. It is recommended to keep the bracket that mounts to the axle for use as a pin eliminator for the shocks.

What do you all say about the rear sway bar need.

Yep, I removed mine a few years ago and didn't even notice a difference. I've read that some XJs didn't even come with a rear sway bar.

Did the bar pin eliminator too, works well on the rear. Doesn't really work well on the front due to the bracket being too large for the mounting surface.

[cantab27]

how high you going ...took mine out of the xj ..jus don't chuck it around at speed on highway ...have just brought one of these ...yet to fit

http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/antirock.aspx

[Pookapotamus]

I don't run a rear sway bar, I've got 6" of lift and I am on coils. If you are staying with leafs I would gut the rear sway, and like cantab said, don't play need for speed with it on the highway.


Having 4WD means getting stuck in more inaccessible places!

[OrangeXJ]

how high you going ...took mine out of the xj ..jus don't chuck it around at speed on highway ...have just brought one of these ...yet to fit

http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/antirock.aspx

Wayne you get the front one? I had one on my TJ and replaced it a SwayLoc air dis connect. If I had known you were looking for one I'd give it to you if I can find it laying around

[packmule1911]

how high you going

Probably 2" or 3". I don't have any money really, so it will be whatever I can fashion from the junkyard or someone's castoff budget boost. I don't want to have to drop the TC or cut anything. Just a little fun on a tight budget.

[XJ Wheeler]

I got rid of mine too, and for me it actually rode better. My rear springs are stiff and the sway bar made it to bouncy side to side.

Also yes, some didn't even come with it. My brothers '90 is one of them, didn't even have the brackets.

I do suggest keeping the front. Some will tell you to chuck it too but being coil suspension it's a necessity. But disconnects are a great upgrade if you're gonna hit the rough stuff with any kind of regularity.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

[cantab27]

Wayne you get the front one? I had one on my TJ and replaced it a SwayLoc air dis connect. If I had known you were looking for one I'd give it to you if I can find it laying around

yeah front mate has both on his .......link re your set up now please mate

[slvmart]

I also removed mine and didn't even notice it.

[Carves]

.......... I've read that some XJs didn't even come with a rear sway bar .......


All the ones down here, sold as a "Sport" model ... had no rear swaybars.

Bit of a nescessity imho ...

... if the vehicle still has the spongy factory springs.

... and maybe with a big lift - to help with body roll.

[Mudderoy]

My 1998 didn't come with one. Can't remember if it was due to the Up Country package, Towing package or both.

[packmule1911]

Got the bar out and want to get that bracket for shock pin eliminator use. Can I get away with taking it off jacked up by the axles, or I do I need to have the axle lowered?

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[4.3LXJ]

Just leave the weight of the vehicle on the axle and remove it.

[packmule1911]

Done, and done.

Can I use the bolts that attach the sway bar links to the axle to mount the shocks to the bar pin eliminator brackets? Probably have my terminology all wrong, but you folks know what I mean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[4.3LXJ]

You can interchange bolts anywhere they fit on the Jeep. There are only a few exceptions and those are inside the differential or engine

[packmule1911]

Cleaned and painted the mounting brackets from the sway bar. All ready to bolt them on the rear.

Recently replaced all the shocks with some Monroe Sensitrac LT's that I got a really great deal on.

Have searched on bar pun removal topics. Any method you folks like better than another?

Which shocks (modestly priced) do you folks like that don't have bar pins to begin with?

[packmule1911]

OK. Slight emergency.

Do you have to use the toothed metal sleep from the swaybar bushings when you turn them into BPE's. I got the pin out of one shock and have butchered the shock bushing trying to press the sleeve into bushing. It's not going and I've got to get this back together today in order to get to church tomorrow morning.

Help?!

Note: if you do have to use the sleeves, they'd go in a lot better if they didn't have teeth on the ends.

[GoneWithTheWind]

I'm not sure this will help, I cant see what your doing.
Can you file a bevel on the end, sort of round off the forward edge so it doesn't have a sharp edge that will grab.. Be sure and lube it. Are you using a vise ?
You may have to put some old stuff back on so you can make it to church on time. :(
( i'm not sure about your bpe question)

[packmule1911]

I'm trying to use the rear sway bar brackets as bolt eliminators. Bought a cut off wheel today to get the bolt pins out of my stock shocks. That worked fine, but pressing the sway bar bushing metal bushings that you reuse for the shocks hasn't gone well.

The bevel idea is great, and I've been using grease. The sleeves just want dig in and chew up the rubber.

I had a great coupon to use so bought another rear shock ($20). I'll use the one I've been messing with as my trial run. It will eventually work I think, I'll just have to find new rubber for the upper shock eye.

[4.3LXJ]

One thing i have done is use a small socket that is tapered, like maybe a 1/4" drive socket to precede the sleeve. It will spread the rubber a little and not make it so much of a stretch

[packmule1911]

I got one started with something like that. My vice doesn't open far which limits how deep of a socket I can use. Once I got it started it sent ok, but it bound up and those little teeth dug in, preventing it from coming out wee the other side.

Assuming I can find another rubber bushing, and then bevel the sleeve insert and start over, it might just work.

I told my wife tonight that part of what's so fun with the Jeep is that it's like an erector set, what with all of the cheap little mods and swaps. I'm loving it, overall.

[packmule1911]

Why do you need to use the metal sleeves in the upper shock bushings? The lower bushing mounts on a metal post. When using rear sway bar bushing brackets for bar pin eliminators you use the big bolt that goes through the sleeve in the sway bar bushing. In my case, the rubber bushing in the upper eye of the shock has a small enough diameter that the bolt has the same resistance and the post on the lower end.

So, why use the damn metal sleeve?

[Mayooo]

I just welded mine to the top brace and went out to TS and bought new bolts that fit thru the sleeve.

[packmule1911]

It was a good Jeep day today. Got three projects done.

After butchering up some rubber bushings, I bought some replacements. Much larger OD than what I needed, so I set up a belt sander like I do when I grind shotgun recoil pads, and sanded them down so they would fit the top shock eyelets. The ID was just the right size for the metal sleeve from the sway bar bushings. Bought fender washers, lock washers, and longer bolts to mount the brackets to the frame.

Bolted up and done. Learned some things on this project.

Not sure what difference bar pin eliminators really make, other than my having to remember to not buy shocks with bar pins. I read that some think this approach isn't good because of the upper and lower shock eyelets being turned 90 degree from each other.

[4.3LXJ]

Sounds like a productive day :thumbsup:

[bluedragon436]

Saved the brackets from my rear sway bar when I removed it while doing my lift install.. I already installed BPE brackets on my front and rear while doing my lift install, but figure I'll keep the brackets for other local folks who might need a budget friendly option when it comes to BPE..

[packmule1911]

I'm still confused on the use of the metal sleeves found in the sway bar bushings. Some resources online show using them in the BPE solution, and other don't. One resource that seems to be trustworthy does not use the metal sleeve inside the rubber shock eye bushing.

I'm also trying to determine which shocks to go with in the future, so I don't have to cut out the bar pins. Some say ZJ, some say Commanche, because neither have bar pins. Both would lift the vehicle (or so is said), 1.5" and 2.5" respectively.

Is that OK, not OK? I've got a sagging backside due to old leafs, and that's a problem I need to solve, but that's not about the shocks.

[bluedragon436]

Are you looking for shocks that don't at all have barpins to eliminate, or looking for shocks that if they do have bar pins they aren't installed so you won't have to cut them out to do BPE setup?? Also the shocks that will "lift" the Jeep, will only work with a lifted setup to that height, not actually lift it.. And having the flat leafs or negative arched leafs is not at all surprising.. My 97 had some badly negatively arched leafs, so certainly had to replace and upgrade them when I started on my XJ build!!

[packmule1911]

Are you looking for shocks that don't at all have barpins to eliminate, or looking for shocks that if they do have bar pins they aren't installed so you won't have to cut them out to do BPE setup??

Looking for shocks that don't natively have the bar pins to eliminate.

I put on four new Sensatrac's, which I got for around $25 ea. I bought them before I decided to yank the sway bar and do the BPE thing. Next time I need shocks, I don't want to cut pins.

[Mayooo]

I run skyjacker 8000's don't know the stroke offhand but they are my go to.. If you eliminate the bar pins, you have a lot more mounting opportunitys. The metal sleeves help to distribute the load of the isolator evenly and protects it from bolt threads cutting it up as the shocks travel.

New shocks with bushings shouldn't give you too much of a problem removing the bar if it's already installed. Be sure to use dish soap as a lubricant when installing bushings. As oil based Lubes will shorten or even eat Polly bushings.

[packmule1911]

The title of this thread should probably change to BPE.

The angle that the upper eye rests in the sway bar bracket when it's used as a BPE solution doesn't look nice at all. I'm frustrated by this supposed simple little mod. The brakets you can buy from 4wheelparts and others look exactly like the brackets from the sway bar, so I guess that the angle doesn't matter?

I need some new shock eye bushings. I fabricated some that had an ID that matched the OD of metal sleeve, but like most first run's, they're not that great which is probably compounding my frustration.

So, I called said 4WD place in search of the bushings they list online, and during the explanation to the guy what I needed and why, he said that I should be running shorter shocks because of using BPE's or it will bottom out. Great! Forget this mess, let's just stick with the pins. Surely the Jeep designers knew more than me. If I should be running shorter shocks, how do you find ones that are shorter? I don't think searching shock lengths would be that productive.

Interestingly, I hit a good dip today and felt and heard what sounded like something bottoming out. It could have also been a dead strut from my wife's minivan rolling around in the back.

Stumped and frustrated. Too many conflicting views on what seemed to be a pretty simple thing.

[drakan1908]

I don't think the difference in length is worth worrying about. I have JKS bpe on the front of my Grand and it is only about 3/8 to 1/2 inches in difference. Actually longer shocks will allow more flex, lol, you just won't be in the shocks sweet spot riding down the road.

sent from a van down by the river

[Mayooo]

The title of this thread should probably change to BPE.

The angle that the upper eye rests in the sway bar bracket when it's used as a BPE solution doesn't look nice at all. I'm frustrated by this supposed simple little mod. The brakets you can buy from 4wheelparts and others look exactly like the brackets from the sway bar, so I guess that the angle doesn't matter?

I need some new shock eye bushings. I fabricated some that had an ID that matched the OD of metal sleeve, but like most first run's, they're not that great which is probably compounding my frustration.

So, I called said 4WD place in search of the bushings they list online, and during the explanation to the guy what I needed and why, he said that I should be running shorter shocks because of using BPE's or it will bottom out. Great! Forget this mess, let's just stick with the pins. Surely the Jeep designers knew more than me. If I should be running shorter shocks, how do you find ones that are shorter? I don't think searching shock lengths would be that productive.

Interestingly, I hit a good dip today and felt and heard what sounded like something bottoming out. It could have also been a dead strut from my wife's minivan rolling around in the back.

Stumped and frustrated. Too many conflicting views on what seemed to be a pretty simple thing.

I agree the rear swaybar bpe mod needs some tweaking. I used my sway brackets as bpe's but I turned mine 90* then welded them to the crossmember.
I disagree with the shorter shocks. The bpe's will shorten the up travel by about an inch or two but shouldn't be any problems. In fact I run longer shocks designed for 6-8 inches when my lift is only 4.5 inches.. I do that to be able flex my max.

[4.3LXJ]

The title of this thread should probably change to BPE.

The angle that the upper eye rests in the sway bar bracket when it's used as a BPE solution doesn't look nice at all. I'm frustrated by this supposed simple little mod. The brakets you can buy from 4wheelparts and others look exactly like the brackets from the sway bar, so I guess that the angle doesn't matter?

I need some new shock eye bushings. I fabricated some that had an ID that matched the OD of metal sleeve, but like most first run's, they're not that great which is probably compounding my frustration.

So, I called said 4WD place in search of the bushings they list online, and during the explanation to the guy what I needed and why, he said that I should be running shorter shocks because of using BPE's or it will bottom out. Great! Forget this mess, let's just stick with the pins. Surely the Jeep designers knew more than me. If I should be running shorter shocks, how do you find ones that are shorter? I don't think searching shock lengths would be that productive.

Interestingly, I hit a good dip today and felt and heard what sounded like something bottoming out. It could have also been a dead strut from my wife's minivan rolling around in the back.

Stumped and frustrated. Too many conflicting views on what seemed to be a pretty simple thing.

This mod is cheap. But the alignment of the top of the shock is 90° off, which is what I think you are referring to. So, it is not the best, just the cheapest. What you use for a BPE depends on budget and the top bushing on the shock. I made mine for a couple of bucks. If you have a shock with a sleeve you could use a couple of pieces of angle iron with holes drilled in them

[packmule1911]

90* would be better. Not sure how to shop for shocks that are shorter than what the store will have on record for the XJ.

[4.3LXJ]

:confused:Shorter?

[packmule1911]

:confused:Shorter?

Yes. If I understand the fellow at the 4WD store correctly, but using BPE's you effectively lengthen the shock because the BPE causes the upper to be stand off of the body. He says, that you then need to use a shorter shock to neutralize the change or you run the risk of bottoming out the shock.

I've got strut problems with a minivan to address now, and this is confusing, so I'll figure it out later. Maybe the bar pins aren't that bad afterall.

[packmule1911]

Mo' better. Got some new shock eye bushings, which pressed in well and have an ID to match the OD of the sleeves, spread open the bracket a bit and shaved down the edges of the bushings a bit, and seems to all fit together well.

The bottoming out sound I heard earlier was likely the shock eye sliding back and forth on the prior fabricated bushing and knocking into the sides of the bpe.

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