Worn bushings were one of the first things I noticed off when I drove home our new Excursion. Nearly every turn or bump in the road resulted in a knock I could feel through my feet which was actually a blessing as it was an easy diagnosis.
To confirm the diagnosis I inspected the front sway bar for evidence of abnormal movement side to side. Yanking on the sway bar provided zero results under the weight of the massive 7.3 powerstroke engine. Perhaps lifting the vehicle off the ground by the frame would yield better results but that also introduces a safety risk to get to that point. Looking closely at the bar near each bushing the evidence was strong enough to prove something was awry. The metal was shiny, clean, and sparkling next to an otherwise stained black sway bar from miles of road grime. I did not measure, however, can estimate a quarter inch of shine on each side of the bushings. Every turn the 9,000 lb rig was polishing its sway bars via some worn out rubber bushings.
This job was one of the easiest I would perform on the front suspension refresh. I ordered Moog bushings via Amazon and about 30 minutes of wrenching later I had the retaining clips off and new bushings on the bar. After applying some grease to each bushing to prevent premature wear, I tightened everything up. Originally I intended on replacing the sway bar end links (left link) (right link) while at it, however, the bolts were seized. I grew weak in the cold. and kicked that to another day.
Results were as expected. Clunk was instantly gone and it may have felt even a bit tighter up front. Tighter or not, well worth getting things stiffened up once again.