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Disconnecting your sway bars is a relatively cheap way to both gain suspension articulation and ride comfort off road. Sway bars (more properly called "anti-roll" bars) are basically large springs that connect to both ends of a given axle, and also are attached to the frame for leverage. The basic job of the sway bar is to keep the body from rolling relative to the suspension, or looking at it another way, keep both sides of the suspension at the same plane, parallel to the body.
While this is a good thing on the street, it is exactly what you don't want your suspension doing off-road. It means that every time one wheel of your rig climbs a rock or bump, the sway bar is going to try and force the body level with the new angle of the suspension. This causes the body to lurch back and forth much more aggressively than is warranted, and also takes some of the "independent" out of the IFS.
With the sway bar out of the picture, we see multiple benefits off road. Each wheel can move independently, without unduly forcing the body to follow. This means the body does a lot less of that lurching back and forth, which otherwise can get quite tiring after a full day on the trail. Individual wheels can articulate more freely since they don't have to fight the resistance of the sway bar, moving both easier and farther than before, improving traction by keeping the wheels in contact with the ground more easily. And you don't risk snapping a sway bar link, or the sway bar itself, during violent movements.
So how to disconnect the sway bar? At present, no commercial entity offers disconnects for Isuzus. Planet member Hatfield has offered kits in the past, not sure if he is still doing that. But it isn't all that difficult to make your own disconnects.
I have tried several configurations of disconnects over the years, and here is the design I have settled on for a set of front disconnects. You will need:
Qty 4: McMaster-Carr #6058K34 Ball Joint Linkage Quick-Disconnect, steel, 3/8"-24 Right-Hand Thread (you can also get the same in stainless for about double the price)
2 lengths of sturdy 3/8"-24 threaded rod, Grade 8 preferred (McMaster-Carr doesn't appear to carry 3/8"-24 in Grade 8, but I suspect the medium-duty #92580A109 would work just fine…fortunately if you break a sway bar link it won't prevent you from getting home). The exact length of the links is not super critical here, but the new links should be in the ballpark of the factory links for best clearance on all suspension components. What is critical is that both links must be the same length for proper operation when connected.
You will also need to source 4 nuts to serve as jamb nuts on the threaded rod, and 4 more nuts and washers to mount the ball studs on the lower control arms and sway bar ends.
What this kit will give you is a sway bar link that can be removed entirely, rather than leaving one end attached to the sway bar as is typical (then you just bungee one side of the sway bar to a shock tower). This means you don't have to mess with strapping the link back to the sway bar to keep it out of the way, which is something of a PITA. And if you have the uprated Calmini sway bars like I do, the additional thickness of the bars makes it really difficult to get the link flat and out of the way against the bar.
Keep in mind this is a design for an off-road truck, my Trooper is not a DD and I am much less concerned about any noise from a loose link end than some folks might be - not that I've heard any noise, but my truck is fairly noisy as it is.
For the rear sway bars, you can use the same design (just note that the links need to be longer), or use a permanent attachment to the sway bar such as M-C #6058K28. I have found this works well in the rear, as it is easy to strap the link back to the sway bar since it is straight.
There are other choices out there too, for example you can use connectors other than the ball-and-socket I used (browse through the McMaster-Carr catalog for a while, it's fun if you are into this sort of thing). In fact I encourage others to post their designs here, mine is not the only or necessarily best way to go.
And before you ask, I don't have pictures yet. I just typed this up on the fly and it is 15F degrees right now so I don't feel like lying under the Trooper taking pictures. But I will try to remedy this soon.
While I labeled this as for 2nd gen Troopers, it is entirely possible this design might work on other Isuzus too... I am pretty sure that first gen Troopers use different type of links, though, and I don't know what Rodeos/Amigos have.
While this is a good thing on the street, it is exactly what you don't want your suspension doing off-road. It means that every time one wheel of your rig climbs a rock or bump, the sway bar is going to try and force the body level with the new angle of the suspension. This causes the body to lurch back and forth much more aggressively than is warranted, and also takes some of the "independent" out of the IFS.
With the sway bar out of the picture, we see multiple benefits off road. Each wheel can move independently, without unduly forcing the body to follow. This means the body does a lot less of that lurching back and forth, which otherwise can get quite tiring after a full day on the trail. Individual wheels can articulate more freely since they don't have to fight the resistance of the sway bar, moving both easier and farther than before, improving traction by keeping the wheels in contact with the ground more easily. And you don't risk snapping a sway bar link, or the sway bar itself, during violent movements.
So how to disconnect the sway bar? At present, no commercial entity offers disconnects for Isuzus. Planet member Hatfield has offered kits in the past, not sure if he is still doing that. But it isn't all that difficult to make your own disconnects.
I have tried several configurations of disconnects over the years, and here is the design I have settled on for a set of front disconnects. You will need:
Qty 4: McMaster-Carr #6058K34 Ball Joint Linkage Quick-Disconnect, steel, 3/8"-24 Right-Hand Thread (you can also get the same in stainless for about double the price)
2 lengths of sturdy 3/8"-24 threaded rod, Grade 8 preferred (McMaster-Carr doesn't appear to carry 3/8"-24 in Grade 8, but I suspect the medium-duty #92580A109 would work just fine…fortunately if you break a sway bar link it won't prevent you from getting home). The exact length of the links is not super critical here, but the new links should be in the ballpark of the factory links for best clearance on all suspension components. What is critical is that both links must be the same length for proper operation when connected.
You will also need to source 4 nuts to serve as jamb nuts on the threaded rod, and 4 more nuts and washers to mount the ball studs on the lower control arms and sway bar ends.
What this kit will give you is a sway bar link that can be removed entirely, rather than leaving one end attached to the sway bar as is typical (then you just bungee one side of the sway bar to a shock tower). This means you don't have to mess with strapping the link back to the sway bar to keep it out of the way, which is something of a PITA. And if you have the uprated Calmini sway bars like I do, the additional thickness of the bars makes it really difficult to get the link flat and out of the way against the bar.
Keep in mind this is a design for an off-road truck, my Trooper is not a DD and I am much less concerned about any noise from a loose link end than some folks might be - not that I've heard any noise, but my truck is fairly noisy as it is.
For the rear sway bars, you can use the same design (just note that the links need to be longer), or use a permanent attachment to the sway bar such as M-C #6058K28. I have found this works well in the rear, as it is easy to strap the link back to the sway bar since it is straight.
There are other choices out there too, for example you can use connectors other than the ball-and-socket I used (browse through the McMaster-Carr catalog for a while, it's fun if you are into this sort of thing). In fact I encourage others to post their designs here, mine is not the only or necessarily best way to go.
And before you ask, I don't have pictures yet. I just typed this up on the fly and it is 15F degrees right now so I don't feel like lying under the Trooper taking pictures. But I will try to remedy this soon.
While I labeled this as for 2nd gen Troopers, it is entirely possible this design might work on other Isuzus too... I am pretty sure that first gen Troopers use different type of links, though, and I don't know what Rodeos/Amigos have.
