Rear sway bar installation

This morning I decided to install the heavy duty rear sway bar.

My car did not come with a rear sway bar; fortunately though, it was an option, so the holes were already in the frame for it. And since the new heavy duty front sway bar is about twice the diameter as the stock one, I really need to have a matched one in the rear to make the car handle normally.

So, car safely on jack stands, I head under to remove the metal plate that holds the rear axle and springs in place. First off comes the shock, and the four nuts holding it on.

Then the new plate, with the extra tab for the sway bar drop links, is bolted into place.

Next up, the bushings and mounts are put on the sway bar (the hardest thing I had to do during this procedure.)

Then the sway bar is bolted in place...

In the top center of the pic you can see the back of the transmission, visible through the center bearing housing.

Then the drop links are added, completing the job.

And yes, the front pinion seal on the differential is leaking.  :(

 Much easier than I had anticipated, although having recently swapped out the rear end made it much easier. Careful observers will note that the rear shocks are missing; I have to replace those with newer models that match the new plates. There is always an unexpected price to pay for modifications.

And speaking of the unexpected, I was removing a bolt on the top of the frame to clear the opening for the sway bar bushing mount. I put a hand wrench on the top of the bolt, and, since it was resting against the frame and seemed to be secure, I left it in place while reaching for my socket wrench. When I turned back around, the hand wrench came flying off, landing tip first (unfortunately, not the box end) on my forehead. There was a bit of swearing, followed by more swearing when I realized I was bleeding. A quick run inside to clean it up, apply pressure and a butterfly, and I was back out to finish up the job.

One of the many costs of building a restorod