Sway Bar end should be smooth, right?

[RKC]

Replaced my squeaky sway bar bushings and there is no squeak now but noticed the passenger side (which was were the squeak was coming from) was rough on the last few inches. It looked like a blister or a sunburn - some sort of rust-type roughness but metal colored. Will this lead to a new squeak? Do I need to replace the bar? Shouldn't it be smooth like the other three mounting points?

Didn't see indications of metal touching metal, and the old bushing wasn't torn through (though it was pretty beat up). Can it be ground smooth or do I just need a new one?

[Rusty Heap]

Yup, metal should be smooth, maybe the paint scuffed a bit, I'd at minimum scotch brite the heck out of it with brillo pad or sand paper, repaint and heavily grease that side. I just replaced all my bushings and had little or no wear even on my swaybar paint. No squeeks either.

[Gunter]

Depending on how deep the rust/roughness goes, and depending how tight the new bushing is, you can grind/polish the end.
If it's too deep, try filling the groves with JB-weld and smooth/sand it after.

If left untreated, the rough end will grind the new bushing again.
Some squeeking can come from the A-arm rubber bushings.