There have been many on this forum who have had brackets fail (at the bend where it mounts to the frame extension), and have replaced the same bracket multiple times. The FSM has a procedure for tightening the bolt, it is not very tight, I presume so that it will allow movement (the nuts are torque-prevailing / self-locking). New with factory bushings and a smooth painted swaybar would be easy, old and rusty and with aftermarket bushings that might be different hardness, different dimensions, might change the dynamics.

Anyway, the bracket is steel, at the frame it has a right-angle bend with a dart to make it more rigid, I do not see any evidence that the bracket is designed to bend as the swaybar rotates. Bending at the right-angle will quickly cause the steel to fail, flexing will also just more slowly (elastic vs plastic deformity, don't crucify me on the technical explanation here but I can just see the FEA in my mind, ... lots of red at the bend!).

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

does this mean they have that single-use plastic/nylon center? what is the correct replacement for these nuts?

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.