This video has nothing at all to do with sway bars:

What it does have to do with is a comparison of aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber in the application of connecting rods. One of the things I found interesting though was the properties of steel. Aluminum and carbon fiber both over time will weaken until even the lightest load will make them fail(though that lifespan is effectively infinite for carbon fiber)...but steel will last forever as long as the failure point is not reached. Sway bars of course are made of steel...it won't wear out. People say that that coil springs and leaf springs sag over time...but regardless of whether they sag(and remember they have constant load on them 24/7 unlike a sway bar) they still do the job they were built for just as well.

 

One of my mechanical engineering instructors used aircraft wings as an example of aluminum's fatigue life. After so many flights, the wings (and probably the entire airframe) were scraped because they were reaching the end of their load cycle lifespan even though the wings looked just fine. Steel on the other hand has infinite load cycle life so long as the stress on it remains below a specified amount.

This diagram illustrates this. Below 30,000 psi, this particular type of steel can handle infinite load cycles. The endurance limit varies depending on the steel alloy.

Endurance limit

 

I’d run what you got, but I’m cheap. Maybe inspect quality of bushings, replace as needed. But that just my .02

 

What coupster said. Doubt the bar is damaged unless something happened to the car previously. Bushings however are probably tired.

 

I doubt you would ever be able to fatigue a 1" sway bar on a daily driver. Replace the bushings and drive it

 

Leave it alone. They don’t “go bad” just sitting there. And putting on a larger diameter one will make the car under steer even more than it does with a 1” bar.
(Unless, of course, you fix the horrible factory geometry…… than the 1” bar makes sense)

ex-Global West
1991-1995

 

Thanks guys. You're always a big help.

 

I got my 64 in 1990 and within a month, it had the export brace, 1" sway bar and HD shocks, The shocks are now Konis, since 1991 and that was roughly 438,000 miles ago. The only thing replaced was a few shocks and bushings. I've gone thru 3 rears but the same sway bar still works fine.