You have 2 brackets pictured there. The bracket with the red bushing in it. Get rid of the red bushing. Slide the empty bracket over the other bracket doubling it up. Is the bolt pattern the same? That would give you about 1/4 inch thickness. Shouldnt break.

 

I GET IT

That is very creative but I don't think it is necessary. The fact that the other brackets broke is symptomatic and I'm betting remedied very simply by using the correct bracket. We'll see.

 

Those brackets are pretty wimpy . You have a 11/4 inch sway bar? 1 1/4 inches of spring steel held on by a 1/8 mild steel bracket. Not only that. The rubber for the large sway bar is pretty thin. So any flex at all , all the stresses are generated right at those brackets. Its acting like a lever. I think to minimize the mechanical advantage at those points the sway bar should be as horizontal as possible. So if you have a lift the end links should be longer to accomodate the lift. Then hopefully the brackets will last longer.

 

I can't speak to the strength of the thicker (1/8") bracket straps, but as for the proper angle of the bar as affected by the endlinks, you are right in saying that the bar should be as horizontal as possible and actually parallel to the control arm. I have no added lift on my vehicle. I'm going back to the garage where they are finishing my Walbro pump install and take some more measurements before I change the brackets. Unfortunately, they do not have a roll-on lift and I don't trust jacking up the wheels to get the right angles. I will have to wait and use my rhino ramps.

 

Well, I just had to tear into this mess and change the end links and bar bushings today. I am really unhappy at the way this thing fits and can see clearly why the straps broke --- there was just too much pressure on the bushing brackets, pulling them forward beyond the adjustment range of the mounting pillows on the frame. The obvious first thought is to slot the bushing brackets more to elongate them --- wrong! What has to be done is to elongate the slots in the forward mounting holes on the frame mounting pillows. (see attachment)

 

This next picture shows the new HD bar bushing installed and you will notice how far the bolt on the left (front of vehicle is to the left) is pushed toward the bar. If you do not slot the mounting pillow, IMHO, there is just too much tension (stress) on the bushing bracket. I believe that elongating the forward mounting holes (they are elongated/slotted to begin with) is necessary and allows for the best possible mounting geometry. Speaking of which, I used the Addco end link angle brackets and Addco endlinks along with ½ x 13 x 1-1/2” Stainless bolts, ½” split washers and ½ x 13 Nyloc stop nuts to attach the angle brackets. I would have preferred a fine thread bolt but this was fine and I torqued down on them as hard as I could. I will check them again shortly because it is paramount that the brackets do not shift off a horizontal line. Personally, I think the bar ends are too long and any shift on the mounting L-brackets will create a negative offset and damage the endlink bushings on the bottom. I’ll see if I have a good picture of the endlink setup.

 

I also want to say that I am not happy with the M8 bolts I am using for the bushing bracket installation. I will change them out ASAP for the biggest (M10?) bolts that will fit through the mounting holes.

Here is a picture of the end link L-bracket installed at the best possible angle. You just have to be careful while tightening the bolts so that the brackets do not shift off of the horizontal (level) line. I know all the bushings are new and it has been 7 months since I originally installed the bars (18K total miles on the vehicle now), but the suspension feels really tight now. The next thing I am going to do is see if I can replace the rear OE ball-and-socket endlinks with something from Addco.

I hope this has helped those thinking about installing HD anti-sway bars or are having problems with the ones on their vehicles now.

 

I have given some time to solidify my opinion on the following observation about the change I made in the front endlink configuration. I feel confident when I say that anyone who has installed the front Addco bar with the OE ball socket endlinks and thinks the handling is good should try changing over to the Addco endlink system with the ES bar bushings that I have listed above if they want _really_ tight handling. Sometimes I think I'm in my old Corvette when I am whipping my truck around corners. Mind you, I never forget I am in a top heavy truck but I am thrilled with the difference the change over has made.

Has anyone figured out a way to replace the OE ball socket endlinks on the rear with aftermarket endlinks (Addco or ES)?

 

I am now working with Addco to have proper endlinks made for the rear of our trucks. They may be a wishbone design with a bolt through at the bar end and a straight threaded rod like standard endlinks. The more I drive the truck the more I am convinced that the OE endlinks are wrong for these bars.

 

ManyMods,

Do you have the energy suspension end links or the Addco end links on the front sway bar. I am about to install my Addco front and rear sway bars and I am concerned about the end links. It appears, before I get under the vehicle, that the Addco end links are too short to fit the thicker sway bar through.

Additionally, the energy suspension end link that whose part number you mentioned earlier in this thread when mated wit the HD end link bushings that you also mention seem to also be a bit short.

Is this just perception or did you run into this issue wen you did the install?

Also, any other recommendations? I am planning on putting the Addcos on with energy suspension end links and bushings.

Thanks for the excellent thread and information.

Brian

 

Hi Brian,
I'm still trying to figure out how to break up text for a reply so I hope I have the codes inserted correctly. In thefront, I am using the Addco endlinks and endlink bushings with the ES 9.5172 bar bushings. If you use the OE front endlinks, you cannot use the thicker 13/16" bushings ... the one you are suppose to use, so lets just talk about using aftermarket parts. In the front you need to compare the length of the OE endlink with the aftermarket parts you have and select the one that is of equal length. If you look at the picture I provided, the Addco endlink allows for the bar to be parallel to the control arm, or horizontal and level. Use the Addco 13/16" bushings and Nyloc nuts and it will work. Of course you are also using the right-angle adapter bracket that Addco provides. As for the bar bushings, I stated previously that the mounting pillows on the frame have to be altered by carefully hogging out or elongating the front mounting slots so as not to stress the bushing straps and create the best possible mounting position. You want to elongate the slots toward the front and make sure you still have room for the bolt head or nut. Also, as I said before, I would like to see if I can use heavier hardware, more than 10mm, but I do not know if that is possible so make sure you use thick flat washers under the bolt head and nut (Nyloc) to prevent crushing. Speaking of heavier hardware, either use the Addco bar bushing sets (not my favorites) or use the ES 9.5172 greaseable bushing sets.

Either I am confused or you are? The endlink bushings are donuts that are 3/8"ID x 13/16"thickness x 1-1/16"OD (Addco #609); the bar bushings are a totally separate entity and one has nothing to do with the other. The mounting holes for the bar bushing brackets are meant for a much smaller OD bar and therefore are too narrow for proper installation of the 9.5172 bar bushings/ brackets. When I speak of bar bushings it is understood that this is a bushing AND bracket set, right? So, I do not understand what you mean by "short"?

The issue I ran into even before I made this latest change, and the one that created the two cracked bar bushing brackets was:
1) the ES 9.5165 bar bushings are the wrong part
2) the stress created by forcing the mounting hardware to accommodate the new bushing bracket using the OE bolt hole span is wrong.

I see no reason to use ES endlinks if you have the installation kit specified for the Addco 4Runner front bar. As for the REAR bar, you can use the 9.5161 bar bushing set (there is not a HD variation on the 1" size), and the OE endlinks w/ either the OE bushings or the bushings supplied with the rear bar, or even a 13/16" thick donut bushing. BUT, I expect that I will come up with something to replace the OE rear endlinks. However, the rear is not as critical because most of the stress is focused at the front end suspension parts.

I know it is really hard to interpret in discussions like this, in writing or verbally, but I hope you are able to understand what I am saying, the way I am saying it I hope I am able to help you. Fire back at me if you need more assistance.

 

ManyMods,

Thanks for the additional information and clarification. I really appreciate it.

It seems as if I am confusing threads when I spoke about the ES front endlinks. Es offers an endlink set for the front and they also offer a heavy duty bushing for that front end link. It comes as a set of 8 bushings, 4 each for the left and right end link. These bushings are marketed as being for heavier trucks in much the same way that the HD bard bracket bushings that you are using are marketed.

The end link bushing set is ES part number 9.8103 and I saw them at springworks.com.

My unintentionally misleading question was regarding the use of these HD end link bushings with either Addco or ES end links. These bushing, while nice and HD, seem a bit thick for either of these end link sets and I am concerned about the end links and all of the hardware that fits over them fitting along the length of the end link. It seems as if I will run out of room to get the top nylock nut threaded.

That was my concern. As I said, I think I may have mixed up my threads and thought that you were using these HD end link bushings.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

Brian

 

Brian,
IMHO, the standard endlink bushing size is fine to use on our smaller trucks, and merely converting from hard rubber to polyurethane will suffice. YMMV

 

Addco wants to know how many of the rear endlinks I am going to want them to make up. I am telling you, if you have the rear bar and need a standard size HD endlink, speak up now so I can assure them that they will receive orders for what they make. They cannot be that expensive so it won't break the bank. Well ....

 

You can count me in on the rear end links.

Again, thanks for taking the lead on this!

 

 

count me in too -

creed

 

I've finished the drawings and taking all the measurements and I just emailed pictures to Addco. I am about to Fax the schematic and I told them that I would let them know first thing tomorrow how many sets I thought I could speak for. I also started another thread to alert those not tuned in here to the event. I hope I don't get a whole bunch of questions from the guys about price, color, yada, yada, yada. I think they are going to do this for us and it is a good deal. My 4Runner tracks like it is on rails since I changed out the front endlinks. I do not expect anything dramatic in the rear but I will feel better knowing it is a firm mount instead of watching those ball socket endlinks twist around the way they do. Thanks Chris.

 

For the 3 -4 guys who wanted the Addco design REAR endlinks, they are ready.

The price is $25.00 per set.

Call Addco (828-733-1560 x110) and speak to Trey.

 

thanks peter - so what is the final consensus with what's working best for the front (endlinks and/or bushing brackets)?


creed