I started working on the rear of the car. I pulled the sway bar components, leaf springs and shocks.
I bought the following Energy Suspension parts to use on the rear 5/8" sway bar.
5/8" Shock Bushings 9.8116G Qty-1
5/8" Split Shock Bushings 9.8147G Qty-1
5/8" Stab Bushing 9.5104G Qty-1
I modified the 9.8116G bushings by removing the raised lip portion with my bench grinder. These bushing look very similar to the original rubber bushing that slide onto the sway bar itself. See attachments for a comparison.
I was going to modify the stab bushings to fit inside the original brackets that mount to the bottom of the leaf springs, but my plans didn't work out. I will either have to use the gold bracket that comes in the kit, or reuse the original bushings. The originals are pretty deformed, but they might work if I flip them from passenger side to driver side and vice-versa. I will probably use the brackets that came with the Poly bushings but paint them black. I will put the originals on a shelf until I can find a better solution.
The split shock bushings should work well on the upper end of the links, but part number 9.8147G has the wrong I.D. to use the original steel sleeves. I have ordered 9.8140G and 9.8108G both have the proper I.D. and I should be able to get one of them to work.
I removed the leaf springs and noticed one broken leaf on the passenger side spring pack. Luckily, I have a few sets of springs around, and I was able to swap the broken leaf out. I got the bushings changed out and reinstalled the springs to find out that they were completely shot. The Air shocks I removed were all that was holding the rear end up. Next time, I will air down the shocks completely before I plan a spring rehab. I guess I should have known there was a reason for the Air shocks. Anyhow, I ordered a pair of Sport(WS6) springs from Dave at Pro-Touring F-Body. I was trying to keep this car as original as possible, but original springs are out of the picture.
I will post some more pics and updates. I am going to start on the front next. Hopefully, I will get it done and the new rear springs will show up.
-Tom
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