Shannon123

I'm removing the front sway bar to replace a bulging bushing. I have bottom pan off with sway bar hanging by the 2 front bushings. I have liberally lubed with lithium grease and they are stubbornly stuck.

I have read numerous ideas on how best to handle.....ie take off at least one control arm to just beating it out with rubber hammer.

Am I on the right track.....and how hard can you beat on it ? I know its solid 22mm steel, so I assume pretty hard. I expect once the rubber bushings unseat it will just slide out, but its not moving....yet.

Thanks

500

Having disassembled and rebuilt the front end, I would say that removing one control arm is the sensible option by far...

If you think getting it out is hard (with both control arms bolted in), then I would imagine getting it in would be even harder. I've heard stories of people using Turfors to "sqeeze" the bar enough to be able to slip the end into the control arm bushing... It sounds dangerous.

Doing it with the control arm off was a breeze for me.

rusnak

I usually drop both arms. Are you only replacing the swaybar/ bushings, is that why?

Shannon123

WOOOOOOOOOOOOW !!!

Got it off, but you guys are RIGHT, the easy part is over.......getting it on is going to be a bugger ! I thought dropping it to ride height would spread the contol arms which would in turn narrow the spread I needed to get the sway bar in.....NO !! Then I tried wheels off / full droop, my sway bar was still at least 3/4 inch from being able to 'squeeze' it in. I will try at least one control arm off tomorrow......that seems like the logical thing to make it easier.

I'm out of muscle today, going to have to do the control arm route tomorrow.

Rusnak...yes, replacing sway bar bushings (one is shot/bulging and sloppy looking). I'm a glutten for hands on experience. I know there is 'while your in there' stuff, but it does not bother me to learn the nuances at this stage.

Shannon123

Never dropped a control arm before.....

Does this include taking out the front torsion bar as well ?

Shannon123

Update to complete this thread in the event somebody reads it for info.

Waynes book 101 project covers this topic (replace sway bar bushings) pretty well, but leaves some things open ended for the NEW DIY white collar dummy.

Take off/Drop 1 control arm (A-arm).....taking 2 off is not neccesary. This means loosening the three bolts up front on the control arm and the one where the upper front sway bar bushings rest. Once you have them loosened, you need to take out the front ride height adjuster, then remove front torsion bar....NOW, the control arm can be dropped (it will remain attached to shock and ball joint)

This now allows for sufficient maneuverability to remove and re-install the sway bar .....save yourself ALOT of agony, take the control arm off and this task goes way down on skill level.....just need patience and some brutt force now and then.

Took me several hours over 2 days.....but if you take the contol arm off from the get-go, this is an afternoon job. The most difficult thing to do is getting the sway bar positioned correctly once installed on the new bushings. I used (per Waynes 101) lithium grease on the inside of the bushings, but it was still heavy lifting to get the sway bar to slide back and forth on the new bushings.

theiceman

i did it without removong the control arm .. the car was on jack stands and I put one foot against the frame and pulled and out it came.
Putting it back after I had sanded and repainted the bar wasnt too bad .. lubed up the inside of the bushings , slid one side in. positioned a piece of 2 by 4 and used it to bend the bar a little with my body weight while i sllid the other side in . I remember it being a real PITA and in hindsight somewhat dangerous ... but i got her done

Shannon123

I see how a 2x4 could work......on the other hand, I was so whipped from working on it yesterday (both control arms attached), I decided to take the easier route today. Its really not a bad job at all. The rears I suspect could be done in 20 minutes or less the way they are setup.

theiceman

yeah the rears are easy. A couple of bushings and a couple of drop links and away you go.