Can anybody help me get this thing bolted back together?

 

As far as I can get it in. Can't get bar inserted far enough to bolt up.

 

Can anyone tell me if "unweighting" the i beams w/ a floor jack will help me align / pound the bar back in?

 

Do you have a come-along or something similar? Some ratchet strap may even work.

 

Dang, it's a PITA! Tried a big ratchet tie down & a big hammer. Tough to get enough torque... might have to remove the steering link to get more room?
Kinda cold & dark soon... might just call the crusher!

 

Ahhh, finally back in. Just needed a bigger hammer.

 

Ah yes, the "finesse" tool

 

I've used a substantial pry bar but the hammer works just as well.

Luckily for me I've eliminated that stock POS sway bar arrangement in favor of a Hellwig part---MUCH easier to service all the way 'round.

 

JWA... could you elaborate? The bushing has popped out again. Have bad death wobble & it must have jiggled out. Dang.

 

FYI... It was never fully "seated" against the beam on the passenger side there was still about 1/4" to go both times I did this. It lasted about a year the first time but only a week this time.

 

Factory sway bar I-Beam bushings need to be fully seated in the web of the I-Beam----if the originals were removed and the steel shell left behind that's a huge problem.

The other issue is replacement urethane bushings will expand or "squish" outward if not properly inserted and making them too large in OD to be pushed or hammered into place. They're elastic so will absorb impacts without moving.

I used large washers and threaded rod to pull bushings into place---it takes a bit of cobbling or creative thinking to get just the right set up. Not sure if I can find the links showing how others have done this but those would be close enough to my method to work just fine. Here's one link that may be helpful: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-bushings.html

As far as my "improvment" via Hellwig front sway bars: they use a completely different attachment method connecting the sway bar ends to the very outside end of the I-Beams. Because they're not stabbing through the I-Beam there's no pesky bushing to deal with.

Hellwig does use the somewhat standard links with spacers and urethane bushings but their method makes changing them very easy.

Let me know if I need to go digging for those threads about OEM bushing installation.

 

That's kind of what it looks like happened to me from that second photo. If I'm not mistaken, that's a MOOG bushing you are trying to get in. I've put in several of these and they aren't hard. A good whack with a good sized hammer and they're in, no steel shell to drive in. But the originals do have a steel shell that could have completely delaminated from the rubber and stayed behind making the diameter of the hole smaller and causing your problem. Getting the old one out has always been a bit of a PITA in my experience. Big hammer, socket and chisel away at it. If I were organized I'd have a nice threaded rig to press out the old ones but sometimes it makes me feel manly and brutish to get medieval on something with a BFH for a little while .

 

That's why we're men dammit! Fix it or FUBAR it ASAP or PDQ!

I just laid in the driveway with a long mortal chisel, aforementioned BFH and went to work. I think if attacked from the back side they're easier---one side or the other has a small lip protruding from the I-Beam the chisel can dig into.

Just collapse them a bit and they almost fall out then.

These are axle OEM axle pivot bushings but almost the same as the front sway bar bushings:

 

Thanks y'all for great help!
"Factory sway bar I-Beam bushings need to be fully seated in the web of the I-Beam----if the originals were removed and the steel shell left behind that's a huge problem."
Um, yep, might have that problem... I don't remember the bushing housing ring coming out with the old bushings when replaced a couple years ago... probably why the wouldn't fit tightly against the axle. I'm not comfortable working under the van (skeerd!)
I went at it again... Pulled, banged, yanked, pried, cursed, hammered some more... I could not get the sway bar out of the bushing still in the axle. So just ground down the one that pops out so it'd fit flush & am back on road w/ bad death wobble. Only kicks in at about 50 & faster... scary to drive at speed!

 

Death wobble can be caused by Many underlying factors, poor alignment, ball joints, ect, ect........

If the front end components are intact, tight ball joints, tie rod ends, then look at the condition of the tires.

In most cases, and the easiest First step is to Replace the tires.
Rotate the tires from the back to the front, install 2 new tires.
Have the tires/rims spin balanced. A bent rim can cause this.

In all the cases I've had with death wobble, never on a Ford van, but on Jeep's the first sign of DW, I've changed the tires, and problem went away.
I didn't tear the whole front end apart and re-build it, just installed new tires.

I didn't jump into your original post, as JWA and delgriffith, answered your question, but your picture does show the old bushing in the axle beam, where your trying to install the Moog "improved" bushing.
I just did a set of these last year, and I ended up torching out the old bushings, and like others, used sockets and all tread rod to insert the new bushings.