Bought the bolts and washers yesterday and got to have a look at this today. Mine was rattling all the time and driving me nuts. However the bolts themselves did not appear to be my issue, lucky they onyl cost me $4.00.
i've got the ARB OME shocks and they actually fit the bolt pretty well, although STU supplies them with replacement lower bolts. What I did notice was that the top bolt holes were elongated. I'm not sure if when tightened this is the cause but it is now fixed. I machined up some thicker washers to suit the diameter of the lower part of the top mount and with a snug hole to suit the 12mm bolts. Cause I had them I used the replacement bolts. Welded the new washers in place and now all is good. The other thing I noticed is the lower bolts for the Addco sway bar were a fraction loose and didn't tighten well with the standarad washers. I actually lost both bolts that came with the bar a while ago as they did not supply with a locking nut. What I've also noticed is that the bolt is not a snug fit in the bar or the bush so if hrtye work loose again I'll drill out both to 12mm and replace with a better fit. I've now got a big washer on either side of the bush so I can tighten firmly against the steel sleeve and pull that tightly in against the bar. I've also noticed the width of the bar means that it is wider than the spacing of the links as they hang straight down meaning the lower links are pulled outward to touch trhe bar on each side.
I don't think the slight looseness in the lower link bushes had much to do with my rattle but with the elongated top shock hole I could see a slight wear mark around where the bolt seats so it would certainly appear the bolt was moving up and down and hitting the edges of the hole.
Quiet now so I'm happy, just another place to check. Seems Jeeps mounts are pretty piss poor as this hole elongation pops upjust about everywhere.
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I got a sweater for Chrissy, nothing wrong with that except I was hoping for a moaner or a screamer.
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