Cherokee rear anti-sway bar removal

My first project was to permanently remove the rear anti-sway bar. After reading a lot about modifications others had done to their XJs, it became apparent that the rear anti-sway bar was the first change owners made. Most drivers are looking for maximum articulation from their vehicles, and the anti-sway bars--both front and rear--prevent just that. Removing the bar improves rear axle articulation dramatically... for no cost. I was advised that removing it would have little effect on the handling characteristics of the car. (Compared to the Boxster, the Cherokee is super-squirrelly anyway.)

It's easier to remove the bar if the car is off its wheels, so I called my friend Dan. He has a floor jack and adjustable jack stands and he's generous with his equipment to responsible borrowers. I slid the jack under the rear differential, pumped away, then positioned the stands under the axle. I removed the wheels with the standard Cherokee nut-remover-thingy (see my rant on the now-replaced insanely lame wheel nuts).

The anti-sway bar is held in place by four rubber-cushioned mounts, two on each side of the XJ. One is attached to the bar end via a connecting rod on top of the leaf spring at the axle junction. The other mount is a U-shaped bracket attached to the body at the unibody frame.

I removed the 18mm nut and bolt that secures the outer connecting rod, both right and left, and slid the rod assembly off the end of the anti-sway bar. Next, I removed the 15mm bolts that attach the U-shaped bracket, both right and left. A little muscle will separate the metal U-shaped bracket from the rubber bushing, then the already-split bushing will come off the bar.

With all four mounts removed, the sway bar is free. There's a lot of stuff, cables, etc., under the Cherokee, so the bar is tricky to remove. Fortunately, my brain is enormous. Sitting on the driver's side with the wheel/tire as my seat (see what I mean about the enormous brain?), I pushed the bar toward the other side enough for the bar to clear the leaf spring and hand brake line and drop to the ground. Once the bar is clear of the driver's side obstacles, the other side comes out easily.

Someday, someone might want to restore the anti-sway bar to its original location, so I re-bolted the U-shaped brackets (and bushings) to the body. This will keep the parts from getting lost and prevent the bolt hole from getting filled with gunk.

Reattach the wheels and lower the car. Slide the connecting rods back onto the anti-sway bar (so they won't get lost) and put the bar in a dark corner of your garage where Mrs. He-Won't-Stop-Talking-About-His-Jeep-Cherokee won't trip over it.

Wash your hands. You're done.

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