Front End Upgrade (many pictures)
Eight years ago, against better judgement, we bought a VW Vanagon, our first real RV. Because it was a Vanagon, it almost immediately needed significant maintenance. I had barely a clue what I was d...
Forum Discussion
j-d wrote:
The bar-to-frame brackets must not get all that much strain since those bushings rarely wear out. I've replaced lots of end link bushings, don't know if I've ever changed the frame ones.
I think you've got this figured out. I mean, how much strain could these bolts be under, right? Well, I am a paranoid type AND I promised the wife that there would be no "compromise" efforts on the front-end upgrade.
So, I tapped a hole in the frame to allow for the larger bolt and, big surprise, the hole stripped out at 40 ft-lbs, well short of the 110 ft-lbs Ford specified. So, I hired a welder to come out and weld the Hellig sway-bar brackets to the frame. It's probably massive overkill but I figure it's still easier and cheaper than having the sway-bar bust loose in some awful rural hell-hole.
As soon as I can, I will post the final pictures of the upgrade, but, honestly, j-d's photos provide as much information as I could hope to provide. The thing to remember in this project is it really is a big bunch of work. You really need the proper torque wrenches, too, to be totally sure you've done the right things.
Also, for the record, the 2014 brakes are massively, hugely, totally, utterly better than the 2007 brakes. No comparison. I'm not totally sure you could upgrade only the calipers and rotors, but I'm pretty sure you can.
If I had to confine myself to only a few upgrades, I'd do the brakes and alignment. Maybe the shocks, too. But the brakes and "harvard" alignment really did the deed.
Hit the road, Jack.
