Should i take the load off the sway bar by raising the front suspension on the lift? or just raise the car on the side and install them side after side - I just don't want to fight with the weight of suspension on the opposite end of the sway bar while installing those bushings on one side- if someone had them installed please respond with some helpfull hints.

thanks in advance

Nick.

 

You need to lift the entire front end or you'll be fighting the sway bar tension. I actually had to use three jacks to make everything line up perfectly. It appears that the sway bar is under load even when both tires are off the ground. I used a jack under each control arm and slowly raised the arm up until the load was off the sway bar and endlinks. After that, the replacements were a breeze. I'm sure you could get away with doing everything with just one jack, but having three made everything line up perfectly without wrestling anything.

After putting the new bushings on, put the nut on the endlink and tighten it down till the thread is flush with the top of the nut. Then line up the swaybar metal cap and torque tighten down the bolts to the specified torque. Then go back to the endlinks and tighten the nut down to the specified torque. Doing this method with allow you to align everything much easier.

Torque the endlink bushings to 25 ft/lbs and the swaybar bolts to 40 ft/lbs.

It's pretty amazing how torn up and distorted the bushing were after 107K miles. The steering definitely feels better. I'm also considering on replacing the steering/frame bushings.

 

thanks a lot DaveB !!@!

Nick.