I purchased a set of black polygraphite bushings from energy suspension the other day for my stock bar (68 GTX)and have spent the last hour trying to get those @#$% things on. They slip on the bar (sans bracket) rather easily with the supplied lube, tight but still manageable. I just cannot get the bushings into the frame bracket once its there. In frustration, I took the bushings back off and tried to insert them into just the brackets - very tight and had much trouble getting them in. I did it, but had to really get ignorant with them using channellock pliers, and there's no way I can see doing that again while the bushings are on the bar. My brackets are not bent either, and I used plenty of lube. There's got to be someone out there who has done this before - maybe a trick or two you could pass along?

Some people go to the trouble of removing the brackets and then rewelding them with the bushing in place.
I have always just lubed them up with WD -40 start them first at the top of the triangle part of the bushing and work my way to the bottom on each side. I use stong language, channel locks, large plyers, and large vise grips to get them to go in.
It is rough but it can be done.

I agree. I did the ones on my 69 Charger and fought with them tooth and nail using some colorful language even having a screw driver slip off and gash my palm of my hand pretty good. Like Mike said, try some lube, either WD-40 or some other type of grease with the channel locks. It won't be easy by a long shot, but they usually will go in. I've also heard that the way that was done originally was to slip the bushing on and then weld the strap in place.

I ran into the same problem on my Dart. I eventually was able to get one side done, but not the other. Ended up cutting the bracket.

Bushing

..yes this is a miserable task.
it is a little easier starting right at the end
where the end link goes..it's a little narrower there.
..i trimmed a little off the top ridge to help as well.
..if you have someone who regularly gives you some grief
send him a set!

I just did a set. Did not have to cut the bracket.

Grease the heck out of it. I used channel locks and a Phillips screw driver and just worked it a little bit at a time, then there is a point where it pops in. I agree with the earlier comment, do it by the narrower diameter of the bar.

Be patient!

cut the bracket and reweld, worked great for me. done in minits.

using all that grease and wd40 causes havoc with the paint job on the other parts not to mention the dripping oilly mess for weeks.

I'll be installing new bushings in my sway bar in the near future. I thought that I might be able to use my shop press to help get the bushing pushed in. Am I delusional?

a little off topic but what are people using for replacement sway bar bushings (69 b-body heavy duty sway bar) and where can they be purchased?

Suspension Restoration has these.....#55128 for 7/8" bar and 55129 for 15/16" bar.

Yeh they are a SOB to get the brackets on them....channel locks as mentioned worked for me....combined with a novel full of F-Bombs...

To help with install (after re-welding in original bracket) boil a large pan of water remove from heat and put the assemblies in there to soften the poly. Then remove and put them in a vise that is securely bolted to work bench, lube with soapy water or silicone spray and stab that bar in there, repeat on other side.

The dish soap idea is a "cleaner" way of doing the job!! Works just as good or better than greasy stuff and at least it rinses off.

As an update, I tried to use different lube, stuffed the top of the bushing in first, then tried the bottom, then a side. No way it was going in there, even with two locking pliers, a screwdriver for leverage and a channelock. I ended up actually damaging the bushing on one of the sides (permanent deformation)during one particularly intense attempt. Not to mention what the bracket looks like after I sandblasted it, plated with zinc and then two coats of black por-15. Bottom line - the hole in the bushing is no longer concentric, so instead of possibly ruining the thing, I'm going to cut the bracket and see how that works. With a spray bottle of water handy, I think I can reduce the heat after running the weld bead enough to minimize any damage to the bushing. Wish me luck.

Hey I had to cut my bracket. I just cut one side and bent it up enough to get the bushing in. I also used a spray bottle of water to cool it down. Just take your time, it will work!

what i have used with good results is a block of wood with a hole drilled in the center then cut in half. place both pieces around sway bar and secured together with wood screws. with the order of bracket, bushing and wood block, i would then use clamps to slowly push the busing into the bracket with dish soap as a lube. being able to supply even pressure on the whole bushing and working it into place slowly has worked for me. this is with the bushing already on the sway bar.

I know that this thread is old, but I wanted to post that I just installed my poly swaybar bushings using the technique described by macmic87. The one side went in easily. The other side gave me a little fight, but I finally prevailed! Thanks for the info Moparts

Does anyone repro that strap that is welded around the bushing? I know they tend to get beat up pretty good from curbs and such over the years.