5 Harbor Freight Finds That Will Come In Handy When Installing Sway Bar Links

Performing your own sway bar link replacement is a solid DIY job for experienced home mechanics and novices alike. The task requires low-to-mid-level automotive repair experience and generally doesn't require complex or expensive tools. However, you will need a handful of essential tools if you plan to tackle this job. And there are a few items, in particular, that make changing sway bar links a breeze. Fortunately, you don't have to break the bank to get your hands on these tools. Harbor Freight, the store renowned for its extensive and affordable selection of quality tools, has what you need.

Sway bar links connect a vehicle's sway bar to the right and left sides of the car's suspension system. They help prevent body roll while turning and improve vehicle stability and handling. However, sway bar links are relatively small and subject to wear and tear over time. When they fail, you'll likely notice symptoms like clunking sounds and loose steering. Replacing them is relatively straightforward, but you will need a couple of tools. From locking pliers to breaker bars and cut-off tools, here are five Harbor Freight finds that will come in handy when installing sway bar links.

Locking pliers are must-have tools for any professional mechanic or hobbyist. They work in a similar way to vice grips and allow you to grasp items with extreme force. When it comes to replacing sway bar links, locking pliers are almost universally essential. That's due to the fact that sway bar links are found on the underside of the car. They're exposed to extremely harsh conditions and are frequently subject to corrosion. Making things even more complicated is the fact that sway bar links attach to the sway bar using small nuts — generally between 10 and 15 millimeters. It's very common for these nuts to seize up, making them intensely tricky to remove. Locking pliers make this process significantly easier. They allow you to get an iron grip on the nut, resulting in a considerably less challenging removal process.

Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Locking Pliers Set is perfect for the job. These curved jaw-locking pliers can grip almost any nut or bolt. They feature a quick-release mechanism for easy removal and are built with heat-treated carbon steel for lasting durability. The pliers are corrosion-resistant, making them an excellent choice for a variety of messy jobs, and they have soft-grip handles for a secure and comfortable grip.

You can never have too many wrenches. Not only are they necessary for any number of auto repair and maintenance jobs — including sway bar link replacements — but they're also handy for various home improvement tasks, crafts, hobbies, and more. To replace your sway bar links, you'll need to disconnect the links from the sway bar. As we mentioned above, this involves removing small nuts and bolts. While you may need to use your locking pliers to grip the nut on one side, you'll have to use a wrench or other tool to break the bolt free. You can do this with various tools, but wrenches are one of the best options due to their versatility and ease of use.

The Pittsburgh Pro Wrench Set from Harbor Freight is a great choice for the job and a wonderful addition to any toolbox. The set features both metric and SAE wrench sizes and includes raised panels to help you grip the tools with ease. They're built of high-quality chrome vanadium steel with a chrome plate finish, and feature 12-point box ends to provide a solid grip on nuts, bolts, and various other fasteners.

When it comes to automotive fasteners, corroded and seized-up nuts and bolts are a fact of life. Most of the time, we can squeak by using a basic ratchet or wrench. But sometimes, fasteners are so stuck that we need a little extra help to break them free. That's where breaker bars come into play. A breaker bar is a long rod with a drive — like a ½-inch or ⅜-inch drive — on the end where you can attach a socket. These tools allow us to apply much more torque to a fastener than a regular wrench or ratchet. As we already mentioned, it's incredibly common for sway bar links to seize up. Sometimes, it's impossible to remove them with a basic wrench. In these cases, you'll have to grip the nut on one side with your locking pliers or the box end of a wrench and use a breaker bar to loosen the nut.

Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Pro ½-inch Drive Breaker Bar is just the tool for the job. This 25-inch-long tool will help you free up even the most stubborn fastener. With a ½-inch drive and 180-degree swivel head, the breaker bar is stout enough to be used on anything from sway bar links to lug nuts and even axle nuts. It's built with chrome vanadium steel and features a thermoplastic rubber handle.

While jacks and jack stands are invaluable for automotive maintenance and repair work, not every job requires you to remove the car's wheels. In these cases, car ramps can be highly convenient. All you have to do to lift your vehicle is drive onto the ramps. Then, you'll have easy access to your car's front end, including the engine, exhaust, transmission, and sway bar links. Replacing the sway bar links is one of those jobs that very rarely requires you to remove the wheels. The only thing you need to be concerned with is keeping the vehicle level. That means you can lift the car evenly off the ground using jacks or ramps or leave it on the ground, provided the vehicle sits high enough off the pavement to allow you to access the sway bar links.

Because you don't have to remove your car's wheels to replace the sway bar links, Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Automotive Ramps are extremely handy for the job. Simply drive your vehicle onto the ramps to give yourself a half foot of additional workspace. These ramps have a capacity of 6,500 pounds and can support cars with gross weights of up to 13,000 pounds, meaning you can use the ramps to lift vehicles ranging from small cars to SUVs and pickups. They feature traction grooves to prevent tire slippage and integrated rubber stops to prevent the ramps from moving while in use. The best part about these Pittsburgh ramps is that you can use them for numerous other repair and maintenance jobs, like oil changes and transmission work.

Cut-off tools are something that you hope you never have to use. But if you need one, you'll be incredibly grateful to have it in your toolbox. We've already mentioned a couple of times that sway bar links frequently seize up and get stuck. In many cases, a breaker bar or even a basic wrench will do the trick. But in extreme cases, the sway bar links are so corroded and seized up that you have to cut them off the car. If that happens to you, you'll need a quality cut-off tool to handle the job.

Fortunately, Harbor Freight supplies the Bauer High-Speed Electric Cut-Off Tool. The six-amp cut-off tool spins at up to 20,000 RPM for precise and clean cuts. It has a one-inch cut depth and can easily slice through exhaust systems, sheet metal, and various other straps, hangers, and fasteners. It's lightweight, features an adjustable guard for safety, and has an ergonomic rubber handle for a secure grip.