Rusty sway bar
 

So, I hopped over to the neighbor's house and checked the 95 upcountry for parts. Turns out it does have the larger 28mm front sway bar (my current XJ has a 25mm). best of all, its free! :001_tongue:

Here's the thing. It has some rust on it. Not unexpected when the entire floor is rotted out of this thing. If I remove it with the intent to put it into mine, will it somehow effect the rigidity of the sway bar if i sand it down and give it a fresh coat of paint? i measured the diameter with calipers on a non-rusted part very next to the body connection, so im confident its the diameter of the bar.

What do you think?

Knock the rust off it and look it over real close. I wouldn't be concerned about a bit of pitting, but I would be concerned about any cracks (large or small).

cracks would indeed be bad.

i figured with a wire brush and some sandpaper, a few coats of rustoleum, and some new poly bushings and links, it aught to feel a lot better on the road.

...er, then again ive never had poly bushings so idk. id imagine it would add a bit to the stiffening effect of the sway bar but maybe i should stick with rubber?

Idk if a little bit thicker swaybar will really matter unless you plan on taking corners fast or autocrossing it

roughly, if im thinking my math's right, from 25mm to 28mm is a 12% increase in diameter, which all other things constant should yield a roughly 48% increase in stiffness.

But this isnt a perfect world so its not as if my human body will notice that per se, but i can definitely imagine the thicker bar, new bushings and links should tighten up the feel on the road

Yes indeed. New parts will feel better no matter what swaybar you run

It is generally accepted that the larger sway bar will provide a flatter ride in the corners. I have first hand experience with stepping up bar size in my 79 Camaro and plan to swap the bar in the Jeep at some point. In the Jeep application, it is about stability in routine cornering rather than all out racing. Mine is lifted 5" and sways quite a bit.

OP, I would suggest you install new rubber bushings rather than poly. I have poly on my Camaro and they squeak. You have to grease them regularly to keep them quiet. I don't feel the increased stiffness is worth the nuisance in the Jeep application. I'm confident you will experience the most improvement from the increased bar size.

I think im going to go grab it off there maybe friday when i have time.

If i can scrounge up a V8 ZJ Tie Rod from the junkyard maybe ill just put them both on at once.

thanks for the advice on the rubber bushings.