Swaybar Link?

[GP-TJ]

I discovered a broken swaybar link yesterday while rotating my tires. I got a kit and couldn't get the nut on the bolts through the control arm. Am i doing something wrong? I put a longer bolt in there from Home Depot temporarily but haven't been able to find a longer grade 5 bolt. I checked another part store and they had the same size bolt in their kit.

Should I jack the control arm up a little? My driveway is sloped a little. Maybe I should be on flat ground. Maybe the front was on a plateau on the top and the body was still pointing upward?

Any ideas?
GP

 

[mustangswan]

If you are using a ford kit, the parts are updated and the nut is a different size for the bolt ( they use a bigger bolt so it wont break again). Try unbolting the other side and check the bolt lenght, maybe the kit has shorter bolts that the ford stock ones. Otherwise it is pretty straight forward. The sway bar, when unhooked from both sides should rotate freely. Also if you jack up the truck dont lift just one side, make sure both wheels are off the ground.

 

[GP-TJ]

I parked the truck facing down hill last night instead of up hill and it went together pretty easily. Either the truck was leaning backward down the hill (front end pointing up) or the bushings were compressed a little from using a longer bolt and driving it about 10 miles.

All is back together with the grade 5 bolts supplied in the kit. The kit was not a Ford kit. It was from Napa and used a 3/8-16 bolt and nut.

Thanks
GP