The Lime - Front End Repairs - Part 2

Sorry, no pics for this post. I was too busy fixing to snap some shots. I already regret it. The best way to make this post now is to summarize what has now been completed:

TORSION HOUSING PATCHES
-drivers side outer bottom 5" completely removed and refabricated
-drivers side inner, passenger side inner and outer patched where necessary and completely braced from 6" up around the bottom
-all patches made from 18 gauge steel, welded with .023 wire
-holes drilled on lower inner and outer both sides to drain any moisture, small hole drilled on top flange both sides for future rust-proofing endeavours
-both sides painted solely to prevent rust

NEW SHOCKS
-removal of the old was a real issue last week, breaking off the hardened top drivers side mounting bolt
-no combination of hammers, pullers or prybars worked
-used a propane / oxygen torch to heat it red hot, still nothing
-wrecked two titanium drill bits
-bought a $16 cobalt drill bit - worth its weight in gold, which is pretty much what I paid
-drilled out the old bolt which relieved enough pressure to finally knock out the remaining hollow bolt
-12mm bolts are not available in the right length at CTC, HOME DEPOT, or BRAFASCO (same bolt I needed when fixing Bob's Bug's front end!)
-decided due to time constraints to use high grade fine thread 1/2" bolts and nuts, which required the mounts and the new shocks to be reamed to fit
-bought a 1/2" cobalt drill that made short work of this task
-otherwise the new shocks bolted up with no surprises

SWAY BAR
-removal was necessary to access the steering pivot
-old clamps were pretty rotten too
-wire brushed and painted sway bar red
-used new mounting kits from www.cip1.ca which were fine except the mounting bolts provided were too short, had to get two longer 10mm bolts
-otherwise the new sway bar bolted and clamped up nicely with the new rubber bushings - a big improvement in the looks and safety department

STEERING DAMPENER
-this was a simple removal and swap with new
-the old dampener slid from side to side with no resistance whatsoever, meaning it was faulty (and it looked original to the car)
-the new dampener bolted up perfectly and has much more resistance so it should actually do its job

LUBRICATION
-a new 6mm grease nipple was installed into the steering pivot
-all nipples were greased on the front end (5 in total) and it took LOTS of grease likely because of age mostly, but I'm sure the heat from welding didn't do much to preserve the grease that was left inside

THE TEST DRIVE
-once the wheels were torqued back on the van lowered I fired it up and maneuvered out of the work area
-the change was immediately apparent!
-driving along the road the steering is crisp and decisive, a far cry from my last memory
-the new shocks seem to be doing their job, but I can't say yet if they are any better or worse than the originals, I am sure I will notice this on my next big drive
-for the next thousand kilometres I will keep a close eye on the repairs, especially the steering pivot mount
-I can do a test while driving, stopped at a light, to feel for steering freeplay. If I notice any change I will immediately pull over and investigate