sway bars for 73 CJ-5

[gtocj5]

I have a 73 CJ5 that is set up for crawlin and trails. I am new to this so I need help here. I drive this Jeep from home appx 30-60 miles to get to trails etc. Took it camping last week end and fully loaded I had alot of body roll side to side on the paved road in twisties. The Jeep has no sway bars front or rear. Can these be added to add stability on these twist roads at 40-60 mph? I am very happy with this Jeep but need to improve highway manners. Jeep is running 33's with a 4" lift.
Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks ,
Mike
GTOCJ5

 

[gtocj5]

No comments or suggestions? Can anti roll sway bars be added with quick disconnects on a 73 CJ5 ?

 

[Torxhead]

Yes they can, not sure exactly how though. Possibly from a narrow track pre '81 CJ7 or any CJ5 .

 

[johnbilt]

I have a 73 CJ5 also. I am not aware of any anti-sway bars for this model. Most guys don't want them in terms of off-road usage. They do drive a bit like a tractor. I have a locker in mine which adds to the understeer, until the locker ratchets for a sudden oversteer moment. Gotta love it.

However, I have run a similar lift and tires for many years and found it ok. I have found the Rancho 5000 shocks and tapered springs provide a good ride. The heavy duty "super duty nitrogen butt buster" shocks are too heavy for a CJ. You may try the newer 9000 series that you can adjust.

Of course, you want to be sure the spring bushings, tie rods, etc are all in good shape. It may be useful to experiment with tire pressures. Generally I run a firm tire on the street and drop the pressure for off-road.

I hope you can find a happy medium. John

 

[tarry99]

I have a 73 CJ5 that is set up for crawlin and trails. I am new to this so I need help here. I drive this Jeep from home appx 30-60 miles to get to trails etc. Took it camping last week end and fully loaded I had alot of body roll side to side on the paved road in twisties. The Jeep has no sway bars front or rear. Can these be added to add stability on these twist roads at 40-60 mph? I am very happy with this Jeep but need to improve highway manners. Jeep is running 33's with a 4" lift.
Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks ,
Mike
GTOCJ5

Yes , you can use any narrow track sway bar off of any narrow track CJ Dana 30 axle up to I believe 1983 or whenever they went Wide track. All those frame widths were I believe 28" The trick may be the mounts as frame changes in that area may effect the donors stock mounts working on your 73..........I used a 1983 1" CJ sway bar on my 65 CJ5 and just built the frame mounts. Why did I add one? Because I have a long leave suspension on my old CJ and the road manners are at best terrible while driving at any speed. With a good disconnect like the JKS "Quicker" model that has ball joints in the disconnect links along with tapered stainless pins makes it very easy to connect or disconnect regardless of level ground.
You will also find that you will have to weld the bracket on your axle that attaches to the bottom end of the link. Watch E-Bay usually get complete assembly used for $75 bucks.............No big deal and works well.

 

[jasonmark1993]

If it feels ok unloaded I would suspect that is the problem.

Anytime you load a vehicle it can act like that.