So I took the bar off my 5.4 X and it would appear that the shop I had put it on a few years back (I didn't have a place/my tools when I bought it) thought the best way to get a bolt on is to cross thread it. The threads are pretty mangled and honestly I'm not all that impressed with them anyway, they just feel thin-walled. Would it be alright to go to Fastenal or Lowes and get some Grade8 nuts and bolts and swap it all out? Also, what are you guys doing about the end links? I see they're adjustable so... should I be adjusting them?

 

Adjust the end links so the sway bar ends are parallel to the ground. If you get new bolts get the grade 8. Don't forget the washers.

 

What's your 5.4 gonna do without that EPIC SWAY BAR OF APOC AWESOMENESS HOOTINANNY Ect. ect.?

 

Yep, Grade 8s with nyloc nuts and adjust the links to keep the bar ends parallel to the ground like Excurvelle said.
Are you taking the factory bar off the bad Horse and swapping it onto the DR EX?

 

I think a Texan has already stolen the factory sway bar

 

Be sure to check your u bolt width for fitting through the stock shock brackets. I didn't and I had one shock extend down while I was figuring out that they were too wide,..it was not fun. Even the supposedly correct ones were too big a diameter for the shock brackets...ergo be prepared to drill larger holes in your shock mounts (a so called drilless installation). Be sure to support the shocks if you do take them off or you can end up with an extended one which you pretty much have to use a hydraulic jack to compress it back up unless you can bench press a heckuva lot.. Your other option is to use factory u bolts. I used the old ones and ordered new ones which I put in a few weeks back. They are a bigger diameter than the originals. Good luck!

 

: This happened to me this weekend, I was able to compress one by hand and had to use the jack on the other. Not fun.

 

doing it that way saves money instead of using Loctite!

 

Razzi said when he picked it up from the guy it was already missing... Hmmmmm...

 

Bwahaha. It's the "Poor" man's Lock nut/loctite.

 

Nah man, it's "jus as gud"

 

Most of the nuts on my Hellwig were the locking variety. Not the nylon locking type, but the type that has a small unfinished metal lip above the threads so as you bolt it on it doesn't want to go either on or off. I put one of my end links on upside down and getting it back off again sucked. Felt like it was crossthreaded when I took it back off and again once I got it past the threads on the nut putting it back on.
Honestly, I almost went to the hardware store and got new bolts because those things suck so bad. Once there's a little rust they will just rip the threads off the bolt when I hit it with my impact. Might not have entirely been the installer, but good call on the replacement bolts.

 

I think you are talking about center lock lock nuts. They are all metal and the inside of the nut distorts which creates the locking action. Some say not to reuse them. Personally I dont think that is necessarily so because I have a few times without issue.

 

This. The tops look like superman gave them a tiny pinch and made them just a tad oval shaped