Thanks for that post REF, I like that. Any chance you have a better pic of the bracket the bar attaches to at the frame?
I figured out why I was having trouble getting the sway bar to fit, I was using the wrong damn bar!
I have just assumed all along (you know because on my ujoint van I used the truck bar and not the van bar) that I was using the bigger truck bar. I have followed many of the MG build threads (even scrolled a couple last night) and can't recall it mentioned, besides it saying nothing in the instructions about it.
Without looking at the part# list for the sway bar, bushings, brackets, and links, I bought truck bar bushings, and brackets, already had the bar and links....
Last night I got to looking at the sway bar links using the part# and realized they are for a bar with horizontal bolts vs. vertical bolts like my F250 bar/links, VAN Parts!
I'm not excited about using the smaller bar. I've been contemplating ways to make the truck bar work and it would require a drop bracket to attach bar to frame (like REF's pics). Putting this on the back burner and will get back to it later.
The brake lines, I think the 99-2004 F series (or wait are they eseries? Or Ujoint proprietary parts?, I might have to look) brake lines would be a better fit for this application. They are set up to go through the hole behind the shock in the spring bucket with a clip on the back. The 2005 and up ones attach to the hardline there at a 90 and make it so you cant utilize the clip.
My Wagner lines have no brackets on the ends, just a big one in the middle (it attaches to the OEM lower spring perch). I would have bought the recommended Ford lines but the description online for these said it had brackets (that MG said he liked).
Radius arm brackets, although 5 of the 8 holes were in the frame already, all of the side holes had to be "egged" to the bottom of the frame to get them to work.
Doing the conversion on jack stands presents challenges (easily overcome) as the jack stands don't have many places to sit under the frame with the radius arms location. You can see them in the pic below with one side of the top of the stand tabbed into a slot under the radius arm bracket allowing room for the arms. This meant that they had to be moved (from a location just behind the OEM r-brackets) after the radius arm brackets were installed by jacking up the vehicle with blocks under the engine cross member.
This said, this axle kit has been very easy to install, I have about 20 hours into installing the nearly complete axle.
Rolled it in under on a couple car dollys, attached radius arms, and jacked the axle up into position.
Relocated stands. If they were behind the brackets I might have ended up with a teter totter...
The bumpstops with extenders were installed with a new hole in a little tab/flange here. Also, I managed to drill all of the holes without a right angle drill, For tight areas I used my little cordless impact.
I will post some more pics as I button things up, wheels/tires and brake lines are the last things left (for the front axle install at least).
I figured out why I was having trouble getting the sway bar to fit, I was using the wrong damn bar!
I have just assumed all along (you know because on my ujoint van I used the truck bar and not the van bar) that I was using the bigger truck bar. I have followed many of the MG build threads (even scrolled a couple last night) and can't recall it mentioned, besides it saying nothing in the instructions about it.
Without looking at the part# list for the sway bar, bushings, brackets, and links, I bought truck bar bushings, and brackets, already had the bar and links....
Last night I got to looking at the sway bar links using the part# and realized they are for a bar with horizontal bolts vs. vertical bolts like my F250 bar/links, VAN Parts!
I'm not excited about using the smaller bar. I've been contemplating ways to make the truck bar work and it would require a drop bracket to attach bar to frame (like REF's pics). Putting this on the back burner and will get back to it later.
The brake lines, I think the 99-2004 F series (or wait are they eseries? Or Ujoint proprietary parts?, I might have to look) brake lines would be a better fit for this application. They are set up to go through the hole behind the shock in the spring bucket with a clip on the back. The 2005 and up ones attach to the hardline there at a 90 and make it so you cant utilize the clip.
My Wagner lines have no brackets on the ends, just a big one in the middle (it attaches to the OEM lower spring perch). I would have bought the recommended Ford lines but the description online for these said it had brackets (that MG said he liked).
Radius arm brackets, although 5 of the 8 holes were in the frame already, all of the side holes had to be "egged" to the bottom of the frame to get them to work.
Doing the conversion on jack stands presents challenges (easily overcome) as the jack stands don't have many places to sit under the frame with the radius arms location. You can see them in the pic below with one side of the top of the stand tabbed into a slot under the radius arm bracket allowing room for the arms. This meant that they had to be moved (from a location just behind the OEM r-brackets) after the radius arm brackets were installed by jacking up the vehicle with blocks under the engine cross member.
This said, this axle kit has been very easy to install, I have about 20 hours into installing the nearly complete axle.
Rolled it in under on a couple car dollys, attached radius arms, and jacked the axle up into position.
Relocated stands. If they were behind the brackets I might have ended up with a teter totter...
The bumpstops with extenders were installed with a new hole in a little tab/flange here. Also, I managed to drill all of the holes without a right angle drill, For tight areas I used my little cordless impact.
I will post some more pics as I button things up, wheels/tires and brake lines are the last things left (for the front axle install at least).
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