Planning to replace front sway bar links on '04 LS V8 Sport-any special instructions?

[lsintoronto]

Planning to replace the front sway bar links on our '04 LS V8 Sport - any special instructions or straightforward install?

Do the nuts for the endlinks have to be replaced once removed?

 

[02LincLS]

Spray them well in advance and wire brush the rust off. If you're lucky, you will struggle but get them.
The end of the link is a 1/4" hex which swells up and rusts along with the threads. The hex usually rounds off while you try to turn the nut. The nut also likes to push the socket off the end of the hex in which case you just vice grip it or cut it off.
Be sure to not let the shaft spin when putting the new one back in. There should be new nuts. The sway bar will fight you when trying to put the new one in if you only have one side jacked up. Having a buddy will make it easier.

 

[lsintoronto]

Spray them well in advance and wire brush the rust off. If you're lucky, you will struggle but get them.
The end of the link is a 1/4" hex which swells up and rusts along with the threads. The hex usually rounds off while you try to turn the nut. The nut also likes to push the socket off the end of the hex in which case you just vice grip it or cut it off.
Be sure to not let the shaft spin when putting the new one back in. There should be new nuts. The sway bar will fight you when trying to put the new one in if you only have one side jacked up. Having a buddy will make it easier.

Thanks man. As you said, all the things you described happened when trying to get the old links off but they came off eventually (had to use vice grips on 2 of them). I was using a pry bar to gently pry one of the link ends out of the arm and the link came apart!

The new ones went in easily but the shafts did spin a little when I was installing the new ones even though I held them with a socket/wrench.

What will this spinning cause or do?

 

[02LincLS]

the boot can tear, otherwise, everything inside doesnt care.

 

[lsintoronto]

Thanks....the boots didn't tear as I clamped it once I noticed they were turning, so guess I'm ok.

I used the emergency jack from the car under the control arm to lift it to align the holes to make removal and re-install easier (only one wheel was in the air using a floor jack).