Changing sway bar links and bushings on an 8-lug 4x4

[454cid]

Ok, how do you guys do it? Should be a simple job, but doing one side today, the truck fought me the whole time.

The old link was already gone, so I started pulling the bushing bracket. That was the easiest part of the whole ordeal. I cleaned up the area, and the parts. I wrestled getting the bushing on. I think I lowered the jack until I got just enough room to rotate the busing into place. Then I had a tough time getting the bracket back on far enough to get the bolts in, which would draw the bracket back on fully. I'm pretty sure I exceeded the torque spec well before I bottomed the bracket out. That was the "easy" part.

Next I went to install the new link. First, the anti-sway bar and lower control arm were too close to get the parts in between, then there weren't any threads showing on the bottom after I put the last bushing and the washer in place. If I recall correctly, what finally worked was putting the jack under the control arm and lifting as high as I could, but the whole truck wanted to come up....... I got one thread engaged, and that was enough to get it started.

I wonder if it would have worked better if I had both wheels on the ground? Last time I worked on the front end, changing a ball joint I had the same issues...... the suspension is so stiff, I have a hard time getting things to move enough to work on.

I don't recall having this hard of a time last time I changed the links. It's possible I didn't have the torsion bars in, as I had taken the front end completely apart.

 

[rosco]

I just did the same thing on my 6 lug 4x4 Suburban. While I had the sway bar brackets out, I was able to get the bolts and bushings on for the end links before I bolted the sway bar back in place. I did leave it a little loose so I could have some wiggle room with it. The biggest issue I had was getting the nut started from the bottom. I had to get creative with a pry bar and ratchet strap to compress the upper bushings a bit so I could get it started. I tried jacking it up on one side, then the other, then both together and couldn't get it. I ended up leaving the wheels on the ground and using the long pry bar on the top of the bolt and against the upper control arm on the other side, them the creative routing of the strap to pull the pry bar down and compress the bushings just a little.

I had noticed the ones I took off had only 3 bushings where the new ones had 4. It hit me when I was done that someone had changed them at some point and left the bottom bushings off.

 

[454cid]

I just did the same thing on my 6 lug 4x4 Suburban. While I had the sway bar brackets out, I was able to get the bolts and bushings on for the end links before I bolted the sway bar back in place. I did leave it a little loose so I could have some wiggle room with it. The biggest issue I had was getting the nut started from the bottom.

So you still had problems starting the bottom nut, even with the front of the bar disconnected? I thought the ends would go together pretty easily with the front disconnected, but thought I'd probably have troubles with those busings and brackets, even more than I already did.

 

[rosco]

I think the issue was with the bushings on the end links. They needed to be compressed just a little bit to get the nut started.

 

[454cid]

I think the issue was with the bushings on the end links. They needed to be compressed just a little bit to get the nut started.

Mine never line up real well with the front of the bar connected. I thought maybe if I disconnected it, I could line up the links better and gain some more working room. Maybe that's not the case.