Sway bar link length differences

[gogmorgo]

Weird thing I noticed recently. Looking at parts listings I noticed two lengths of sway bar end link. 7.25" and 8.25" are available. I would have assumed this was 2wd vs 4wd, but in '91 there's a date split, up to 5/20/91 uses the short and after uses the longer one.

Does anyone know what changed? Looks like the sway bar didn't, and I have a hard time imagining the body mount point moving. So I guess that leaves the brackets on the axle?

[Mark Serva]

Not to steal your thread, yet I just got some of the longer ones which are too long--especially as I lowered my anti-sway bar to accomodate yet another part, a radiator, that didn't quite fit. I suspect alot of part houses are pushing the envelope on dimensions and such know we old Jeepers are getting too many parts NLA (no longer available). 

Not to steal your thread, yet does anybody have a source for shorter links, maybe about 5.25 inches? I have a 1 wheel drive Comanche that only goes off road on gravel yet am thinking of just deleting my front sway bar all together. I drive like an old lady so it doesn't matter much to me. At least until I have to avoid some puke who cuts me off on the highway. 

 

Any thoughts for On-Roaders as to deleting a front anti sway or anti roll bar?

 

Thanks!

[gogmorgo]

Gravel sounds a lot like a road to me. I’ve even seen it referred to as pavement. Tt’s just very small paving stones.
But I appreciate the thread bump I guess. Was just wondering when it might be appropriate to do my own bump. 

I don’t have much info on a potential shorter link. I don’t know if there’s any sort of real database on lengths anywhere. It would be nice to be able to go walk around a junk yard and measure stuff to find something but there aren’t any yards nearby to me that’ll let a guy in to do that anymore.

I’ve seen references to ZJ or TJ links being longer. But I’m not sure about that, and that won’t help you much.

 

And for what its worth I’ve got a Napa 18162 that I got for my ZJ. Napa says it’s 8-1/4” but according to my tape measure what they’re measuring is the bottom of the bushing sleeve to the end of the threaded portion, which seems incorrect for a measurement of a suspension link.

 

And while I was on their site anyhow, Napa quotes TJ links at 9.46”, and ‘97 ZJ links at only 7.55”. The 18162 is only listed for ‘93 to ‘95 ZJs I guess. 
 

After having driven my stock height MJ on the road with broken sway bar links I don’t think I would ever do it on purpose. Felt like a stiff crosswind was enough to tip it over. 
It is possible to engineer your suspension in a way that it doesn’t overly need a sway bar. Something about the relationship between roll centre and centre of mass. I don’t know enough about it but I suspect it would take more than a little work. Easier to make some custom sway bar links IMO.

Which I think is what I’ll end up doing for my lift. It’s easy enough to add or remove a chunk of rod in the middle of it. But to a later link with a ball joint in it I think, not to the originals.

[pizzaman09]

Having driven multiple vehicles with broken sway bars that were supposed to have them, I'd definitely fix your sway bar.  It can be downright scary sometimes how much lean you get in an unexpected turn.