IRS Rebuild Experiences

So, i'm trying to break up the project over 3 weekends. i'll be removing the IRS and doing all new bushings, front diff brace, diff cover brace ect... i'll be doing it in the garage on jackstands.

i'd like to hear what issues you ran into, and what the solution was... figured if i get some reply's it may make this easier for me LOL.

i'm looking at removing the IRS one sunday... replacing everything the next Sunday, then putting it back in the following. figured 3-4 hours each ? thoughts?

Let me know !

Plan on a full day just to do the bushings. My buddy and I spent a long day doing mine. I think we had the IRS out by 10am and I went to bed at 5am the next morning after reinstalling it. I still had to go back because the toe was way off. If you have a press your life will be much easier. I prefer to use a torch to remove the old bushings.

did you use the "tools" that the bushing manufacturers will send ?

I can only add it took me several weeks working here and there. getting the subframe in with new bushings took me many hours and pain. it's heavy and tight fitting.

I also did new Cross Axis and wheel bearings

Best of luck

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THark88 said:

did you use the "tools" that the bushing manufacturers will send ?

Click to expand...

Yep. Ended up stripping the threads after the first couple bushings. Plus you still need to clean up the leftover rubber. A torch made it quick.

Little trick I learned for putting the IRS back in is to put a jack stand under the K member. It'll keep the car from tilting when you go to rotate the rear cradle mounts into place.

I made my own tools for removing the bushings. With the right amount of heat they come right out and cleanup was quick. The first one I did I didn't use enough heat. I was quick to learn. Never had any real problems with R&R but leave yourself some time for re-aligning everything. It took me several tries before I got it close enough to drive.

Did mine in a day, bushings, new end links, cross axis joints, and gear swap ...

Was a long day and night


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Also looking to do it as well but it seems I might invest in another IRS and build that one.

Well, got it all out. Took a laid back half day. Stopped to eat breakfast, goof off... Wasn't that hard getting out!! We'll see how how the next step goes later lol

Took about a month to do mine. I replaced with poly bushings, rebuilt / swapped gears in the rear end, front and rear diff mount. Modified the front cradle to allow the diff to swing up more to help eliminate the driveline vibration. What took the longest was waiting for parts I forgot about, sway bar end links, sway bar bushings, rear half shaft axle seals, cross joint boots and finding time to do it. I worked in my garage on floor jack stands and floor jack. any only my radio to keep me company. Oh ya, trying to set the pinion bearing preload without a table mount was fun. (chasing the housing around the garage floor till I sank a bolt in the floor to mount a bench vise)

I was lucky in that the previous owner of my IRS had already done the subframe bushings with Prothane poly, new swaybar and heim joints. LCAs came out easy for me, UCAs not hard, neither were the cross axis. Longest part was just re-assembling it and putting it all together and getting it up into the car.

Make sure you have some sort of spreader to spread the actual front mounting buckets on the car itself apart when you are putting it back into place or you'll never get it back in. Made it super easy with an extra 1/4" or so of wiggle. I installed it myself no issue. Push it under the car, get a jack under the front of it and jack the front of it up into the buckets and install the front bolts all the way through (can be fun to get the bolts straight through). Then just jack the rear up into place and bolt in the rear mounts.

Definitely do the cross axis joints while you are in there and if you aren't planning on replacing the tie rods with the FTBR bumpsteer kit... do that too. The stock tie rods are flimsy as hell.