More preparing, Stabilizer bar.

Matt & Matt from T&M Fabrication (https://www.tmfabweld.ca/home) did an excellent job fabricating a mount for the stabilizer bar I designed. They also provided assistance where I made errors. Thank you so much for accommodating my last-minute requests!

The stabilizer bar from RED RAM PARTS (https://www.redramtruck.ca/) with the saddles for the frame was next.

New mounts for the stabilizer bar needed to be designed and manufactured because the original mounts could not be reused. Unfortunately, they were not suitable for reinstallation.

Additionally, new U-bolts had to be bent since the new stabilizer mounts would add an inch to the rear axle mount.

Finally mounted, I try to fit the stabilizer bar in between its mounting points. Remember the last blog? When one of the balloons exploded on me? Here is where I found out what the problem seemed to be.

The axle mount on the drivers side was more than an inch shifted to the inside. Even for me is 800 Kg axle and 3000 Kg rear of the truck a bit on the heavy side for me to move.

I made a wood block fit in between the axle mounts and the hydraulic jack

and started to pump the axle mount outwards until the stabilizer bar would fit its new mounts.

The saddles for the frame were mounted on the proper position...

We discovered that the supports for the stabilizer bar to the frame saddles were too short. This caused the stabilizer bar to collide with and damage or crush the bottom airspring mounts during operation.

This is the position where the stabilizer bar would do no damage.

Back to T&M Fabrication (https://www.tmfabweld.ca/home) and made the stabilizer bar supports longer.

The supports appeared excessively long, and indeed, they ended up being too long.

Since we had no time remaining for the upcoming trip, we had to proceed with it and address the issue upon our return.

The upcoming trip would primarily involve traveling on hard paved roads, where we didn't anticipate any issues with the stabilizer bar supports being too close to the road.

See you next blog!