Jaguar Repair: My 1985 XJ6, sway bar end links, cold rolled steel

Question
QUESTION: Howard,

So, I'm re-furbishing my front end components with new balljoints and shocks, thought I'd check out the sway bar end links and chassis bushings. It is obvious they need to be replaced, but my goodness the chassis bushings are in a bad place. It appears the brackets can only be loosened with a hand wrench, and I know the new bushings are split so they can be put around the sway bar and slid in to place, but this looks terribly tedious. Just wondering if you have a tip or trick that will make this a little less miserable.

Thanks,

Michael

ANSWER: Sorry Michael, I don't know any tricks to make that part of the suspension easier to re-bush. You have to completely disassemble the whole front suspension to do all of it. Plus you need a spring compressor. I have removed springs with a jack but it is difficult and dangerous. So I don't recommend doing it with a jack. The sway bar is not that difficult. I have replaced the upper "A" arm bushings with just a jack but the lower "A" frame bushings needs a spring compressor. When removing the lower spring plate (even with a good spring compressor) make some long rods with threads on one end and install the rods (at least two) in place of the bolts that secure the spring plate to the lower "A" arm. This will act as a guide to keep the spring plate in alignment when assembling the lower spring plate up to the lower "A" arm. As I remember they are 3/8 NF bolts. I just took two 6"x 3/8" cold rolled steel rods and threaded about an inch on one end. It beats trying to fight to align the spring plate well enough to get the bolts started when putting it back together.

Howard

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok,

I have spring compressors for that part of the job, and have been using the floor jack to manipulate the lower arm to change balljoints and shocks, but maybe I should have been more specific in what I was asking. The sway bar to frame brackets appear to be difficult to access to to the sub frame rails running just beneath them. Is my assumption that I can just use an open/box end wrench to loosen those bolts correct, or is there a better way? That is all I was wondering.

Thanks,
Michael

Answer
Yes, hold the bolts with a open end wrench over the sub frame and then remove the self locking nuts with a socket and wrench and lube the new bushing and slide them into place and center the new bushing in the center of the two plates and reassemble. When you tighten the self locking nuts have the car with it's weight on the front wheels so the sway bar is in a neutral position.

Howard