Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
So, I decided to do a 2" to level the truck, and since I was adding air to the rear, could control the truck's level with loads.. and as I typically do, it led to all sorts of other things, including the control arm replacement with slightly longer ones to keep the proper axle geometry.
First part of what has become a saga, was the bolts/hardware. Of course it appears obvious that most likely re-use the existing, but that is not a good idea, and the service manual has bold warnings all over to not do so.
I would think easy to find, but I was wrong. First find was actually on EBay, and when those arrived they were grade 8.8 bolts, not the 10.9/12.9 per the item description.. so no, I won't be using a much lower strength bolt to hold my front axle to the vehicle! Then I found the OEM parts, except one bolt was inexplicably not listed on the Mopar site, so I ordered what I could and with the size, type, grade, went to bolt depot, and McMaster Carr to get the other one, and even found one on Amazon.. then another kit billed as grade 12.9, so decided to order that too.. at this point I just want to get this thing back on the road and not sure when I'll get all the proper parts I went parts shotgun mode!
Well turns out the OEM bolts arrived, and the one especially critical cam bolt was not in the box, but some odd other thing was, and the supplier was slow to respond, and finally after a week seems to have sent the proper bolts, and in the meantime another supplier has a pair I'm suppose to get tomorrow.. so at the end of all of this I will have a bunch of extra bolts.... but I digress.
The main point of this is to point out an issue I found doing this job. I'm using aftermarket longer control arms, these are Freedom Offroad brand I found on Amazon, they appear to be good quality.
Well when I went to torque these, the service manual has some contradictory specifications. In the Torque specification table it has these torqued to 200 ft-lbs. On the page to re-install it has the rear/frame side at 170 ft-lbs, and the cam bolt at 140 ft-lbs. The uppers are all 120 ft-lbs. Uppers have 14mm bolts, the lowers are 16mm.
Anyhow, I was trying to split the difference so to speak an go with about 170 ft-lbs, but on the cam bolts (for now using original, while waiting for new to arrive). I could not get to 170 ft-lbs, I think I got to about 130 or so.. and it kept turning... finally I stopped thinking something is not right.. and instinct was correct.
The new control arms have much smaller bushing in the rubber mount, and as a result, less metal contact area to the frame elongated hole where these mount. The torque was sufficient to deform the busing and thus unable to attain the proper torque specification (well assuming it's 200, but if it's 140, it will be close).
I'm attaching some pictures, for some laughs the wrong part recieved compared to the old cam bolt, then 3 of the control arms, one showing the original compared to the new, and the last 2 the deformation of the bushing from torque attempt.
First part of what has become a saga, was the bolts/hardware. Of course it appears obvious that most likely re-use the existing, but that is not a good idea, and the service manual has bold warnings all over to not do so.
I would think easy to find, but I was wrong. First find was actually on EBay, and when those arrived they were grade 8.8 bolts, not the 10.9/12.9 per the item description.. so no, I won't be using a much lower strength bolt to hold my front axle to the vehicle! Then I found the OEM parts, except one bolt was inexplicably not listed on the Mopar site, so I ordered what I could and with the size, type, grade, went to bolt depot, and McMaster Carr to get the other one, and even found one on Amazon.. then another kit billed as grade 12.9, so decided to order that too.. at this point I just want to get this thing back on the road and not sure when I'll get all the proper parts I went parts shotgun mode!
Well turns out the OEM bolts arrived, and the one especially critical cam bolt was not in the box, but some odd other thing was, and the supplier was slow to respond, and finally after a week seems to have sent the proper bolts, and in the meantime another supplier has a pair I'm suppose to get tomorrow.. so at the end of all of this I will have a bunch of extra bolts.... but I digress.
The main point of this is to point out an issue I found doing this job. I'm using aftermarket longer control arms, these are Freedom Offroad brand I found on Amazon, they appear to be good quality.
Well when I went to torque these, the service manual has some contradictory specifications. In the Torque specification table it has these torqued to 200 ft-lbs. On the page to re-install it has the rear/frame side at 170 ft-lbs, and the cam bolt at 140 ft-lbs. The uppers are all 120 ft-lbs. Uppers have 14mm bolts, the lowers are 16mm.
Anyhow, I was trying to split the difference so to speak an go with about 170 ft-lbs, but on the cam bolts (for now using original, while waiting for new to arrive). I could not get to 170 ft-lbs, I think I got to about 130 or so.. and it kept turning... finally I stopped thinking something is not right.. and instinct was correct.
The new control arms have much smaller bushing in the rubber mount, and as a result, less metal contact area to the frame elongated hole where these mount. The torque was sufficient to deform the busing and thus unable to attain the proper torque specification (well assuming it's 200, but if it's 140, it will be close).
I'm attaching some pictures, for some laughs the wrong part recieved compared to the old cam bolt, then 3 of the control arms, one showing the original compared to the new, and the last 2 the deformation of the bushing from torque attempt.
