How To: Installing PanHard Bar Drop Bracket

[Cable810]

Difficulty: Medium
Estimated Time: 1 to 2hours
Tools:
Drill
1/2" Drill bit
18mm Wrench and Socket
19mm Socket
21mm
24mm
15/16" Wrench and socket
7/8" Wrench or Socket
13/16" Wrench and Socket
a Jack and Stands

If you've installed your lift and or upgraded your rear axle this will be of ease for you.

First Remove the passenger rear tire.

Next unbolt the PanHard Bar from the right side of the axle.




Next follow the Cross Tube and unbolt it.



The reason to unbolt it is to you can get around this and drop the Cross Tube so it can mount in the new location.



After that's all done, partially install the Drop Bracket. By this I mean install the original panhard bar bolt with the Bracket so you can drill the hole. Like so. This is where you have to remove the tire so you have room to drill the hole.




Once you have drilled the hole insert the smaller both and tighten down. NOTE: I found that it was best that I assembled everything and tightened everything down at the same time.

Now install the Panhard bar 2 washers go on the outside and the other 2 go on the inside. The way Marks ships it to you its the exact way it needs to be installed. The only thing that is different is the Black Sleeve go over the Original PanHard Bar Bolt not the one Mark Sends.

Put the tire on and you've installed Marks PanHard Bar Drop Bracket!

[Cable810]

Stats Before and After.

Before:
Lift tire was Flush with Fender and Right tire was about 1/4" sticking out.

After:
Left side is sticking out 1/2" and the right side is flush with the fender.

So needless to say I got opposite results

[ErikSS]

I'm not sure how your tires got 1/4" wider after you installed the braket. lol I'd have to look up the numbers from when I installed mine, but I was happy with the affect.

[Cable810]

Moots is baffled as well. I do have to say this It got rid of the clunk from the rear end.

[darring70]

So, with that bracket I do not need to by the panhard bar from massive speed?

[Moots1288]

Do you have any pictures of the method you used to measure it? Just curious.

[Cable810]

I used a level pushed it flush against the tire.

[Moots1288]

ahh I did the same and a stick ruler... I just can't see how you got your measurements

[Cable810]

I did the same cause I asked you IDK either, Erik PM'd me and he said it could be cause I'm only lifted 2" in the rear Vs you 2 at 3"

[DustinC1989]

Sounds like you need more lift then

[Moots1288]

Sounds like you need more lift then

x2

[Cable810]

lol I plan on it.

[Lauron]

Caleb,

a few things to look for:
1. with Mark's 2" spacer, the panhard bar should be horizontal. If it is angled, one side of your suspension is high or low. See my install below.
2. You installed the bracket loose and then tightened things up. I tried to install the frame cross member to the lower bracket hole as it was thought to be much stronger than the upper hole, but I found I would have to force the frame mounts together to install it there. So when you tightened the drilled hole bolt, did it distort/bend anything?
3. You had right rear fender damage. A variable I recognized when I installed the 3" body lift is possible misalignment with the frame and the suspension. To be out by a 1/4" would be easy. So could your body have shifted on the body mounts? Collapsed or loose mounts may contribute to the offset.

To get a total of 3/4" change is not due to the the angle/mount position of the pan hard bar only.

Ron

[DustinC1989]

Mine isnt level and I'm still stock...

[Cable810]

Caleb,

a few things to look for:
1. with Mark's 2" spacer, the panhard bar should be horizontal. If it is angled, one side of your suspension is high or low. See my install below.
2. You installed the bracket loose and then tightened things up. Yes I tried to install the frame cross member to the lower bracket hole as it was thought to be much stronger than the upper hole, but I found I would have to force the frame mounts together to install it there. So when you tightened the drilled hole bolt, did it distort/bend anything? I don't think it did.

3. You had right rear fender damage. How do you know? As far as I know it wasn't involved in a accident. I looked the vin up and nothing. A variable I recognized when I installed the 3" body lift is possible misalignment with the frame and the suspension. To be out by a 1/4" would be easy. So could your body have shifted on the body mounts? Collapsed or loose mounts may contribute to the offset. I don't know. It looks like my left coil spring is starting to collapse.

To get a total of 3/4" change is not due to the angle/mount position of the pan hard bar only.

Ron

[Cable810]

UPDATE 5-11-2014

I unbolted the everything from the drop bracket and loosened up the bracket its self. I first installed the cross bar like so
I then tightened that all up, then installed the Panhard Bar tightened that up then after all of that was tight I then tightened the drop bracket bolt.



This is what I got after doing so.



I think I got the panhard bar centered better. This post explained a lot in centering the axle viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4708&start=40#p103692 I did exactly as he said and It centered the axle to the point where it is no longer 1/4" to the left but rather 3/8". The right is still inside the fender but its only like 1/8". I'll measure again today after I take it for a spin.

Now I noticed that this is how ErikSS and Lauron has theirs installed this way and they said they were pretty close to center. My assumption is that this is the best way to get the axle centered with the bracket.

I will update the how-to later today.

JD would it be possible to get this thread merged with this one? viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4708

[ErikSS]

After a suggestion from JD, I changed one thing that hasn't changed in your pictures. The angle support for the bracket is still in it's stock location. Moots and I dropped ours to the new mouting bolt of the panhard bar to better support the bracket. We just had to loosen the other end a bit to get the needed extra length.

[dvanbramer88]

After a suggestion from JD, I changed one thing that hasn't changed in your pictures. The angle support for the bracket is still in it's stock location. Moots and I dropped ours to the new mouting bolt of the panhard bar to better support the bracket. We just had to loosen the other end a bit to get the needed extra length.

He had it like you and Moots first, in his first post, than he re-did the install and changed it in his last post, just to see what would happen i guess.

[Cable810]

I did this cause someone suggested( I linked to his post) that by doing it this way It centers the axle better. Which It actually did for me.

[ErikSS]

The top picture looks like mine. The bottom picture still has the support on the other bolt. I'm still happy with the results and performance of mine.