2004 Jeep TJ: Recently put on Zone 3 inch lift. Install shop pointed out the sway bar link bolt rub on frame. They said my sway bar was after market (it is) and that it is shorter/smaller than the OEM sway bar. Is that possible? FYI: this jeep has been in an accident. Possibly tomorrow, I will go to the salvage yard and pull a sway bar off a 2000 Jeep Wrangler TJ. Prior to the lift install, only 1 side rubbed. But now with the bracket and bolt on the Zone Sway Bar, both side rub. Any suggestions or input?
Both front sway bar link bolts rub on frame
- Thread starter mikespine
- Start date
We're dealing with a five-poster...gotta be careful, you know...
It's rubbing on both sides. Could after market sway bar be more narrow. The 4x4 shop suggest I get an OEM sway bar, they said go to a salvage yard and pull one because it's bigger? Could that be true-having different a size?
That's not right then. With the stock sway bar, they wouldn't even come close to rubbing on the frame.
You've got the wrong sway bar on that TJ then, that's for sure. Not sure what kind of sway bar it is, or what it came from, but it's not the correct one. It's obviously much too short.
I really hope pulling the sway bar on a 2000 Jeep TJ will be the remedy. The vehicle was in an accident-I knew that prior to the purchase. But I didn't know there were different size sway bars. Prior to the lift, only the driver side rubbed with the stock end links.
There aren't different size sway bars. All TJ sway bars from 1997-2006 are the same size. If you have a different sway bar on there, it must have come from a different vehicle (possibly a YJ?).
Another thing would be if the Jeep had been in a bad accident and it had somehow tweaked the frame.
The other possibility is that your sway bar is bent on the ends, causing them to bow in more and rub the frame. My advice is to find a sway bar from a 97-06 TJ and pick it up as a replacement.
You can find one here close-by very easily:
http://car-part.com
FYI, I just went out and snapped a couple of pix of the oem anti-sway bar. This is what it should look like:
Something's definitely whacked out with your ends being that close to the frame.
Something's definitely whacked out with your ends being that close to the frame.
Thanks for giving me the pic. It puts things in perspective. I know my frame rail is tweaked, bent a little
I agree something is wrong, I just don't know what it is. What's different about mine compared to yours, is that my sway bar end links has a bracket with the bolt close to the frame and rubbing. Thanks again for sharing your pictures.
Would anybody consider grinding the frame rails on each side where the sway bar link inner bolts rub. There is no room to slide the sway bar left or right. I did go pull a 2002 Jeep TJ today from a salvage yard and bet they are the same size ( but I really don't know yet). How and what you you use to grind the frame rail if suggested?
I would never grind the frame for clearance. That is structural. If your new(used) swaybar has the same issue you have a frame problem and needs to be looked at by a body shop with a great frame guy.
It doesn't look like its a YJ sway bar.
The driver side frame rail has been tweaked. I can see its a little crooked at the bumper and what was once a round hole at the bottom of the frame rail is now somewhat oblong/no longer round.
I believe this sway bar is an after market following the accident. It still has a faded bar code on it so I don't think it is bent or in the accident.
I did pull a 2002 TJ sway bar today from a salvage yard. My guess is that its the same size but I really won't know until I compare it to the one on now and/or install it. Would you consider grinding the frame rail if nothing changes with the salvage sway bar?