So, I FINALLY had time to work on my truck, so here's some progress...
I had to drill each hole out a little larger, this was the hard part. My drill wasnt really up to the task but I made it work anyway, I cant recall the bit size needed at the moment, one too many beers I guess. Here's the U bolts side by side:
And here is one side installed:
The nuts come very close to the crossmember, I recommend a deep well 7/8 socket, the inner one will have to be completed by an open end wrench, slugging along a quarter turn at a time. Im not confident I have them torqued completely yet, its pretty difficult to get a good angle to tighten them down.
Upper and lower control arms are finally remounted!
I managed to find some time tonight to cut a coil off each spring, and maybe in one or two weeks I will find time to put everything back together. Free time is not something I have at this time, so its definitely an exercise in patience!
If I had to do this over again I would have pressure washed everything first, sourced all the tools I needed including a better drill, at least 5 amps, and probably bought Moog ball joints instead of the cheaper alternatives. Good luck to anyone doing this upgrade,