Anti-Roll Bar P Clamp broken cant get replacement.

[slybunda]

cant seem to get any aftermarket ones or original ones from ford since these are now obsolete parts. my one has snapped again, last time it broke was 10 years ago and i was able to get a replacement but not now. iv attached some photos showing the type of clamp it is. seems to be P shaped and holds a D bush.
the photos attached shows the original one in black and the silver one that someone used to make in stainless steel but that guy is no longer making them.
is this something i can make myself at home using basic tools like bench vice, hammer etc or will it need specialist tools? clamp metal thickness seems to be around 3mm thick.
pics:

 

[Trav]

Can you take a picture of where this mounts?

 

[slybunda]

I can do. Its too wet to get under the car today but when i get a dry spell I will get under the car and take old clamp off and get photos.

 

[slybunda]

forgot i had taken a photo few weeks back. attached is photo where you can see the P clamp has snapped and rotated on the arb and moved a bit away from the bolt that used to secure it. also attached a diagram of the part and where it goes.

 

[TCL]

Is that a hole in the subframe. You have more problems than a broken sway bar bushing mount. That is what was holding it together and that's why it broke. I wouldn't waste a dime or the time it. Especially if it is an OLD picture!

 

[slybunda]

No holes in subframe other than the drainage ones on each side. Its just dirty and bit of surface rust but otherwise solid and passes mot inspections. Car is 28 years old now so cant expect showroom condition, its my daily driver
Do note that the non sporty models of this car come without a rear sway bar so i guess i could remove the entire bar if it comes down to it. Its a known issue these P clamps and tend to last 10-12 years and then snap hence why someone was making stainless ones but cant get a hold of the guy now.

Wondering if its just a case of getting a flat stainless steel bar and bending it to the shape of the clamp and drilling hole in it for the bolt, M12 size i believe. Is that possible or is there more work involved in making these clamps and heat treatment and cold dipping is required etc along with precision dies for moulding or special jigs for bending etc?

 

[Danno]

get... a flat stainless steel bar and bending it to the shape of the clamp and drilling hole in it for the bolt, M12 size i believe.

This should work, milder steel may work better here, to allow some flex. Stainless is brittle.
I used to spec stainless rear frames on trailers, they would fail and crack when drivers would back into loading docks "too hard".
Went to galvanized steel frames and the problem went away.
On a side note, couldn't get these galvanized frames in the US with US made trailers, emissions standards during manufacturing galvanized coatings were too strict. Had to get them made in Mexico.

 

[AZjeff]

No holes in subframe other than the drainage ones on each side. Its just dirty and bit of surface rust but otherwise solid and passes mot inspections. Car is 28 years old now so cant expect showroom condition, its my daily driver
Do note that the non sporty models of this car come without a rear sway bar so i guess i could remove the entire bar if it comes down to it. Its a known issue these P clamps and tend to last 10-12 years and then snap hence why someone was making stainless ones but cant get a hold of the guy now.

Wondering if its just a case of getting a flat stainless steel bar and bending it to the shape of the clamp and drilling hole in it for the bolt, M12 size i believe. Is that possible or is there more work involved in making these clamps and heat treatment and cold dipping is required etc along with precision dies for moulding or special jigs for bending etc?

If you have a vice, a large hammer, and a piece of pipe the correct diameter you can make that. And a drill and bit.

If you can't make it any farmer or old school mechanic you know can.

Or take it off and see how it drives first.

 

[qjohn]

Alternative idea: can you take the two parts to a shop to weld them back together? Then have them reinforce it where it broke. This assumes the failure was from fatigue and not just rusted away.

 

[D60]

Find a local blacksmith or a shop with a DiAcro small parts bender and an old guy who knows how to use it.

You said "car".....otherwise I'd say check LMC Truck

 

[slybunda]

Alternative idea: can you take the two parts to a shop to weld them back together? Then have them reinforce it where it broke. This assumes the failure was from fatigue and not just rusted away.

I know some owners who did this in the past and welded it back together and just reused it.
I do have a small welder that can do the job for me.
Let me get the old one off the car then measure it up and see if i can make a replacement. If successful i will make a full set of 4.of these clamps for the rear arb.

 

[AZjeff]

Making the first one takes the longest the rest are easy.

 

[ecotourist]

I've been making parts a lot like that for our WWII Lancaster (display only) restoration. The parts are the ends and other parts for the steel straps that hold the oil tanks for the inboard Merlin engines. Our parts are more like 1.5 and 2 mm thick but the same approach should work.

We buy mild steel strips cut to the right width from a local metal supply store. The thickness is never exactly the same as the original parts so we buy the next thicker size. I get the length right first, finish the ends and drill the holes, then make the tight bends (like the top of your part), and finally wrap it around a piece of pipe the same diameter as the opening.

You'll need a strong vice and a hammer. And you might want to put a piece of pipe around the long arm to keep it straight when you're bending.

I wear eye protection when hammering steel (had a patient who lost an eye as a result of a flying bit of steel while hammering steel).

I'd make 3 or 4 of them while I was at it. The first one will take forever and you'll find the 2nd and 3rd ones are much quicker and better.

 

[slybunda]

Will keep this thread updated once i get the old one off and get pics up.

 

[meep]

All solid advice. I’ve shaped similarly crudely with 1/4” thick AL from the hardware store. It’s just beating and bending.

 

[doitmyself]

I might be inclined to find a sway bar bushing clamp that was the correct dimension with the bolt hole placement and bushing size. Modify it by adding a simple piece of flat steel on the bottom. Drill a hole for the frame attachment side. On the opposite side you could drill a hole and bolt it together or cut/weld it together.

 

[slybunda]

Good to see these ideas coming out. That clamp pictured above by @meep is the style my car uses for the front sway bar. I believe the rear sway bar is of 20mm diameter

 

[slybunda]

edit above post ment to say @doitmyself not meep. thats what happens when you use phone instead of computer.

 

[slybunda]

finally managed to get the old clamp off.
its around 3mm thick with a width of around 22.6mm. the bar that i got which i was going to use to make a new clamp with is wider at 25mm width. so not sure if thats a no go but iv put up photos to show how the old clamp fit the bush and how the new wider bar fits. the 25mm bar does squeeze into the bush grooves and its snug, should i go ahead with it since no one makes a 22.6mm width bar.
also any more input on how i should proceed would be much appreciated.

 

[slybunda]

Far harder than i thought. Been hammering for an hour and not much progress. Just cant hold the bar in certain angles in the vice.