Sway Bar Rivets.

[eightbanger]

A while ago I discovered that one of the two Rivets on my front sway bar was missing so I put a nut and bolt in there and forgot about it, then a while later noticed that it had worked loose so I added a lock nut with the split washer and it still worked loose. Now checking it the other day to see if it had loosened since, I found that it had and the one remaining Rivet had disappeared, sheared off I suppose....My question is this....is it essential that the sway bar brackets are Riveted on and not Bolted? If so how the heck do you install Rivets without working in a ship yard?

[too much stuff]

I don't know why you couldn't use bolts with lock washers. You could use grade 8 stuff for piece of mind...

[Boog]

8B. Is that thumpin big block shaking the frame apart? Grade 8 with lock washers ought to stay put. Maybe include some thread locker?

[cdowns]

all you need to rivet something is a metal rod a torch and a hammer and dolly plus a bit of imagination

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by too much stuff

I don't know why you couldn't use bolts with lock washers. You could use grade 8 stuff for piece of mind...

Hey Eric, don't laugh but what are Grade 8 Nuts & Bolts? are they stronger? next prob I have will be finding them over here I suppose.

Originally Posted by Boog

8B. Is that thumpin big block shaking the frame apart? Grade 8 with lock washers ought to stay put. Maybe include some thread locker?

Thanks Boog, I hope not!! it's probably all the bloody speed bumps over here shaking evereything loose

Do you guys have Bolts or Rivets?

[Green Machine]

Added sway bars to two of our trucks, just use grade 5 minimum, (3 lines) or better yet use grade 8, (6 lines). If you look at the factory bolts that hold the bushings on you will see that they are 3 line (grade5), we used grade 8 bolts, lock washers and nuts just to be sure, the plating is ususally better on the grade 8 also and won't tarnish as fast and look new longer.

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by cdowns

all you need to rivet something is a metal rod a torch and a hammer and dolly plus a bit of imagination

If you have that equipment and are familiar with using it then no prob, but for me....well i'm gona put that in the "too hard basket" cdowns

Originally Posted by Green Machine

Added sway bars to two of our trucks, just use grade 5 minimum, (3 lines) or better yet use grade 8, (6 lines). If you look at the factory bolts that hold the bushings on you will see that they are 3 line (grade5), we used grade 8 bolts, lock washers and nuts just to be sure, the plating is ususally better on the grade 8 also and won't tarnish as fast and look new longer.

Green when you say "lines" are you refering to the small lines that I have seen on the heads of the Bolts on my Truck?

[passthebuck]

The parts are only as good as what holds it together. I try & use the best bolt for the job, & that doesn’t necessarily mean using a Grade 8 nut/bolt on everything as they are expensive. You don’t need Grade 8 hardware to hold your glove box door on. (Unless you're REALLY hardcore!) There's a time & a place for the high strength stuff. Your application eightbanger is Grade 8 country. In my sway bar installation, I used Grade 8 bolts with hardened washers & Grade 8 nylon locknuts. I haven’t checked them in a while, but I'm confident they are at what I torqued them to 5 years ago.

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-in...ade-Chart.aspx

http://www.americanfastener.com/tech...ings_steel.asp

http://www.rockcrawler.com/techrepor...ners/index.asp