Excellent! That’s exactly the answer I was hoping for. Cool! Now let’s hope there is no difference between your 88 and my 93.

Thank you, Sir.

 

Another problem solved:

I believe Energy Suspension is smarter than Mopar.

Remember all that back n forth about my supposed bent sway bar that morphed into bent control arms and bent frames, etc.? I pulled my sway bar. It’s not bent, a little twisted perhaps, but nothing to sweat over.

I just replaced my sway bar bushings and the bushing brackets ES included with the kit has slotted mounting holes so the sway bar can be adjusted in or out on one side, the other side, or both sides. Any combination thereof. I looked at the crusty Mopar brackets I just removed and there are no such slots on them. Holes only all around. In other words, non-adjustable. So I’ll attach the endlinks first making sure they are true vertical, then tighten up the bushing brackets. Touche’!

 

Can’t say those rear LCA bushings are exactly wedged in those shells. They slide in and out without much effort. But they can’t go very far once installed. That ES grease with the teflon tape wrapped around the bushing n sleeve is super slick.

 

OK, this can't be right. If I turn the LCA on its side the rear bushing drops out from gravity alone. Takes about 15 seconds but it comes out of its own volition. Yes, the inner sleeve is installed. How can this be right? The front LCA bushings dont do that. I think I'm going to have to take those existing shells out of the rear and press in the shells that ES supplied with the kit. Those are tighter. Just hope it presses in. Maybe this explains why ES supplies you with rear shells in the kit. Think I'll call them in the morning and ask for the hell of it.

Thoughts?

Update: just ordered a $50 IR air chisel. Too old to be wacking a shell with a hammer. Ralph, comes with three tools. A punch, a flat chisel, and one of those snake tongue ones (v-shaped tip). Which is best tool and method for getting the shell out?

 

I used a flat chisel to dent it, then to walk it out.

The punch may be better to dent it.

What you're doing is bending it so that it's smaller than the hole to get the old one out.

RwP

 

Question of the Day

I asked earlier if I had to tighten the LCA bolts AFTER the truck was on the ground. Hey You highly encouraged it.

However, wouldn’t that only apply for bonded rubber bushings? Given I am using poly bushings I wouldn’t think “homing” them would be necessary anymore. No?

 

It SHOULD not.

I still do the final tightening of bushings, when possible, with it sitting on my ramps to equalize the suspension. Because I'm olde skool.

RwP

 

Hopefully the teflon tape works. I have it wrapped around every bushing. Meanwhile, my Ingersoll Rand air hammer showed up. It took me 3 - 4 mins each to knock out those rear LCA shells. Had I done it by hand it would have took me 3 - 4 hours and a week in traction. Screw that! Get an air chisel.

For the record, the OEM rear LCA shells do not work. The bushing is way too loose...falls out on its own. You need to remove the OEM shells from the arm and press in the ones that are included in the 5.3115 ES bushing kit. Rear LCAs only. Much better! Oh, and the rumors that ES does not give you enough grease are true. Buy more!

 

Just about done. All I have left is to put the left front shock in, slap the brake back on, throw the tires on and I'm done except for the alignment. I wanted to finish up today but I was out of "get up and go" and had to stop. I'm wrecked. The right spring went in nicely. I finished it by wacking the bottom of the spring with a sledge hammer. Knocked it back in the pocket...one healthy wack. Wasn't nearly as lucky on the left spring. Same method did not work, Took 6-1/2 hours and needed a second jack. Finally wacked it in. Coil end would stick through lower shock hole and get caught. Put bushing press receiver cup on jack and jacked it up in hole. Served as a launching pad to get the spring in the pocket.

Note: The OEM Tools spring compressor Ralph linked earlier from AutoZone had to be modified. I ground down the four shorter corners to make it fit thru the lower shock hole. Didn't have to grind much because it was only very slightly oversized. Started with a grinding wheel, finished it with a hand file. Looks like it is supposed to be there.

 

Awesome.

My Get up and Go, Got up and Went quite some time ago.