In search of a sway bar.

[Jeremy-b]

I’m have a 2001 ranger. Can anybody send me in the right direction to find a sway bar for my truck? It’s a discontinued item.

 

[MikeG]

Front or rear? Rears just need to have clearance around everything, bought one for a car once from J.C. Whitney many years ago. Worked fine. Old Datsun, but a sway bar is a sway bar.

Front is going to be a bit more specific. Have you searched the nearest junkyard? They really don't wear out, although might need new bushings for the end links. Don't see any advantage in buying a new one, if something else can be made to work.

 

[pjtoledo]

coils or torsion bars? torsion style stabilizer bars aren't wide enough for coil spring frames. that's 98+ only of course.
if you want a super stiff front bar, torsion style, get one from a sport track.

check for wear inside the bushings, there can be a LOT hidden there.

 

[Jeremy-b]

Front or rear? Rears just need to have clearance around everything, bought one for a car once from J.C. Whitney many years ago. Worked fine. Old Datsun, but a sway bar is a sway bar.

Front is going to be a bit more specific. Have you searched the nearest junkyard? They really don't wear out, although might need new bushings for the end links. Don't see any advantage in buying a new one, if something else can be made to work.

Thank you for responding but I haven’t had a chance yet to check local junkyards the mechanic that looked at it said it should be replaced I have the links and bushings he suggested the whole bar be replaced I haven’t looked at it yet I’m gonna check tomorrow

 

[Jeremy-b]

Thank you for responding but I haven’t had a chance yet to check local junkyards the mechanic that looked at it said it should be replaced I have the links and bushings he suggested the whole bar be replaced I haven’t looked at it yet I’m gonna check tomorrow

And by the way it’s for the rear

 

[MikeG]

Uh.......

I think it is appropriate to ask WHY it should be replaced. Unless badly deformed (wreck?), or you were running the Baha 1000...... they don't wear out.

Fails to pass the smell test, to me.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Uh.......

I think it is appropriate to ask WHY it should be replaced. Unless badly deformed (wreck?), or you were running the Baha 1000...... they don't wear out.

Fails to pass the smell test, to me.

I don't think that they are standard equipment, his truck may not have came with one. Or as you noted, maybe it got damaged.

AJ

 

[cbxer55]

And by the way it’s for the rear

Have you checked to see if Hellwig or Hotchkiss make one? I have Hellwig's front and rear on my 98. The front is larger than stock and the rear is there, where it didn't have one when I bought it. I put them on in 2002. And had to redo all the bushings in 2015, they were shot by then. I used Energy Suspension end links and frame mount bushings bought from Auto Zone. The bushings were all black when I bought the bars. They are all red now.

If you can, get the Hellwig. The Hellwig are solid bars, the Hotchkiss hollow. A smaller solid bar beats a larger hollow bar by a lot. See link below. It's for Lightning's, but the information is good no matter what the application.

anti-sway bars

 

[Jeremy-b]

I don't think that they are standard equipment, his truck may not have came with one. Or as you noted, maybe it got damaged.

AJ

I haven’t looked at it yet. Mechanic said it was no good.

 

[MikeG]

Um..... I think I would be a little suspicious of "it's no good." Like I said.... they don't wear out. WHY is it "no good"? Does he have a boat payment due?

 

[cbxer55]

Um..... I think I would be a little suspicious of "it's no good." Like I said.... they don't wear out. WHY is it "no good"? Does he have a boat payment due?

The frame bushings can get crappy, and the bushings on the end links can get crappy, or fall off and go mia due to rot. But in either of those cases, you just go to your local Auto Zone, they have Energy Suspension kits with the bushings. The end links, you just buy the kit with the same length end link as your existing one. Nice thing, the ES frame bushing kits have zerk fittings so you can grease them every now and then.

Pictured below are the Energy Suspension end links I installed on my Lightning in 2015. The original end links were missing one bushing on each side. If a bushing is missing, the end link doesn't transfer pressure to the bar, so the bar isn't working.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Aside from extreme rust I don't see why the rear sway bar itself would ever go bad.

Of course bushings go bad but but still... no need to replace the sway bar.

In fact the whole thing was an option. A great many Ranger's left the factory without one.

I just swapped one onto my '85 that didn't have one from the factory. I pulled it out of a VERY crusty '93 and the sway bar was perfect yet. Bushings were too, all I did was clean it and paint it.

 

[pjtoledo]

I had one on the rear of a 99 that rusted so bad it snapped inside the bushing.
outside it looked great, until it came out in 2 pieces.

 

[Jeremy-b]

Um..... I think I would be a little suspicious of "it's no good." Like I said.... they don't wear out. WHY is it "no good"? Does he have a boat payment due?

Lol. No, boat payment due. I looked at it. It is broke. Right where it goes in the rubber bushen.

Aside from extreme rust I don't see why the rear sway bar itself would ever go bad.

Of course bushings go bad but but still... no need to replace the sway bar.

In fact the whole thing was an option. A great many Ranger's left the factory without one.

I just swapped one onto my '85 that didn't have one from the factory. I pulled it out of a VERY crusty '93 and the sway bar was perfect yet. Bushings were too, all I did was clean it and paint it.

It’s snapped in the bushing.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Just take it off until you find another one. You might not even miss it.