Custom Quick Disconnect Swaybars: 1998 Land Rover Discovery (Skill Level 3)

By Rob Liflander

This is a fairly simple modification that requires knowledge of the tricks required to pull it off. Essentially, this is a replacement of the stock sway bar bolts that hold the swaybar to the axle with universal hitch pins and cotter pins. Pretty simple. This modification makes quick disconnects for all four swaybars.

Tools and Materials:

• Assorted Wrenches
• High Lift Jack or Other Jack to Lift the Body
• 4 - Pipe Fittings with Inner Diameter of 5/8" and Outer Diameter of 3/4"
• 4 - 5/8" Universal Hitch Pin
• 4 - Cotter Pins that Fit Through the Hitch Pin
• 4 - Washers that Fit Around The Hitch Pin

Here are the tricks.

1. The area around the front suspension is kind of tight, and it took some muscle (not in great supply, I might add!) to wrestle the locking nuts off of the bolts, and then to get the bolts out of the knuckle. This was compounded by the fact that the front sway bar wasn't exactly even. With the truck sitting on level ground, the sway bar ends were actually about 1/3" off target with the axle connecting points. So I just whipped out the trusty hi-lift and jacked up one side of the front bumper to even things out.

2. The other issue is that the hole in the sway bar end is 3/4" and the hole in the axle attachment point is 5/8". The answer? Use a 5/8" universal hitch pin and slide a length of copper pipe with outside diameter 3/4 and I.D. 5/8 around the hitch pin. This makes it fit snugly in both the sway bar and the axle connection point.