Sway-bar question?

[brokenarrow184]

Please help the mechanically challenged...

I had an exhaust leak fixed last week and while it was up on the lift, I noticed that the driver's side of the rear sway-bar was completely un-bolted, bolts are long gone! I want to run to the hardware store and get 2 new nuts for it but I have no idea what to look for. I will have to remove the nuts from the other side and take them into the store and say, "I need 2 more of these"! Anyone know off the top off their head what size and thread they are?:dontknow:

Please leave out the "new nuts for my truck" jokes! We all already know these trucks have major nuts!!!

 

[NightRunner385]

It's unlikely that anyone is going to have the exact bolt diameters and thread pitch memorized (I could be wrong--and major respect to anyone that walks around with that info filed away in their head). So your best course of action is probably to take the fasteners off of the other side and take them down to the hardware store to find a match. You are probably going to want to get some hardware that is going to be strong enough to handle the strain that suspension pieces go through. So I would be looking for "grade 8" strength hardware. It might be overkill for sway bar links, but I operate under the idea of "fix it once, fix it right." If you use the fasteners from the good side as a guide you should be able to "guess and check" your way to the correct size fairly quickly using the labeled bins at the hardware store. If you think that the fasteners are missing because they came loose and fell off, then pick up a little Loctite (a liquid compound that keeps fasteners from backing off and coming apart) while you're at the store and put it on the threads when you reassemble. I hope this helps.

 

[brokenarrow184]

I figured thats what I might have to do! No biggie, I'll get to work on it next week (work sucks)!

Thanks for the help!

 

[DevilDawg3097]

Don't use anything less than a grade 8 bolt .

 

[brokenarrow184]

Don't use anything less than a grade 8 bolt .

Fo Sho!:top:

 

[eddie102870]

contact dragon he can get you some if all else fails.

 

[brokenarrow184]

Well, I got under the truck and removed the remaining bolts, went to the store and got some new ones.

Once I started to hook everything up, I realized that the missing bolts had not come loose, the damn arm that the sway bar connects too had broken in half!! There is still a lot of thread left on it but Im still thinking Im going to have to order a replacement.

Anybody have a part number or know where would be the best place to get one. i can get a pic if needed..