OK, the job is done, other than taking it in for an alignment tomorrow.

You guys who said you'll notice a difference? Man, you weren't kidding.

The steering response is night and day, and I actually (accidentally) got very sideways on my road trying it out. I'm going to have to learn the limits all over again.

This job is doable with just basic hand tools. The only things I had to buy were 19 and 22 millimeter box end wrenches. Thank god for California trucks. Whatever else you'll say about this place, cars just don't rust here. Both adjuster bolts came out no problem whatsoever, and a lot of the bolts still have their factory anodizing on them under the dirt.

The uppers were probably more challenging than the lowers, both due to accessibility and the torsion bars being attached. Plus, that whole upper cast pivot piece was a puzzle in terms of how to remove it. I wound up drilling the smaller of the two bushings (frontmost one) until it could be pried out, then removed the pivot and burned the other one out.

I may have made a mistake by not lubing the bushings on one side (as per the FSM instructions which I later realized only applied to the factory rubber bushings) but it shouldn't be as bad to go back and lube it now that I know what to expect. That, and I think I got the torsion bar on that side one tooth off, anyway.

I don't think I'd care to repeat this project. I think I'd just save up the money to let a shop do it. What a PITA.