There are a number of various bushings and other suspension bits that really should be renewed eventually, and I'll get there. I did the front swaybar bushings now mainly because I got a steal of a deal on them, although they don't cost much even if you have to pay full price. I've used Moog suspension components before, and like their quality. I actually have considerable experience with a completely different part of the Moog corporation - "in a different life" I worked with some very special electric motors made by Moog's "Missile Systems" division, although said motors had nothing whatsoever to do with missiles! Like every other teenage boy in the mid to late 1970s, I was an expert on the famous Moog Synthesizer, even though I'd never even seen one and neither had any of my friends. But we sure talked about it! Zorba's Jeep
Front Swaybar Bushings, Tailgate Lock Mod.
Moog front swaybar bushings warming in the Florida sun.
Swaybar cover removed.
Swaybar brackets rusty!
Greasing and installing new bushings.
Both in place, old ones sitting on bumper.
Painting brackets and bolt heads.
All together again, except for the plastic cover.In any event, on these went, and I repainted the rusty brackets while I was at it. I just found a set of the same thing for the rear swaybar at an even better price, so will be ordering those shortly. It is suggested by multiple sources to warm the Moog bushings before installing them so they'll open up easier to snap around the sway bar. I let them warm up in the sun on top of the Jeep, and they went on fine - one of them I heated additionally with a heat gun to the point of where I couldn't hold it, and it didn't make any difference in ease of installation, but I guess if they'd been 50 degrees, they might have been harder to deal with...
No way to lock/unlock the tailgate from the inside - so if you wanted to lock up the Jeep and the tailgate was unlocked, you had to use the key. This mod makes life much easier - I can now lock the tailgate then close it! Home-made pushrod made from a heavy duty coat hanger, I don't care what "Mommy Dearest" says, wire hangers are very useful things!
New hole drilled and home-made pushrod installed in tailgate lock mechanism.
BUT - top side of plastic cover used to have a lip here before I tore it off!
New lip fabricated. See text.
Lock cover reinstalled with pushrod sticking out bottom and loop bent into the end.
Top end showing rivets holding the new metal lip.
This project shows exactly why I don't like barging into something not knowing what I'm doing. Nobody seems to show how the lock cover attaches, so I unsnapped it from the top - and then the bottom. EXCEPT, that was wrong. It was supposed to be un-snapped from the bottom, then lifted up to clear a lip on the inside surface of the topside of the plastic cover. The result can be seen in the above picture, peeled off the plastic lip as neat as you please!
Repair was easy enough once I thought it through, and now I can lock the tailgate without using the key. It should also be possible to run a rod upwards instead of downwards and put a regular car door lock knob on. I also know that some people have installed a hanging lanyard to enable locking - but not unlocking - from the inside. I like having both so my granddaughter can unlock it for me if need be.
Read on for the next part!
In the meantime, the power wiring for the yet to be purchased/installed CB radio...
... has been routed into the cab! It can stay this length until I'm ready to hookup.
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