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Anything more on this issue? Looking at the pics again I still don't understand how that part of the sway bar could be contacting that part of the spindles. Doesn't seem like it would even be physically possible.
Yup, still owe everyone a write up. But only real complaint is that I could now use a wheel spacer to counter the tuck I'm now getting from the increased negative caster and alignment adjustment. But I daily drive it and have had them on since June with no issues.
1) it was hitting when I originally set the end links to 4" as a start (just to get it on the road) I was at 14" fender to hub.
2) at 3.5" link length, it doesn't appear to hit.
3) I didn't crack the spindle. It is just a really convincing looking scratch in the dirt. The base black paint and metal are fine.
4) I have a nice set of 07 V spindles and hubs if anyone needs them.
5) I've been without sway bar for a few weeks while I mess with the kw's. I still get a little clunk from them where the top washer and the rubber gasket bump the upper mount. What's the solution here? Crank down on the top nuts, increase rubber washer thickness, or just live with the minor clunk?
I'll have to take a closer look at my sway bar and spindles. My front end has been at 13-3/4" to 14", on KWs, with a stock sway bar. I finally got around to measuring my end links and they're set to ~4". AFAIK I've never had that sort of rubbing.
Yeah, definitely weird. It is most likely to occur with the front of the spindle turned way in. The worst smack I had was a bump at low speed when turning a 90 degree corner, but I didn't get that at all when I went down to 3.5". All I got was the clunk at the top shock mount. After I removed the sway bar, it was the same, so I know the remaining sound is the shocks and not the sway bar.
Have you ever had to deal with the top kw mount being loose or sloppy and causing noise? It just seems like that rubber washer/gasket is not well captured. I'm sure it's designed to move a bit, but I would assume it's supposed to have some compression on it.
I haven't noticed any noise. However, I did notice when I removed mine recently (first to install new springs, then to swap out the front control arms) that the rubber washers in the upper spring perches have taken some punishment.
Driver side:
Passenger side:
I don't have any pictures of the upper spring perch when new, but my recollection is that the rubber washer was part of the upper perch, that it wasn't a separate piece. (The driver side one, which is still mostly intact, fits right into the center of the purple aluminum piece.) Is that what you're referring to when you say "the top washer and the rubber gasket"?
Wow. Thanks for the pics. That is exactly what I would expect to happen over time based on what I'm seeing with mine. They may have changed the design, but mine came with the rubber washer thing separate from the purple anodized spring perch, just like yours. The rubber fits snugly inside the purple anodized piece, though.
It is then slightly compressed when you snug up the top shock mount. The other washer I'm referring to is the domed metal one that does the compressing. It's the one that fits with tight clearance over the top of the shock and then bottoms on a larger diameter (don't have pics handy, unfortunately).
It looks like your intact one was probably snug, and the torn one was probably loosely captured. I'm trying to figure out the best approach to ensure they are both fully captured and slightly compressed. I'll let you know if I figure something out.
I emailed KW about getting replacements (and whether they were covered under warranty). Their response:
Originally Posted by KW
Thank you for contacting KW. The rubber base in the upper spring seat is part# 65210407. It does not fall under the limited lifetime warranty from the damper but rather our one year warranty on bushings, bump stops, etc. (link to terms and conditions below). The part is available for individual sale and priced at $16.99 each plus shipping.
I'll order a pair, but I don't anticipate taking everything apart again just to install those. So they'll probably just sit on a shelf and I'll forget I ever bought them.
10-03-2016, 11:20 AM
Doesn't seem like it would even be physically possible. 
