Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

[BKennedy]

More emails back and forth about the sway bar. I also asked the opinion of the guy I get a lot of my parts through because he is a old-school Ultra-4 racer. He said that leaf spring suspensions usually end up doing some things great and some things not so great. Says the shocks have very little to do with how a leaf spring cycles. Says he would start with a sway bar, then upgrade the rear shocks to control compression and rebound, not sway. I think I have what I need down;

TK-1 Racing
Ultra-4 medium duty 45" sway bar
DOM tube
14" bar
Billet end caps
No mounts so I can make my own mounts off the outside of the frame out of some plate welded to the tube to keep it removable. I can also notch the driver side bottom of the frame slightly, then offset the passenger side to level the bar at ride height, since the frame rails are almost a full inch difference off the ground behind the axle. Had to offset the shock mounts when I redid it to compensate. I remember it was about a year after I had purchased the Explorer I noticed the difference in frame height. Called Ford and they said that was within specifications as long as the leaf spring mounts were the about same height, which they are.

Looks like the only place there might be interference with the bar is the bottom of the inner fenders where it overlaps the outside of the frame. Easy to correct that if necessary with a BFH.

 

[Kirby N.]

I am looking forward to seeing the final product! Considering redoing my rear shocks. Any plans for a front sway bar?

 

[BKennedy]

The front doesn't seem to have much sway, just slow speed body roll because the coil overs bypass the valving when compressed slowly. The coil springs are already fairly stiff for the weight, so much so that I had to put in keeper coils on top of the two coils to keep preload on them. I like the way it drives and it doesn't seem to effect crawling so the springs will stay for now. The Radflo's have some type of self adjusting dampening so the sway slowly gets less and less on winding mountains roads, but there is still some unpredictable movement in the rear I am hoping the rear sway bar will take care of. Those Duff arms act like sway bars on the highway due to their length and the poly bushings.

 

[BKennedy]

I'm going to think about if I really need a rear sway bar for a while. The price tag is putting me off, since it will be about $700 shipped. Nice to have, yes. Necessary, no. I am probably going to eventually do it because it would make all of the road and mild trail miles I have been putting on the Explorer lately more enjoyable, and quicker. I will continue looking for a set of takeoff 1st gen rear Raptor shocks, and if anyone comes across a pair please let me know.

I noticed on the last outing to Arizona that the body seems to move on the frame more than it should. Crawling around underneath, a few of the bottom bushings (near the A and B pillars) have shrunk and are no longer contacting the mount, which would explain the movement. The mounts are OEM and are still soft, just shrunk. I ordered a set of Daystar poly mounts off Amazon for $153.00 shipped. I used the forum search function, but only found threads of people asking how to do it, not a walk through. I was under there today figuring out how much of a job it would be, and it all seems relatively simple except for the mount above the gas tank. There is not enough room to wiggle the bushing in and out without dropping the tank at least a few inches. Transmission jack will come in handy once again. I think I will also have to remove my cargo area raised floor/shelf unit, which will be a pain since the top is glued down and I can't pull it out intact because the roll cage is in the way. Having a rust free car is really going to help make this job about as easy as it can be. I already impacted the bolts holding the mounts below the radiator loose in a few seconds to see what I was getting myself in for, so that's a plus. I should be getting to this next week or so.

 

[Rick]

Brian did a how to thread:

How to: - Replace Body Mount Bushings with the Daystar Kit KF04009

This is a how to thread on replacing the stock body mount bushings with the Daystar Kit KF04009 AND reusing the stock hardware without destroying it. I will not be focusing on removing the seats and trim panels to access the body bolts. For an additional thread that helped me through this...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[gmanpaint]

Man, wish I knew.... I have a NIB set Daystar kit for sale.

 

[BKennedy]

Brian did a how to thread:

How to: - Replace Body Mount Bushings with the Daystar Kit KF04009

This is a how to thread on replacing the stock body mount bushings with the Daystar Kit KF04009 AND reusing the stock hardware without destroying it. I will not be focusing on removing the seats and trim panels to access the body bolts. For an additional thread that helped me through this...

www.explorerforum.com

Awesome, this answered all of my questions.

Man, wish I knew.... I have a NIB set Daystar kit for sale.

Me too.

 

[donalds]

I wonder Why

Wow scary

 

[Kirby N.]

That spotter sucks

 

[BKennedy]

I made a PDF, easy to print version of Brian1's How To for the bushings. I attached it to his thread and now here. Its what Daystar should have put in the box.

 

[Paul]

Man, wish I knew.... I have a NIB set Daystar kit for sale.

Bring to Moab, I'll take 'em . . .

 

[gmanpaint]

Bring to Moab, I'll take 'em . . .

Rodger that!

 

[BKennedy]

I got the passenger side done today. I think the longest part was making sure I got the right bushings in the right places. With Brian1's How To, it made it much easier than me trying to figure it out. The best part of that was he tells you exactly what interior parts to remove to access the bolts, and how to reuse the metal parts of the OEM bushings. Daystar doesn't mention any of that in their one page instructions.

I was going to make a puller, but decided to try to get them out without one. I loosened the bolts on both sides. Then I removed the bolts from the passenger side. The rear bolt is longer than the rest, so I inserted that one into the next bushing in line, and tapped the bolt head with a hammer and the lower bushing broke loose with ease. I repeated it for the rest of the mounts and they all came loose with a few taps. Once again, it pays to have a dry climate vehicle. When I first attempted to jack the body off the frame to remove the upper bushings, I couldn't get the body to come off the frame because my suspension wasn't done unloading. There was not enough weight on the frame to keep it down. I wrapped the front axle with a strap to limit the rebound and tried again. Worked great. Also, having rock sliders was a plus because after I jacked the body up enough to remove the upper bushings, I wedged pieces of wood in between the slider and body and lowered the jack so the body was mostly resting on the wood.

The only problem I really had was the front position. I had loosened the driver front with a impact to see how stuck they were going to be and it wasn't so I assumed the passenger side would be the same. The front bushings are different than all the others in that they are bolted to the frame. The top of the bolt goes through the bushing and into a slot in the body that has a nut securing the bushing to the body. All the other bushings attach by being bolted through the body. The nut came right off, but the bolt locked up about half way out which caused the bushing to rotate. I sprayed the heck out of it with some PB Blaster and tried again in 30 minutes. I used a big set of vice grips to lock the top of the metal bushing "frame" to the body mount. After several attempts it broke loose, just about when I was about to give up and spot weld the bushing frame to the body. It was full of dirt and grime which I think is why it stuck part way out.

All of the metal parts cleaned up easily with very little rust. I think the worst one was #2 bushing. Two of the lower bushings fell apart when removed so it was time to replace them. I didn't bother painting the metal parts as most of the original protective coating was still intact. I got the passenger side back together and dropped the body on the bushings, then installed the bolts but left them loose. I think it helps get the body to raise off the frame when all the bolts are loose. When I am finished with the driver side, I will tighten them all down at the same time, pulling each bolt to apply a little medium thread locker. It will also help me be consistent with tightening since I cannot locate any torque values for the body mounts. I will probably get this finished up on Wednesday. To do the driver side I think I will need to drop the fuel tank, and the skid is integrated into the transfer case skid plate so its a little more work than the passenger side. I already popped the lower bushing loose that is over the tank so I might be able to wiggle it out without dropping the tank when I raise the body.
New versus old bushings side-by-side comparison.

My tips for this job are;
-If you have a flexy suspension, limit the travel.
-Loosen all of the body mount bolts on both sides before raising the body.
-Before making a puller, try tapping on the loosened bolt heads to free up the lower bushings.
-Remove or loosen the nut on top of the front bushing before removing the bolt.
-When separating the bushings from the metal hardware, put a large bolt in the vice and use it as a mount to secure the bushings when prying out the old bushings.
-There are little tabs inside the female side of the bushing hardware that hold the male side in place before the bolt is threaded. The tabs get flattened when you drive the bushing apart. Bend the tabs back out before reinstalling so the lower bushing stays in place while threading the bolt.
-The only bushing that you really need the bottom to be secured before threading the bolt is the #4 bushing since there is no way one person can hold the lower bushing on and start the bolt, unless your arms are about 6' long and have 2 elbows.

If anyone can find any torque values please let me know.

 

[donalds]

is this what you're looking for
from the ford manual

 

[BKennedy]

Yes, that will do nicely. Thanks

 

[BKennedy]

All the lower bushings on the driver side popped out after I loosened the bolts and tapped the heads with a hammer. I got all the body bushings installed so that part is done. Trying to torque them doesn't work very well as the lower bushing starts to spin. I got numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5 torqued by holding a crescent wrench on the bottom bushing, but can't reach the #4 lower bushings and torque them at the same time on both sides. Gave them a couple bumps with the impact until they felt the same as the torqued bolts. I had to drop the tank to get the #4 driver side bushings out. The tank skid plate had never been removed and I took a dirt shower when it popped loose. I mean, I was covered in dirt. Coughing, in the face, head to toe dirt, even a few small rocks. Smelled slightly like Arizona, but I didn't smell like burnt rubber anymore. Transmission jack comes in real handy to hold the tank, then lower it a few inches to get the bushing in and out. I used a piece of 2x4 to hold the lower bushing in place until I could start the bolt. I took the opportunity to straighten out the skid plate, since its had a bow in it for at least 15 years that compressed the tank and bulged out the sides. When I reinstalled it, I noticed there is more room between the frame and the tank than before. I also checked the wiring and brake lines that run through behind the tank and they looked good.

I still need to reinstall the interior and clean up the mess, but I am done for today. While I was working on the Explorer I had the RV detailed. It looks fabulous. Not bad for a 18 year old coach.

 

[BKennedy]

Something I just noticed today. The Explorer body has always been a little offset on the frame to the driver side, meaning there is more tire outside the fender on the passenger side. Today I was getting something out of it and noticed it appears perfectly even side to side. I guess replacing the body mounts lined up the body correctly on the frame, something the factory could not do.

 

[Stic-o]

Something I just noticed today. The Explorer body has always been a little offset on the frame to the driver side, meaning there is more tire outside the fender on the passenger side. Today I was getting something out of it and noticed it appears perfectly even side to side. I guess replacing the body mounts lined up the body correctly on the frame, something the factory could not do.

Or maybe somebody flopped it on it's side.

 

[BKennedy]

Or maybe somebody flopped it on it's side.

Well its straight now

 

[Kirby N.]

When I did my body bushings on my ranger I was surprised by the amount of slop in them and how you could adjust the body. Smaller body, so probably even more significant with my ranger but pretty crazy.