The rear suspension was very straightforward. I put the rig up on jack stands and placed the floor jack under the rear differential to support it while the Panhard bar, shocks, sway bar,lower links, springs and upper links were removed.
You need to use care as to not put too much tension on the brake lines when the differential is lowered all the way. Other than that, the disassembly is a breeze.
The first thing I did after all of the stock parts were out was to wire brush and clean up the rear end housing and some of the other areas in the rear of the vehicle. As I mentioned before, this FJ spent it's first 18K miles on Kodiak Island, and it was really crusty underneath. Once it was cleaned up a bit, I shot some satin black Krylon on it.
Next, I fit the All-Pro Lower Link Skids to the frame using the new lower links to mock up the exact location and bolt hole alignment. After I was satisfied with the fit, I ground the area on the frame with the flap wheel and tacked the skid in place. Once the skid was tacked, I removed the bolt and the link, replaced the bolt in the hole, and finish welded the skid. After the skid had cooled, I hit it with a wire brush and shot some of the satin black Krylon on the area.
Both sides were done the same way, the only difference being that the fuel tank blocks you from completely welding the inside seam of the driver's side skid. I was able to hit the front and rear of the inside, and am not worried that it will be a problem at all. It will still be much stronger than the stock configuration with no armor.
The best time to do the rear brake lines is when you have the rest of it all apart and have a bunch more room to work under the back of the rig. I changed them out exactly as I did the front ones, taking care to orient/rotate the fittings to ensure the lines will be out of harms way through the range of articulation of the rear end. The new braided stainless rear lines are a bit more than 2" longer than stock, and will give more than enough stretch for the lift added.
The new springs are definitely longer than stock, and I needed to push down on each side of the rear end individually to get them in. After that, I installed the upper and lower links after adjusting them to the stock length and securing the threads with red Loctite.
Next, I checked the length of the new Toytec Panhard bar against the stock one and adjusted it accordingly. I then put some red Loctite on the threads and clamped the bar in the vise to tighten the jam nuts with a big ol' crescent wrench. The Panhard bar fit perfectly, and was installed with no problems.
On to the rear sway bar. I prepared the sway bar bushing clamps the same way as the front ones. I drilled the holes for the zerks right in the center, along with the bushings, tapped the holes, inserted the grease fittings, and they were ready to go. I then installed the sway bar end link polyurethane bushings while the bar was hanging free with no tension on it. After that, I jacked up the rear differential, placed the pre-lubed bushings on the sway bar, then hooked the retainer brackets under the mounting area on both sides and tightened up the four mounting bolts.
Last was the new Bilstein Shocks. I compressed them to remove the factory retainer strap, slipped a new washer and bushing over the top stud, then slid the lower shock eye onto the lower mounting stud. I then compressed them and guided the top stud through the upper mounting hole in the frame, put on another bushing and washer, and torqued down the nuts until the bushings compress out to the diameter of the washers.
Once the rear suspension was fully assembled, I bled the brakes, put the stock tires back on it and pulled it out of the garage. :clap:
I was very curious as to how much clearance I would have between my roof rack and the garage door opening after all of the mods were completed. With the stock tires and wheels, there was about a half an inch clearance coming out of the garage. :bigthumb: