After Market Sway Bars

Focks · 10-22-2007, 01:10 PM

During the Hot Rod Power Tour, I had an incident with my passenger side, front sway bar strut. The nut had apparently come off, and when I hit a bump, the whole lower piece got jambed in the wheel and broke off.

Ths past weekend, while driving to Fredrcksburg, I noticed, as did Mickey, that Machell had something hanging down on her front passenger side of the truck. It had turned out the nut had fallen off of her lower sway bar strut. While the "Chevrolet" dealership in Lampasas did not have the nut, Melvin was able to find a replacement for Machell, and ti was fixed upon the arriival in Fredricksburg. Whle Mickey was under her truck fxing that one side, he notced the other side was loose as well. FYI, Juan had put an airline approved lock tight solution on when he installed machells bars.

If you have had the Sway bars replaced, I urge you to check or have someone check to make sure the nuts firmly in place.

artsmart · 10-22-2007, 01:23 PM

I don't know exactly how to say this without it coming out weird but... my nuts keep loosening on the front Hotchkis sways a bunch of the guys installed. They used the new OEM replacement nuts that Mike in Az suggested but its back to clanking once again every time I hit a bump. Hard to get under it without a rack, so looking to get it up into the air and see what's going on................how do we keep this from happening?

Focks · 10-22-2007, 01:28 PM

I am thinking we may have to go the extra mile and drill through the screw large enough for a cotter pin. Once the nut is tight, put a pin in behind it.

Old Chief · 10-22-2007, 02:31 PM

You could always go the aircraft route. Virtually every nut, bolt, and screw on aircraft (military at least) is "safety wired". This only entails drilling a small hole through one of the corners (shoulder) of the nut, running stainless wire through the hole (long enough to have a few inches sticking out each side of the hole), twisting it into a tightly wound "pigtail", pulling it in the tighten (right hand) direction, and securing it to something that moves with the nut (Like a small hole in the strut mounting flange). Guaranteed to hold the nut in place.

If anyone wants to try this, and can't find the stainless wire (about .032" thick), I have plenty, and am willing to send you enough to do both sides. PM if interested.

Old Chief