I've already removed the swaybar links from the truck, and am left with two stubborn bolts. Is there a trick to removing these lower link mounting bolts from their brackets? I bashed at the impossible-to-hit passenger side bolt for a good hour, and all it did was dent up my steering dampener. I sprayed them down real good with some PB Blaster tonight, so they can soak. Any ideas? If it matters, the truck's a 2000.

 

I have seen a thread that they put a c-clamp on it and pushed them out. Put the screw down side of the c-clamp on the threaded end and put a socket on the hex side under the c-clamp so the bolt can be pushed through. Mine came out with a hammer.

 

I used a pitman arm puller on mine. They are pressed in.

 

ended up cutting mine out... GL

 

Well, I tried smashing on them until the brackets ended up bending a little. I poured some PB Blaster in a bowl and am letting them soak overnight to see if they loosen up at all. I might just take a big drill bit to the T-55 torx side tomorrow if things don't go well with the pitman arm puller.

Another question... I have an estimated 3.5" of lift in the front. I noticed these links are adjustable as far as length is concerned. How long should I make them? I figured there would be some sort of equation to how long they should be compared to how much I've lifted it, but I'm not sure.

 

A torx bit wont work and neither will pb blaster. Its pressed in. They use a torx head to throw everyone off. The only way to get it out is to press/pull it out.

 

Oh, I know. They have little mounds of rust on the backsides of them, so I was going to let the blaster eat at that for a while. If I can't push them out, I was going to drill through the heads of them with a bigass drill bit.

 

Here is a link, with pictures, regarding removing those bolts: Rock Lizard Fabrications

 

there is a certain degree angle the sway bar ends point when on a stock Jeep. You need to replicate that angle just with longer links now. find a stock XJ in a parking lot and peak the angle; then do that.

 

cut mine with a torch amd tapped the rest out with a hammer

 

I pressed mine out with a home made ball joint tool. Two steel bars connected by threaded rods, and a large nut and bolt to do the driving.

As for the length, my XJ is lifted 3", so I made mine 3" longer than stock.

Rob

 

I had the same problem when I did mine,use a pittman arm puller or you can grind the head off the bolt and then put a nut on the threaded side and keep tightening and it will pull the bolt through the bracket

 

i must have been lucky cuz i spryed em down a couple times n whacked em with my hammer they popped out no prob !!!!????? whatever i gues

 

^yup, lucky. Almost every bolt has fought me tooth and nail to come undone.

 

I had some of the old style swaybar discos from RC and they were complete garbage. They said they were for a 3-6" lift and they were way to big to fit on mine. I threw them away and got some JKS quicker discos. You cant go wrong with them.