Whatever works for you.
SOMETHING will be in the way of something else. It's inevitable.
Well, I made more progress this weekend (Sunday temps were in the mid-40s, versus single digits on Saturday, so I only got one half-day of work in). Installed stabilizer bar, end links and tie rods. Put the bar in first, then end links, and tie rods last. Getting the links in was a pain; I ended up putting the bolt up through the lower control arm, because it was easier to deal with a bolt head, rather than nut and washer, through the hole in the lower control arm. I could have used about a half inch more thread on the bolt, but I got the nut on. I also tightened the torsion bar adjusting bolts to where prior to starting the work.
Anyhow, with this new phase of work, I ran into some minor snags, so I have more questions.
I just started the bolts for the sway bar clamps (I had to undo the clamps in order to wrestle with getting the end links assembled). Is it correct to wait until tires are back on the truck, and tires are back on the ground (full weight on front suspension) before I tighten the sway bar brackets? Also, these are rubber bushings; I've read poly bushings should get silicone lube to prevent squeaks, but should rubber bushings go on dry?
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Next, I noticed that the end link bolts are very close to hitting the upper control arm. Will this correct itself once the bar brackets are tightened?
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Another thing I noticed was that although the front suspension is hanging, the upper control arms are not resting on the metal bracket (there is no jack under the LCA). What is keeping the UCA from resting on the metal bracket? I thought it was supposed to, when the vehicle is up in the air.
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Now for the tie rods. I torqued the tie rod nuts to factory specs. The nuts on the outers were ok, and I was able to use the fancy cotter pins supplied by Mevotech.
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But, the nuts for the inner tie rod ends went down pretty far below the cotter pin hole, so that the cotter pin could not rest in the groove in the castle nut.
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Mevotech provided two styles of cotter pins (I took a photo of them, but I could not post it in this response, since the forum apparently has a limit of 5 photos per response or post - the photos of the cotter pins are in another response). I also have some conventional cotter pins. I'm not sure what to do about the two nuts that are way below the cotter pin hole. Any suggestions?