Front end

[Bullet]

If you are at stock height it's not a big deal to drive without one.  If you are lifted the swaying effects are multiplied the higher you are lifted and therefore less safe to drive without one. 

[dripley]

3 hours ago, Kane4sythe said:

So you just drive around with no swag bar in general?

 

Thats what I am doing for now. Have been for about a year and half. I can notice a little difference around the corners but I am not trying to get around as fast as I can. A little extra body roll is all. You are not going to die with out it. They are nice to have but not an absolute necessity. Your track bar holds the front end where it belongs not the sway bar. 

 You have been getting a lot of good info here and problem areas with these trucks. Just dont think you have all of them and have to fix them tomorrow. take it all in stride and take some time driving the truck and get a feel for it. Short comings will show themselves as you get used to it and then you can start dealing with them. I would fix or remove the sway on yours and not leave it to bang around under there. The bolt might not be fun to deal with.

Just take it slow and deliberate and you can have a very reliable truck. If you farm out all the work it will be reliable and very expensive.

[01cummins4ever]

2 hours ago, Kane4sythe said:

Well I could bend the bracket back to gain access 

See, this is the hard part. I do not know how the sway bar works so I’m not sure what thread I’m trying not to damage. The thread that the bolt that holds the bushing on goes into?

So I was planning on going on a little drive today maybe half and hour to and back wich involves about half high way and the rest town. Is it safe to drive on? If not I don’t want to take the risk

I would suggest unbolting the swaybay and let it hang or removing it completely to gain more access, I did not know you could run without it as others have suggested but if you want it fixed you will have to remove the broke bolt, I’ve never unbolted one but I assume it’s a threaded nut welded or stamped steel nut inside frame, Im sure someone else could verify this.

[dripley]

The bolts thread into nuts welded into the frame. Should be simple but seeing the one that is broken might mean the other 3 could be a pain and require a cheater bar to remove. Mine came out fairly easy as I remember but two broke off in the collision and will require an easy out to remove. You wont know until you try to remove them. As with any vehicle some things go as expected some not. 

 Not to beat on your age, we were all 16 once, learning what to do can be a challenge. Especially if you have not done any wrenching on cars growing up. I fit into that category myself. So you need one of two things, time and patience to learn or a deep wallet to "farm it out". Just part of life.

[Russ Roth]

A way that has worked for others and has worked quite well a couple times for me is to heat it lightly enough to suck candle wax into the threads.  Only enough heat to melt the wax.  May have to do it more than once and then even if you have to use EZ out it should make it much easier to do the job.  Give 'er a try.  It does work especially if there is something left to grab onto and not have to use EZ out.

 

[Kane4sythe]

5 hours ago, Stanley said:

 

I have had my sway bars off for over a year now and loved it, ride seems much smoother. It does have body roll but nothing crazy. 

 

Go to www.dodgeoffroad.com and pick out what ya want they have everything listed. Lots of goodies. Good quality

 

Thank you. So then you’d say a broken bushing is no big deal?

4 hours ago, Bullet said:

you are at stock height it's not a big deal to drive without one.  If you are lifted the swaying effects are multiplied the higher you are lifted and therefore less safe to drive without one. 

Thank you bullet, yeah I believe my truck is stock height. I drove it today, no problems. Didnt flip the truck, so that’s a plus. I’m still going to fix it when I get around to it just to be sure and so it’s less of a worry. Since the bolt is broken, can I just weld it back on?

4 hours ago, 01cummins4ever said:

emoving it completely to gain more access, I did not know you could run without it as others have suggested but if you want it fixed you will have to remove the broke bolt, I’ve never unbolted one but I assume it’s a threaded nut welded or stamped steel nut inside frame, Im sure someone else could verify this.

Well I went ahead and bent the bracket back, need to go pick up a bigger bit. I know it’s not the most proactive thing but I guess if the whole bracket breaks Itll just be a sign the whole thing needs replaced. Just a temporary bandaid, my plans are to eventually replace the whole front end.

4 hours ago, dripley said:

 

The bolts thread into nuts welded into the frame. Should be simple but seeing the one that is broken might mean the other 3 could be a pain and require a cheater bar to remove. Mine came out fairly easy as I remember but two broke off in the collision and will require an easy out to remove. You wont know until you try to remove them. As with any vehicle some things go as expected some not. 

 Not to beat on your age, we were all 16 once, learning what to do can be a challenge. Especially if you have not done any wrenching on cars growing up. I fit into that category myself. So you need one of two things, time and patience to learn or a deep wallet to "farm it out". Just part of life.

 

So is it safe to fix this one, then just worry about the other three when they break, if they do? Thank you for understanding. Yes unfortunately I am very mechanically declines, so I don’t even know what and easy out or a cheater bar is. Edit: never mind, I do know what an easy out is, just never called it but that, and I attempted to use one, but I had already drilled a hole in the bolt too large and now need a slightly larger easy out.

4 hours ago, dripley said:

time and patience to learn or a deep wallet to "farm it out". Just part of life.

Well I do have the time, and the patience. My whole plans with this truck are to do only what needs to be done in highschool, and when I’m done and have some money saved up begin to make it look nice. The truck is actually pretty good, astray from this one thing. 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Kane4sythe

[Bullet]

11 minutes ago, Kane4sythe said:

Thank you bullet, yeah I believe my truck is stock height. I drove it today, no problems. Didnt flip the truck, so that’s a plus. I’m still going to fix it when I get around to it just to be sure and so it’s less of a worry. Since the bolt is broken, can I just weld it back on?

That's not gonna work.  You're gonna have to extract the broken part of the bolt and then see what you have left to work with and then proceed from there.  Others have already commented on how to do it.  Go back and read comments from others on how to. 

[Kane4sythe]

3 hours ago, Russ Roth said:

e threads.  Only enough heat to melt the wax.  May have to do it more than

How will candle wax get sucked into the threads? Just naturally?

34 minutes ago, Bullet said:

at's not gonna work.  You're gonna have to extract the broken part of the bolt and then see what you have left to work with and then proceed from there.  Others have already commented on how to do it.  Go back and read comments from others on how to.

Yeah I’ve read them and started today, my ez out just was too small because I tried to drill it out first. But if I would just weld the whole bracket back on, although not long term that would have to atleast work for a little bit, wouldn’t it? If not why?

[98whitelightnin]

Would be easiest to just remove the 3 other bolts holding it on and the two nuts on top of the sway bar links.

[Kane4sythe]

8 minutes ago, 98whitelightnin said:

 

Would be easiest to just remove the 3 other bolts holding it on and the two nuts on top of the sway bar links.

 

Then what? Just completely remove and keep off or replace all 4?

[dripley]

Get a bigger easy out or just take it off. 

[Stanley]

Take the whole thing off, get some more tools, cause who doesn't like tools, then properly fix it. DO NOT weld it on. Drill, easy out, tap it, new hardware. Easy peasy.  

[Kane4sythe]

2 minutes ago, Stanley said:

 

Take the whole thing off, get some more tools, cause who doesn't like tools, then properly fix it. DO NOT weld it on. Drill, easy out, tap it, new hardware. Easy peasy.  

 

So obviously not having a sway bar isn’t thaaat unsafe, since like you said you’ve had yours off for a year. Being a highschool student I’m just looking for a temporary fix for this, since my plans are to get a nicer sway bar later on. Would it be okay to just fix this one and worry about the others when the time comes?

Okay, so don’t worry guys I won’t weld it. My plans are to get this broken piece out my anymeans possible, using a combination of all of the methods suggested and try not to damage the threads, then just get a new bolt and fix her up. If this doesn’t work, is it okay to just drive around with one side supported and one not? I’m really not worried about the sway bar falling off, the other bushing is holding up well. As @Stanley said, he’s been driving around without one for a year so unlike some have suggested, can just having one bushing off be that big of a deal? Surely even though the sway bar is not working to its full ability in this state, is a little support better than none?

[Stanley]

Just take them both off and try it out! 

Its "safe"... anti sway bars do just what the name of them are. They keep you from swaying left or right aka body roll. I have towed heavy loads with them off, I have hauled heavy loads on the flatbed. You will be fine. Save up and rebuild them both when you get cash and slap them back on. 

[dripley]

My front one has been off for a year and a half. No big deal. Rear one is still on.

[Kane4sythe]

6 minutes ago, Stanley said:

ts "safe"... anti sway bars do just what the name of them are. They keep you from swaying left or right aka body roll. I have towed heavy loads with them off, I have hauled heavy loads on the flatbed. You will be fine. Save up and rebuild them both when you get cash and slap them back on. 

Stanley, going through the headache of taking them both off seems like more work than just fixing the one? if I roll my truck it’s your fault! Haha

2 minutes ago, dripley said:

 

My front one has been off for a year and a half. No big deal. Rear one is still on.

 

Alright I was all worried about it, well thank you guys for the help. It’s not like I’m going to be going around a turn at 100 mph but I also don’t want to have to worry about something happening if I need to swerve out of the way for a free branch or something

[Russ Roth]

3 hours ago, Kane4sythe said:

How will candle wax get sucked into the threads? Just naturally?

 

 

Pretty much although I am not sure if it will travel as soldering copper pipe will.  Might have to get it from both ends.  BTW, over the years there have been tons of rigs of all kinds with and without sway bars although generally better to have them, IMHO.

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Russ Roth

[Kane4sythe]

6 minutes ago, Russ Roth said:

Pretty much although I am not sure if it will travel as soldering copper pipe will.  Might have to get it from both ends

Well we’ll see. Some time between this week and next week something will be rigged up. Don’t know what yet but it will be something lol

[Marcus2000monster]

Like @dripley said your track bar is holding the axle so if you end up running without a sway bar for a while I think you will be ok. 

[Stanley]

11 hours ago, Kane4sythe said:

Stanley, going through the headache of taking them both off seems like more work than just fixing the one? if I roll my truck it’s your fault! Haha

Its not a race car, dont be trying an indy 500 lol... 

Taking it off will give you more room to work possibly, and you dont won't to leave it just hanging there... 

Plus if your upgrading, your gonna take it off anyway. It's not hard or time consuming to do it... 

Heck take it off clean it up. Paint it, make it look nice. 

@Russ Roth @Kane4sythe 

the wax would go into the threads via capillary action, as solder would. How ever I have never used this method before so I don't know its effectiveness...

 

I would dril it out with a left handed drill bit, then an appropriate sized "easy out" if that doesn't work add heat to the "surrounding" area, not the bolt and try easy out after adding heat. If that doesn't work, put a washer over the bolten a nut appropriately sized, weld nut to stub then try and remove, try heat if still difficult. Last resort progressively drill out bolt then remove chunks as u go. After any of these steps always chase the threads, or re tap them.