How to assemble my end links?

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Dusterdenovo

Dusterdenovo

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So I'm installing my new front sway bar, and the last thing to do is connect the end links. Problem is, with the thickness of the LCA brackets and the sway bar and the stiffness of the new bushings, stuff not quite lined up etc., I can't get everything squeezed together enough to get the nut started.

Tried using a floor jack, bar clamps, kung fu grip........, so far no luck. Thought I'd turn to FABO for what is probably an easy solution?

Thanks, Larry
 

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Do the shoulders on the bushings go into the holes properly? It looks like the upper ones do not go into the LCA tabs....?? I have just used the jack method before....surprised that did not do it.
 
Two bushings together on that go into the sway bar in pic should be a bushing on either side of the sway bar mounting hole. Mount them on the sway bar first, tighten the nut a bit then put the upper part of the link through the LCA pushing up with help from the jack.

Good luck.
 
Undo the lower shock bolt and that should lower the control arm to where the sway bar will connect. Then jack up the control arm on the furthest point away from the K frame.
 
Is this the style with a stud and nut at each end OR a long bolt with a spacer?
 
Looks like a bolt type if you lighten the image enough to clearly see all the parts. :)

Personally I would shorten the tube in the center till I clould get the nut on.
 
Personally I would shorten the tube in the center till I clould get the nut on.
Click to expand...

This is what I was going to suggest. If you can't get the nut started, you can always shorten the spacer a little bit to uncover some threads.
 
IIRC these are Energy Suspension. Bolt is 5.5"(under head), spacer looks like about 1 5/8". I didn't have any extra, but no special force required to get positioned to get the nuts started. These were assembled before anything else was torqued. I don't know if the ones I removed were OEM, but bolt was 6" and spacer was only 1.5" - so would have been 5/8" more thread to work with.
 

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Don't shorten the center spacer; it is designed to have the anti-sway bar level when the car is at nominal ride height (middel of travel). If you shorten it, then the link may experience a severe angle when the suspension is fully compressed; if too short, the link bolt may get bent.
 
Thanks guys for the feedback. I should have mentioned that the torsion bars aren't in the car yet and it's still on jackstands so I can't use the weight of the car to my advantage right now. I was hoping to get it all together while it's still easy to get at up on the jackstands.

In the picture, I just put the end link together with a bit of tension to see if the upper bushings might crush in to the LCA tab a bit. The sway bar is just hanging underneath it all. Right now, the shape of the bushings don't really fit the LCA tab or the sway bar, so it's all spread out past the length of the bolt..

I think Momoparman hit it on the head - after I put the torsion bars back in, I'll stick the bolt up through the sway bar first then lift the whole works up with the jack and get the nut on from above the LCA tab.

I figured it would be something simple just hadn't thought of "turn it upside down" duh..

Cheers,
 
burdar said:
Is this the style with a stud and nut at each end OR a long bolt with a spacer?
Click to expand...

Yes, its the single bolt with a spacer and nyloc nut. In my brain cramped state, I never considered putting the nut on the top.....

Live and learn!
 
It is best to install the T-bars first and set ride height, then install end links. Otherwise the sway bar will mess with your ability to properly set equal height. If car is on level ground, and height is correct, end links should be balanced, and easily hook up.
 
nm9stheham said:
Don't shorten the center spacer; it is designed to have the anti-sway bar level when the car is at nominal ride height (middel of travel). If you shorten it, then the link may experience a severe angle when the suspension is fully compressed; if too short, the link bolt may get bent.
Click to expand...

Like a 1/8 would make any real difference.:D
 
So, I put everything back together except the end links and put the car back down on the slab. Then, with threading the bolt up through the sway bar and into the LCA tab and lifting it all with the floor jack everything was together in about 5 minutes. Thanks again to all for the pearls of wisdom and photos.

BTW, I installed the Hotchkiss Bar #H22386F - couldn't be happier.
 

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