Panhard bar!!!! Anyone know?

[Thebesta94]

Good evenining yall,

So... my tahoe is lifted 9 inches... when the kit was installed we used the original stock panhard bar (like track bar but hold back axel in allignment) which led to us having to use a drop bracket in order to connect... i have now snapped my second bracket and have been looking for an adjustable panhard bar to mount directly to framewith no avail.

I have found them for 4-6" lifts but nothing past that.

Anyone else had this issue? Have a tahoe lifted over 6" with a bar that fits?

Should i just buy a new bracket and weld steel plate to enforce where it keeps breaking?

Need to solve as everytine i turn a corner back end sways and every bump feels like i could loose entire back end or spring coil could pop out

Thanks

Pics to come...

 

[iamdub]

Hole E scrap. Please take turns VERY slowly if you have to drive and pray you don't have to make any sudden maneuvers. Your shocks and trailing arm bushings are the only lateral support and that's virtually nothing.

As you've tried already, the most ideal would be to extend the frame mount down to minimize the angle of the bar. If you could extend it at least 3", that standard 4"-6" adjustable bar would fit because it would be like you only have 6" of lift. I'd aim for more than a 3" extended bracket, though. If the first one(s) failed, then they're not strong enough. Them breaking should tell you the amount of lateral forces it's under and that with it not connected, those forces are unrestrained which is dangerous. The next option, since you have to fabricate one way or another, would be to make your own bar or lengthen one half of an existing, pre-made bar. This would "connect the dots", but the bar would still be at quite an angle and you may feel the body sway laterally a little as the suspension cycles on bigger humps/dips.

 

[Thebesta94]

See pics below

 

[Doubeleive]

Ya, I would say buy one of the 4-6 ones, cut it and weld a extension on it

 

[iamdub]

See pics below

View attachment 228775 View attachment 228776

I can't believe you have a stock panhard with that amount of lift. That bracket is constantly under stress even when parked. Just having a longer bar would relieve a lot of it.

It's hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like a bolt-in extension with the back side welded (which broke). Is that what it is/what happened? You need a longer/adjustable bar and to fabricate a full bracket to weld to the bottom and side(s) of the frame. It'll look obnoxiously large, but it'll be stable and safe. You're tempting fate driving it as-is.


This reminded me of a similar mod I did on an XJ I used to have (and miss dearly!). I converted the track bar (same function as a panhard) to a longer, stronger and adjustable one with bushed ends. This was done to provide adjustability for a lift as well as reinforce a major weak link in the system that allowed Death Wobble. Death Wobble isn't a concern for our rigs, but the lateral support is still extremely important and the forces are similar.

The factory bar had a ball stud ("tie rod") end. I sliced off the bottom of the frame bracket and replaced it with boxed tabs made from 1/4" thick tubing. Maybe these pics could give you an idea for your panhard mount?


Factory ball stud design:




Ball stud shaved off and mock-up of tubing, drilled and cut:




Welded up with reinforcing "spine". New track bar can be seen on the ground:




Painted and bolted into place:

 

[Thebesta94]

That looks awesome and well done.

Have a guy coming tomorrow to look at it and fabricate a custome drop bracket that will be much more suitable.

Ill upload pics

 

[iamdub]

That looks awesome and well done.

Have a guy coming tomorrow to look at it and fabricate a custome drop bracket that will be much more suitable.

Ill upload pics

Glad you're not wasting time on this! And thank you. My intent was not to show off, but to maybe give you (or your fabricator) an idea. Skirt depth, width and metal thickness are your primary factors in this situation. I don't recall how the frame is in that area, but it may need some boxing or some sort of reinforcing. Such a long bracket will create quite a torque arm on the frame.

 

[01Konvict]

Get a axle mount bracket from fabtech and spoon adjustable bar. That should fix all the issues

 

[1lowhoe04]

See pics below

View attachment 228775 View attachment 228776

Hay man them fox shocks are upside down. Foxes are designed for the body to be up top and shaft down.

 

[dirtedreamer]

Hay man them fox shocks are upside down. Foxes are designed for the body to be up top and shaft down.

actually it doesnt matter as the have a reservoir and a floating piston inside upside down compression is still compression and rebound stroke is rebound