Making Some Sway Bars

[BillyCorgi]

The Plan
Hi there,
One of the cars in the Family (my 'bus) is a Liberty (Legacy) BP Spec-B Wagon with the 3.0R engine and 6 speed box.

I am planning to make a new set of (larger) sway bars for the unit and have purchased some 2nd hand units of ebay to use as the design guide and picked up the 4140 HSLAS Cro-Moly bar from the steel supplies last month. I also have organised the Heat Treat Shop with a large enough furnace. All the pre-requisites are sorted.

My intention is to anneal the ends of the bars and with appropriate pre-heating and low hydrogen electrodes is to weld on the sway bar adjusting brackets on the end of the bars rather than spend hours trying to emulate a blacksmith? It is figured that fabricated end brackets it will be easier to jig them into the correct geometric position than trying to spot the holes into the end of some bashed and flattened bar.

What I was looking for was some comments from some of the very experienced contributors regarding my project. I plan to photograph and document the process to share on the forum.

The "making" has started
Well, the sway bar manufacturing process has started.
The first job after picking up the 4140 steel bar was to create a bending jig. With the "stuff' one accumulates in the garage a bending jig was fabricated. The RawBar picture shows a piece of virgin bar sitting in-situ in the bending jig on the garage floor. This bar is destined for the front sway bar.

With the bending jig fixed in the vice and with a handy oxy torch, the bar was heated to allow it to be bent into the appropriate many bends. The BentBar picture shows the freshly bent rear bar against an original rear bar that was used as a template guide. The end brackets are only just tacked welded at the moment. The bar will be trail fitted into the rear of the Liberty (Legacy) wagon this coming weekend before the final welding of the brackets to the ends of the bar.

The EndsOfBar picture shows the adjustable ends of the bar for connection to the sway bar links on the car.

The existing rear bar on the 3.0R Spec B Wagon is 19mm and it is moving up to 22mm adjustable.
The existing front bar is 21mm and it will also go up to 22mm adjustable.

All being well, the trial fit will go well and then I can commence on the more complex front bar.

[imania]

Interesting project, be curious to see how the cost of these turn out vs. just buying them.

With all the oxy heating and bends are you a little worried about stress relief during annealing warping the bar?

Also it sounds like you've got reasonable (sorry if that term is inadequate) metallurgical knowledge but i'd also be wary of the heat effected zones from the welds at the ends leading to a brittle cyclic failure

[senator]

Nice work…… hats off to the well thought out development and execution

Fabricating the bar is the easy part, another issue you’ll need to address is the correct surface finish to the bar to ensure the rubber bushes grips the bar enough to stop sideways movements. The side way movements is the reason why a lot of sways bar knock and damage end links……. Using grease to lubricate the bushes attracts dirt and will slowly hone away at the bar… I’ve seen this happening to a few cars including my own.

[Smithy]

Very interesting, keen to see updates!

[BillyCorgi]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I will address some of the questions and points raised.....
Present cost is $100.00 + gst for the raw bar and quote of $50.00 + gst each for the Heat Treatment.
Oxy is a foreign order and the brackets and other metals are off the garage floor.
Total cost for the pair is present $200 + gst.
I could probably buy a set for $550.00, but think of the learning I would miss out on.

Yeah, I have a bit of metallurgical knowledge, enough anyway.
Welding with preheat and the right rods, plus post weld annealing and then the final harden and temper should address the heat affected area at the brackets.
(Or at least that is the plan)

The 4140 bar was "peeled" bar, so effectively it is bright smooth finish. I have been careful to protect the area where the rubber bushes mount.
I am making a set of 22mm ID split bushes to clamp to the bar either side of the mounting rubbers to control sideways movement.
Maybe, I should show these in the final installed photos?

Anyway, next step is the trial install into Robbie the 3.0R-B on Saturday. More photos then.

[DownUnder]

Are you using a mandrel for your bends? They seem to be relatively consistent in diameter. Also have you thought about fracture strength for the area the weld attaches to? Even with annealing and heat treating the welds could pull out of the bar due to cyclic loading and possible surface defects created by the weld... Awesome project though. Good luck!

[BillyCorgi]

First the update, then answer the questions.

The trial fit went down today.
Up went the back end of the car and two axle stands under the rear suspension arms to keep the suspension at ride height. The trolley jack was left under the diff for back-up.
The right muffler war removed so the old bar and new bar could be removed/replaced.

The picture "Rear of Car" shows the original 19mm sway bar removed and the prototype 22mm unit lying behind Robbie the 3.0R-B.

Rear of Car.jpg (109.45 KiB) Viewed 8145 times

The next picture "Under Car" shows the new bar now in position with the links connected to both left and right sides.

Under Car.jpg (137.81 KiB) Viewed 8145 times

The last picture "Under Car Right Side" shows the adjustable links and the sway bar link connected.

Under Car Right Side.jpg (102.43 KiB) Viewed 8145 times

As the bar has been made adjustable, the new bar fits better with a 6mm packing placed under the mounting rubber clamps.

After these shots were taken Grand Dad's Primus Blowlamp was fired up to preheat the ends of the bar and finish welding the brackets. The welds were given a good post weld stress relieving heat treatment. Here it is after welding and dressing.

Welded & Dressed.jpg (123.56 KiB) Viewed 8145 times

The original Spec-B Wagon rear bar is 19mm diameter, but it is tube (hollow)??. The new 22mm solid bar should be much stiffer.
Now it is time to put it aside for heat treatment works and start thinking about the front bar.

The jig in the earlier post was used for bending the bar. No mandrel as such was used. Just careful placement of the oxy torch in the right area and compressing the bar length shorter while bending the bar. this kept the volume of material in the bend volume rather than stretching and thinning the bar. Even with the bar bright red hot, a good degree of force was required to bend the bar.
More updates later.

[sheppo9]

Are you going to make any sub-frame reinforcement too? Like the AVO one's? http://www.avoturboworld.com/index.php? ... &Itemid=55 - there is different size's (where the 'D' bracket bolts on).

How much did the sway bar end up costing in just materials alone?

[jakey]

There is a thread I made with the measurements and design for mounting brackets, I'll have to find it

[BillyCorgi]

Hi sheppo9
Thanks for the link.
Those brackets looked a little flimsy when I was looking under the car today. They look like they could use a bit more ridgidity.
There is enough information on the link to design a set. And I even get the 6mm spacers thrown in!
I can see that is on my project list!

If jakey can locate the link for the bracket design then even better!

So far the material cost is $100.00+gst.
The harden and temper will add another $100.00+gst.
That will be for front & rear.

[jakey]

Start here: http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21201&hilit=Sway+bar+mount&start=30 and read through to the end of thread, skip the junk. You'll find the measurements on the Page that link takes you too.

[DownUnder]

Ahhh didn't realise you were using solid bar. Looks like it'll turn out sweet!

[BillyCorgi]

Time for an update.
Pictures to follow soon.

I have started the front bar after finding out the donor bar being used as a model is off a turbo and the bars are different between the 3.0R and Turbos in the area of the exhaust headers. So, with some skilful measurements, the front bar has been started and is presently roughed out, awaiting some alignment bending. Christmas vacation project!

Early December I had to go O/S for business, so I left the rear bar with heat treatment works and had the bar hardened and tempered.
Picked it up when I got back.
The bar has been painted and I made some stiffening brackets for the rear mounts. Thanks to sheppo9 and jakey for the links. I did not make them exactly the same but the design intent is there.
I also made some split collars out of aluminium bar to clamp to the sway bar next to the mounting rubbers to keep the bar central in its mounts.

Today I installed the rear bar onto the car.
Everything went well and I am pleased with the clearance to the underbody. Quite good considering it was bent by hand force by eye and only a tape measure and 1 meter rule as a guide.
Took Robbie the 3.0R-B for a spin with the new rear bar.
Three letters may only be used to describe it.....
OMG

The original bar was 19mm and was a hollow tube.
The Whiteline bar offering is 20mm so I decided to go to 22mm and use triple adjuster points, You may see from the earlier photos.
The bar has been installed in the middle setting which is the straight 22mm setting.
So I still have one more stiffer setting up my sleeve.
The front end now points cleaner, points more firmly and more direct.
BIG DIFFERENCE

I will post some installed photos before next week end.

[BillyCorgi]

Pictures time.
Here are some photographs taken from under the car just now

Right Side Installed 1.jpg is an view with the RHS rear wheel removed looking in at the end of the sway bar and the stiffening bracket on the bodywork.
Right Side Installed 2.jpg is another view of the same
Right Side Installed 3.jpg is an view from the centre of the car showing mounting bracket stiffener and the link attached.
Right Side with Collar.jpg is a view from the inside showing the aluminium collar fitted.
Centre Installed is a view under the car.
Left Side with Coller is a view of the LHS mounting point and the Collar.

Now, off to do the Front Bar over the vacation.

[Boostaddict]

Farking nice work.

Wish i had the tools, patients and knowledge that you have to do this.

Thought about doing a liberty forum run on these for fellow members ??