before i attempt these sway bar bushings does this look normal to anyone ?it seems these bushings i picked up at napa are too tall is it possible they will crush down flush with the frame?i put new ones in my sons 71 cutlass and don't remember them being so tall

 

depends on what they are going on. have you looked at the vehicle they are to replace to see what they look like. the bushings don't really crush down much, but some are taller to fill the space.

 

Yes, those do look a bit tall to me...

- Eric

 

there is no recess in the frame for these bushings they are for my 1972 cutlass supreme.ill have to check back with the parts store to make sure they gave me the right ones .

 

They look about right to me. Look at the thread at the bottom of this page "What's up with these sway bar bushings?"

 

Thanks for the link mrolds I see this topic has been discussed at length . I will try to torque to specs and see what happens .if it doesn't work I'll try trimming them a bit . I ran the part number for napa chassis parts and it says it's the right one . Thanks to everyone

 

Sure...give it a try. The rubber ones do crush a LOT. Poly...not so much.

 

They look normal to me. They must crush down firmly to work properly. Make sure the frame threads are in good shape. Chase them with a thread restorer or chase NOT a tap. You can use longer bolts to get them compressed. Then after a week or so remove the longer hardware and install the OEM. Or you can use a jack (bottle) to compress the rubber with a block of wood. Or some other safe creative method to achieve compression. Dont over torque or you will pull the threads out. Inspect that low spot in the frame just forward of the attachment points for dirt and rust accumulation. Clean it out. I drilled drain holes there.
Remember do your final tightening with the car on the ground with full chassis weight on the bar.

 

just to update on the sway bar bushings i went out tonight and installed them with no issues .it was a bit of a challenge get the bolts started but after that just tightened them evenly and they snugged down flush with the frame.torqued them down to 28 ft. lb.these were the stiffer poly bushings as well.using the longer bolts as the stated above would have made things a bit easier .thanks for the help