APEX AUTOLYNK Sway bar 'disconnects' on a FSJ. (a write up)

[will e]

There is a company that makes a cool sway bar 'disconnect'. It doesn't actually disconnect them but when 'engaged' allows the links to operate independently. https://www.apexdesignsusa.com/products ... disconnect

They are expensive. Mom bought me a set for my birthday. She told me to come up with something expensive because I saved her $4000 on a pool pump replacement and another $450 on ceiling fan installations.

They are not made for our jeeps. They are made for JK's and JL's and so, as you would expect, they didn't just bolt on.

The main issue is the top bracket has a stud. It's so long that installed it would have hit the frame. Mounting it with the stud out was no good either. There really isn't much clearance between the sway bar and frame on our jeeps.

My first inclination was to find a sway bar a bit wider than our stock. The problem is there is very little information on sway bar sizes. Some folks measured JK sway bars for me, they were not wide enough. I searched around and didn't find anything that would work.

My second inclination was to over engineer a solution. This is something I do. Mom said go with your strengths.
I found some tie rod ends for various polaris rigs. I even ordered them but found out the hole was too small.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQV34FZ?re ... tails&th=1

Then it hit me. The current links have a couple of hiem joints. They are pretty beefy.

20230930_150115.jpg

What if I just attach one to the sway bar and then put the stud from the new sway bar link through it?

It was still a tight fit so I ordered some 1/2" cap bolts and came up with this:

20230930_112323.jpg

The hiem joint stuck out far enough that I could mount the new links to it and the way the mounting works, they end up almost where the original links were. On my modified rig there are not issues with clearance.

20230930_145027.jpg

It is pretty straight. I don't think I will have issues with binding.

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I didn't get to test drive it today. I will tomorrow. I do a lot of wheeling and disconnecting the sway bar was a PITA. Okay, actually RECONNECTING the sway bar was a PITA. So often times I didn't bother. Now I can just turn the knobs and be done with it. I'll post up after I take it off road again.

[Stuka]

Ahh, so this is why you were looking for a wider sway bar.

I have not witnessed these in use in person, so will be curious how they work out for you. My JK has an electronic sway bar disconnect. But it reconnects at 18mph. But dirt roads are so much smoother with it disconnected.

[will e]

Ahh, so this is why you were looking for a wider sway bar.

I have not witnessed these in use in person, so will be curious how they work out for you. My JK has an electronic sway bar disconnect. But it reconnects at 18mph. But dirt roads are so much smoother with it disconnected.

Yep, I was very hopeful that the JK/JL would work but they are no wider and the ends are a couple of inches longer which puts there right where the shocks are.

A couple of local guys have them on their wranglers and really like them. There is another guy with some pretty awesome articulation who tried them but it limited his articulation. My rig is still leaf springs so these won't limit my overall limited articulation.

The electronic JK/JL system is sweet but, as you mentioned, it turns off above certain speeds. IMHO this should be much higher if the Jeep is in lo range. There are some folks who make a system that replaces the electric with a 'manual' system. I don't know if you've ever looked into it.

[Stuka]

The electronic JK/JL system is sweet but, as you mentioned, it turns off above certain speeds. IMHO this should be much higher if the Jeep is in lo range. There are some folks who make a system that replaces the electric with a 'manual' system. I don't know if you've ever looked into it.

Its on my list of things to do. Via something like an sPod or Switch Pros, you can tie into the relays for both lockers and the sway bar disco. So you can turn them on/off whenever you want. Including having say, only the front locker on. Or having the rear on in 2wd. Or letting me drive down forest roads at more than 18mph

[Yeller]

Nice upgrade will e! I’ve known of this product for sometime but have not seen anyone actually use it.

A manual switch of some sort would be nice. For the JK/JL you can buy a programmer that allows you to raise the reconnect speed, change tire monitor pressures, leave lockers on at higher speeds, use them in 2wd, recalibrate speedometer, etc. that’s just a sample of what can be done with it. Have a “techy” friend with one on his JL, really cut back his frustration with some of the Nanny’s. It doesn’t let you turn the TPMS down low enough to run aired down enough to suit me but he’s happy.

[will e]

It's been a couple of weeks. I've had some road time and a decent trail ride. So far so good. They've been fine both on road and off road. I get a little bit of 'clicking' from the heim joints but not distractive. I heard it more on the road than off road and, on the road, I have the stereo playing.

Next outing I will try to get some pics of them 'in action'.