Need Some Help Installing Sway Bar Links On My 1999 Burb

[1999 Suburban]

I recently bought a 1999 GMC K1500 Suburban with 245k on it. It's in nice shape and runs well. The alignment was done today after I changed the Pitman arm last night. While under the front of the truck I noticed one of the sway bar links was missing so I had the guy doing the alignment cut the other one off. Now that I'm home again with new sway bar links to install, I've found that it seems impossible to install the links without the upper control arm getting in the way.

 

What is the trick to doing these links? I've never had a problem like this while replacing them on other vehicles...

 

Desperately waiting for a reply...

[1999 Suburban]

bump

[grose67]

I just replaced the ones on my 98 Sierra. I had to loosen the bolts on the "saddles" that hold the sway bar to the frame. I was able to move the sway bar bar up and down as needed. My truck is sitting on a 4 inch lift, that may be why it was so easy. I also don't know if your front end even resembles mine.

[dwhults]

When I changed them on my Yukon I put the bolt in through the bottom and the nut on top. I dont know why your UCA is giving you trouble. Might be different between the Yukon and Suburban but I cant see why if yours is a 1500.

 

Make sure you have some deep sockets for the bolt on the bottom.

[1999 Suburban]

When I changed them on my Yukon I put the bolt in through the bottom and the nut on top. I dont know why your UCA is giving you trouble. Might be different between the Yukon and Suburban but I cant see why if yours is a 1500.

 

Make sure you have some deep sockets for the bolt on the bottom.

 

I'm sure our trucks are the same. There is a reason you installed the bolt through the bottom control arm first...maybe you've forgotten. If installed the original way, the bolt head hits the upper control arm before you can thread it through the hole in the lower c.a.

 

If I had 4" of lift, I'm sure things could be very different. I am able to articulate the sway bar up and down within the brackets, but the problem still exists. I want to put them on properly, like it came originally, with the bolt installed from the top first. The other way (with nut on top) may leave too much thread sticking upwards once the nut is run down tight and interfere with the upper control arm. There was only one guy in the past that had the same problem in all my Googling on the subject...he said something about having his wife and kids sit on the fender and then he just barely squeaked them in. Looks like I'm gonna undo and drop the sway bar brackets first to git-r-done...unless someone out there understands/has experienced my problem before.

[dwhults]

I have almost an inch of thread sticking out up top and no problems at all for over 2 months. Before I changed them, the previous owner must have changed the links because one was inserted from the top and the other from the bottom. Go through the bottom, you wont have any problems.

 

If I remember, I'll take some pics after work.

 

I went through the bottom because it was easier to get the nut on from the top.

[1999 Suburban]

If you say it'll work, then that's what I'll do. Thanks for your replies!

[dwhults]

No problem, hope everything works out.

[uh6tdrvr]

I used a cargo stap to pull mine down....it was a pain, now my sway bar is in the garage and i like it alot better there. I can only tell a small differance when it drives but off the highway its MUCH better...now its actually INDEPENANT susension....unless you drive alot of curvy roads, ditch it!