sway bar, shocks, and stabilizer arrived

[erlong]

I've had my sway bar assembled on the family room floor for about a week now and today my RS9000 shocks and Pro Comp steering stabilizer shock showed up. It's supposed to be HOT this week, so hopefully on Wednesday (they're predicting 50 degrees) I can get this crap installed in the evening on the wet driveway.

Just had to share my joy on the arrival of new toys. Will report back when I am cornering like a Porsche. [img]images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[derner]

Hey Eric, I finally got registered and on the site. Thanks for all the info you emailed me. I'm loving the no-muffler modification. BIG difference in low end! I look forward to hearing your results on the new toys!

[Huckster]

Erlong,

Let me know when you get your shocks and swaybar on. I am interested in the swaybar and how it works. Looking forward to getting to MN and lining up the beasts. How does your X sound with the straight pipe? The shocks are a pretty easy install hope the swaybar is just as easy.

Huck

[erlong]

Glad to see you aboard, derner!

Huck, I definitely want to "line up" when you get around to moving here.

The Hellwig directions are pretty bad, but after a lot of re-reading you can kind of get the picture of what they're trying to describe. As I mentioned in another post in a different forum, I found a few typos. What I thought was funny is that they didn't bother to include a picture of the final installation. So, without a picture and the dumb thing sitting in my house, I am not sure if the "hoop" part of it goes above or below the pumpkin. It will probably go above since the clearance is important on a 4x4. I suppose I could ask others here that have done it, but still, it's one of those things that makes you wonder what exactly Hellwig was thinking when they approved these instructions for shipping.

The shocks will be a breeze. I just wanted to wait for them because the sway bar replaces the u-bolts used to mount the shock brackets to the rearend. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and just take care of it all at once. The sway bar does look like a piece of cake. The only thing is that I will probably need an extra hand because it's pretty akward to try and position by yourself while laying on the ground underneath a jacked up vehicle. I just hope the roads are dry on the way home the night I do this, otherwise I'm gonna have water dripping in my face all evening.

I haven't done a straight pipe yet, nor have I heard how one sounds. I'm just gonna buy the Hypermax 5" exhaust now that I've learned that backpressure is not an issue with a turbocharged diesel. I'm kind of concerned about noise particularly when it's high-idling, not so much because I don't like it, but just to keep the neighbors happy. I let it idle for a long time during the cold mornings, so the "747 sound" could end up being a noise ordinance issue with the people around here.

Huck, what are you going to do with your mushy tranny shifts? I'm definitely leaning towards the TransGo shift kit, just not sure about the torque converter at this point.

[Runk]

Yes, the Helwig instructions leave alot to be desired.
I have just completed the install of rear and front anti sway bars.
Yes, the hoop at the rear lives above the pumpkin.
Dont forget to grease the bushings.
Front replacement bar HIGHLY recommended.
The install is an easy one man job.
I have installed the Rancho RS9000s on the front. Very easy install.
Rears had manufacturing defect at top mounts.
Would not fit.
sway bars, two 9000 shocks and the Procomp SS have DRAMATICALLY transformed the handling of our EX.
Dont forget to use threadlok on any nuts that are not locking.
Good luck braving the weather. You wont be disappointed!
I hope this msg goes thru, it keeps doing weird things.

(The rear Ranchos did not fit. I called Rancho and they said it is a manufacturing defect. Top mount two holes do not have proper spread center to center. I am waiting on new ones to be UPS'd.)
Having the front Ranchos set at 3 really improves things, even with the stock rear shocks still installed.

[erlong]

The Hellwig is installed. In my haste to get the damn thing done before dark and before the rain started pouring, I tightened everything and didn't align the shock mounts over the round studs on the rear axle. As a result, it's shifting a little bit on hard turns. Not a big deal, I'll fix it after work tomorrow.

Man, I wish I would have read the post about the rear RS9000's before tonight. Pissed me off that they did not fit. Guess I'll call Rancho tomorrow and get the "fixed" pair ordered. I installed the rears anyway with just one bolt on the top with intentions of putting the factory shocks back on in the rear tomorrow night.

Believe it or not, the Hellwig anti-sway bar was easier to install than the shocks. I didn't realize how far up on the vehicle the rear shocks mounted. It was very difficult getting the bolts back in the holes, particularly on the side with the exhaust pipe. I'm glad I'm doing this before the 5" exhaust is installed.

It took me three hours to complete everything (rear shocks and sway bar). Gonna re-tighten things tomorrow, use locktight on the non-locking nuts, realign the shock mounts, and reinstall the factory shocks in the rear.

Like the previous post says, the sway bar is an easy one-man job. I would not pay anyone to do this because it is very simple despite its horrible instructions.

Now, let's talk about the handling. WOW. I won't comment on the shocks just because they aren't properly mounted, but man, the sway bar is a huge improvement. There is a night and day difference between the handling characteristics. I didn't go out and beat on it just because it's not seated correctly, but doing some normal around-town driving, it was great. I would recommend this modification to anyone.

I took pictures, and will take more pictures tomorrow when I finish things up. Got a little too dark to continue working this evening. The weather was great, the sounds of the outdoors really reminded me of summer. Gotta love wrenching in your driveway!