Can anyone who installed this please measure their spacer tube and let me know what the length of it is. I think mine are a bit too long. I can't get the lock nut on the end. The last washer covers up the last bit of threads on the bolt. Also, the directions show the bolt pushing up from the bottom putting the lock nut above the mount bracket. The directions in the thread had the bolt coming down putting the lock nut below the sway bar. Or doesn't it matter. Either way the first question is my biggest problem. Thanks for any feedback.
Ok the spacer tube measured 5 13/16". I have mine from top to bottom: bolt - washer - bushing - mt bracket - bushing - washer - spacer tube - washer - bushing - sway bar - bushing - washer - and lock nut. When I had mine properly tightened the bolt end was pretty much flush with the lock nut making sure I didnt over compress the bushings. I remember I had the same issue with my install until I noticed that I had one of the bushings on backwards. You might wanna check for that. The little nipples on the bushings should face the sway bar or the mount bracket. Hope this helps. By the way great purchase you wont regret it, its worth every penny!!!
My bolts were too short as well so I called the factory and they sent me two new (longer) bolts the same day. I have the Revtek lift on mine which probably made a difference.
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Can anyone who installed this please measure their spacer tube and let me know what the length of it is. I think mine are a bit too long. I can't get the lock nut on the end. The last washer covers up the last bit of threads on the bolt. Also, the directions show the bolt pushing up from the bottom putting the lock nut above the mount bracket. The directions in the thread had the bolt coming down putting the lock nut below the sway bar. Or doesn't it matter. Either way the first question is my biggest problem. Thanks for any feedback.
Mine were the same way. I just removed the last washer, compressed the setup with the nut, removed the nut and put the washer back on. The stack stayed compressed enough to get the nut on with everything. Ended up with the bolt end flush with the end of the nut after tightening until the bushings bulged a bit.
My spacer measures the same. Was gonna try what you did tomhole but was getting tired as it was getting pretty late last night and I wasn't sure if it would work. Will give it a try this morning and see what happens. By the way, how did you hold the plate/bolt inside the frame on the drivers side so that you could tighten the bolt?
My spacer measures the same. Was gonna try what you did tomhole but was getting tired as it was getting pretty late last night and I wasn't sure if it would work. Will give it a try this morning and see what happens. By the way, how did you hold the plate/bolt inside the frame on the drivers side so that you could tighten the bolt?
Check out Tundrarose gallery it has some great pic's and a few ideas that diff from tremos. Like using a "C" clamp to hold the plate/bolt on the drivers side. That was not the problem for me the spacer was. I used a small bottle jack to put tension on the swaybar and that let me start the nut with all the hardware attached.
Kevin
This is not exacting work. No two sides of a sway bar are at the same exact tension, nor is any sway bar exactly centered within a 1/16 of an inch.
Take the spacer and shorten it a bit with a file or a grinder. Just enough so you can catch a few threads. I tried the tighten with out the washer trick and put the nut into the rubber spacer and had to pry the rubber off the nut.
In doing so it tore the little nub off the rubber spacer that goes into the hole in the sway bar. No problem as now there was enough clearance to catch a few threads and tighten everything up to the point where the rubber spacers bulged a bit.
It all seems to work just fine now. This is one of those jobs that does not have to be exact.
My spacer measures the same. Was gonna try what you did tomhole but was getting tired as it was getting pretty late last night and I wasn't sure if it would work. Will give it a try this morning and see what happens. By the way, how did you hold the plate/bolt inside the frame on the drivers side so that you could tighten the bolt?
I did this "easy install" yesterday and had already identified 2 possible problems from reading other's experiences. The first was holding the driver's side plate inside the fram while trying to get the deformed thread locknut on. I had some steel bars around 1/4 x 1 1/4" x about 8" long that I maneuvered inside the frame to keep the rect plate from spinning. I ended up temporarily removing the gas line clamp to get more room to work. I ended up with some fingers inside the big frame hole to hold it also. The locknut is still a bear to get tightened but I didn't want to give in to using a regular nut and lockwasher.
The second is the length of the long screw. I put the screw in from the top also and used all thick washers. I knew that would present stack problems but figured a jack would compress the stack enough to get the nut started. I fugured wrong. The jack actually started raising the corner of the truck. I ended up grinding around 3/16" off each spacer that did the trick. Those locknuts are really tough but I know from experience they are the best; much better than the nylon elastic stop nuts.
My spacer measures the same. Was gonna try what you did tomhole but was getting tired as it was getting pretty late last night and I wasn't sure if it would work. Will give it a try this morning and see what happens. By the way, how did you hold the plate/bolt inside the frame on the drivers side so that you could tighten the bolt?
I could not even come close to getting that plate in there, so I used my Mk1 MOD0 small arm that I and my wife acquired about 9 years ago. She's useful for other things as well. She ended up doing most of the install for me. She came in real handy when I installed the nerf bars as well. Highly recommend them.
If you don't have a 9 year old around, then I'm not sure how to get it in there.
OK here's what worked. Tomhole was dead on. Torqued down the lock nut without the washer which compressed everything enough to then remove the nut replace the washer and tighten everything back up. Thanks Tomhole. As far as the plate inside the frame on the drivers side, I was able to reach in there from the back and place a pair of vice grips on the nut that is welded to the plate. Somewhat difficult beacause of the welds on the nut. You have to make sure you grip the right 2 edges. Once thats on, the vice grip will hold itself against the frame so that you may now tighten the nut. It's tight up in there to place the vice grip, ecspecially for someone of my size, but it can be done. Other than those 2 problems, everything went pretty smooth. Thanks for all your help guys. Kevin.
OK here's what worked. Tomhole was dead on. Torqued down the lock nut without the washer which compressed everything enough to then remove the nut replace the washer and tighten everything back up. Thanks Tomhole. As far as the plate inside the frame on the drivers side, I was able to reach in there from the back and place a pair of vice grips on the nut that is welded to the plate. Somewhat difficult beacause of the welds on the nut. You have to make sure you grip the right 2 edges. Once thats on, the vice grip will hold itself against the frame so that you may now tighten the nut. It's tight up in there to place the vice grip, ecspecially for someone of my size, but it can be done. Other than those 2 problems, everything went pretty smooth. Thanks for all your help guys. Kevin.
I never even thought of doing it that way, but it would work the same as what I did. I only jacked the end of the sway bar up about 1/2 inch or so to get things started then did the same for the other side, then tightened both sides down equally.
As far as the bolt through the frame that was odd at first but I just fished it up with my fingers of one hand and tipped over to the hole and tapped it in. When torquing it down my nut/plate didnot even spin or break loose. I guess I got very lucky.
Glad you got it on and everything is well.
Kevin
I had a heck of a time getting mine on last night. I ended up grinding about 1/8" off the end of the spacer tubes to get the thread started. Those aren't exactly precision pieces anyway so I figured what the heck. I may have been able to use the method listed here of compressing the bushings, but it was late and I was frustrated and it worked.
Another tip that will help others that may read this thread is that by removing the bracket that holds the emergency brake line in place so you can move the cable aside that will give you much more room to get up in there on the drivers side. It's one 12mm bolt and it frees up so much space.
I had a heck of a time getting mine on last night. I ended up grinding about 1/8" off the end of the spacer tubes to get the thread started. Those aren't exactly precision pieces anyway so I figured what the heck. I may have been able to use the method listed here of compressing the bushings, but it was late and I was frustrated and it worked.
Another tip that will help others that may read this thread is that by removing the bracket that holds the emergency brake line in place so you can move the cable aside that will give you much more room to get up in there on the drivers side. It's one 12mm bolt and it frees up so much space.
Amazing difference in handling with the bar!
I thought it was a fuel line, but I guess a fuel line would be metal. Did you use all thick washers at the bushings? I agree with you that the overall hardware stack up would be about the same with the ground down spacer.
I thought it was a fuel line, but I guess a fuel line would be metal. Did you use all thick washers at the bushings? I agree with you that the overall hardware stack up would be about the same with the ground down spacer.
Yes. I used all of the washers. I didn't see any difference in thickness of the washers, but I did put washers around all the bushings. One thing to make sure that you do is to have the little protrusion on the bushings facing the bracket and the bar respectively. The protrusions on the bushings fit into the hole on the bracket and the bar making a nice fit. If you don't have these protrusions facing the right direction, you'll have an even harder time.
A word of caution. Mine bolt seemed short at first, but was able to get the assembly on with the bushing slightly bulging. HOWEVER, the rinky-dink flat washer Hellwig supplies soon bent and the bar nearly dropped off one side. I replaced the washers with larger diameter and thicker flat washers. The original washers bent after several trip up on the hoist, where the axle freefalls. That really extends the sway bar angling downward, and it bent the original washers. No troubles since washers were upgraded.
Also, if I were installing the bar again, I would lube the bar around the bushings at the axle clamps with something good. They eventually squeak.
Help with Helwig install please.
No problem as now there was enough clearance to catch a few threads and tighten everything up to the point where the rubber spacers bulged a bit. 
Linear Mode
