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#1 |
Senior Member
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: CA
Posts: 5,476
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Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
I purchased a new set of Counterpart bushings for my 1-1/16" sway bar. They stick out of the clamps pretty far (3/8"). Is this normal? Will they just mash down when I tighten the clamps and not have excessive binding? Seems a little odd to me.
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#2 |
Watch out for your cornhole !
![]() Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Azle, Texas
Posts: 14,162
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
A lot of them are that way (Moog comes to mind). I've always just nursed the bolts down evenly to compress them. Once tightened down they never give any problems.
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I'm on the Instagram- @Gearhead_Kevin |
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#3 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DALLAS,TX
Posts: 21,967
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
They have 'tall' (truck) & 'short' (car) clamping brackets. The aftermarket units usually don't indicate which bracket the bushing is for unless it's like a kit.
I would not squash them down 3/8".... I would either make some shims to minimize the amount protruding or get mounting brackets that better match the bushings.
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67SWB-B.B.RetroRod 64SWB-Recycle 89CCDually-Driver/Tow Truck 99CCSWB Driver All Fleetsides @rattlecankustoms in IG Building a small, high rpm engine with the perfect bore, stroke and rod ratio is very impressive. It's like a highly skilled Morrocan sword fighter with a Damascus Steel Scimitar..... Cubic inches is like Indiana Jones with a cheap pistol. |
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#4 |
Senior Member
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Location: CA
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
I'm trying to stay as stock as I can, so spacers are not going to work for me. I guess I have to find a set of "tall" truck brackets.
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#5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DALLAS,TX
Posts: 21,967
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Not to bust balls or anything but it's a sway bar. On anything other than a full-on 100-point concours restoration, 2 small pads under the bracket/s won't be noticeable unless you point it out.
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67SWB-B.B.RetroRod 64SWB-Recycle 89CCDually-Driver/Tow Truck 99CCSWB Driver All Fleetsides @rattlecankustoms in IG Building a small, high rpm engine with the perfect bore, stroke and rod ratio is very impressive. It's like a highly skilled Morrocan sword fighter with a Damascus Steel Scimitar..... Cubic inches is like Indiana Jones with a cheap pistol. |
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#6 |
Senior Member
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Location: CA
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
It will be noticeable to me.
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#7 |
Senior Member
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Does anyone have a set of stock truck clamps for a 1-1/16" sway bar that they'd be able to measure for me for comparison with my clamps, please?
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#8 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DALLAS,TX
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
While I fully understand the logic in some situations, mounting a sway bar w/spacers under the existing/on-hand brackets would not be a concern to me. The mounting would not be compromised & would not over-compress the bushing by simply cinching down the existing shorter brackets. Just sharing a different perspective.
Are the 'CounterParts' bushings rubber or Poly?
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67SWB-B.B.RetroRod 64SWB-Recycle 89CCDually-Driver/Tow Truck 99CCSWB Driver All Fleetsides @rattlecankustoms in IG Building a small, high rpm engine with the perfect bore, stroke and rod ratio is very impressive. It's like a highly skilled Morrocan sword fighter with a Damascus Steel Scimitar..... Cubic inches is like Indiana Jones with a cheap pistol. |
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#9 | |
Senior Member
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Quote:
They are rubber. I can tell by looking at the original bushings that the clamps compressed them a lot. |
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#10 |
Senior Member
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Location: Texan in Iowa
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
I found the same thing with my poly bushings. I just drew them down to where the bracket touched the frame/A-arm. Based on what lots of people in this forum have said, these sway bars need as little wiggle room as possible to really work.
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Ben '68 Chevy C10 Custom LWB 327/TH400 2nd owner '16 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Dblcab 4wd 5.3 |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Colchester IL
Posts: 284
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
What about taking a quarter inch off the bottom of the bushing with a band saw?
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#12 |
Senior Member
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
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#13 |
Senior Member
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Location: Texan in Iowa
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Here’s what poly bushings look like when they’re compressed with the same size bracket as you have. You sure they need to be cut down? The need to compress them might be a feature rather than a bug. You are dealing with torsion stress on a 1-1/16” steel bar, after all—I would expect some tight clamping to deal with that.
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Ben '68 Chevy C10 Custom LWB 327/TH400 2nd owner '16 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Dblcab 4wd 5.3 |
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#14 | |
Senior Member
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Location: CA
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Quote:
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#15 |
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Newton,N.C.
Posts: 317
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
I don't know if this help ease your mind, But , I installed a sway bar off a 1986 3/4 ton. and bought new bushings from g.m. and they looked just like your new ones, taller than the metal clamp.
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#16 |
Senior Member
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Ok, well they went on, but they don't look too happy about it.
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#17 |
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Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Sedalia Mo.
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
I like that the bracket tabs ended up being flush with the frame mounts and A-arms and not bending a just touching on the outer edges. Your right, they don't look too happy, but they should be fully functional. There is no harm in using them like that. Give them a few hundred/thousand mile test period and see how they respond. If they are truly NOT happy, the rubber will split (possibly push out of the bracket) and lose its purpose. This would cause a bumping sound when driving over mildly rough roadway and, of course, lose some of it's sway resistance. I had a bushing fail on a Rustang and the first indication was the noise, not the lack of stability. I don't road course race though.
So long as you are OK with the appearance...I'd give them a try like that.
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He who is without oil shall throw the first rod. Compressions 8.7:1 1972 C10 1976 C10 (parts truck) 1985 K20 Last edited by sick472; 01-15-2021 at 12:59 PM. |
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#18 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Austin
Posts: 749
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Trim off the bottom of the bushing as necessary and reinstall so they are snug/tight but not so deformed as in your photo.
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#19 |
Senior Member
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Location: Texan in Iowa
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Hmm...yeah, that does look a little disappointing. I could see going either way, but since these are not aesthetic bushings
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Ben '68 Chevy C10 Custom LWB 327/TH400 2nd owner '16 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Dblcab 4wd 5.3 |
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#20 |
Who Changed This?
![]() Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Simi Valley, CA
Posts: 10,395
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
On every vehicle I've done an upgrade to a larger stabilizer on, I've never had the bushing spoil out like that. This includes a '64 Malibu with a '70 Monte Carlo SS454 front bar. That's just an example, not an isolated case. The correct parts don't bulge like that. I don't think that this is normal.
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~Steven '70 Chevy 3/4T Longhorn CST 402/400/3.56 Custom Camper Simi Valley, CA |
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#21 |
Senior Member
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Location: CA
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
I trimmed off 3/16, and they're a little less distorted now.
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#22 |
Registered User
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Location: JACKSONVILLE
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Would you share that part number, I have going thru the same issue, same size bar and bracket, all I have here is Napa, and Oriley’s, have purchased numerous bushing them returned them, guess I’ll try trimming like you did, the ones I found so far didn’t have the ridge in them to match the bracket correctly, thanks
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#23 | |
Senior Member
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Location: CA
Posts: 5,476
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Re: Sway Bar Bushing Fitment - Is This Normal?
Quote:
https://gmcpauls.com/Suspension.htm |
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