Rapom's Rocket - just another Duster build thread

Mini update:
Got another project in my shop this week (friends son's car) so progress once again has slowed to a snails pace on the Duster. I did get some things accomplished over the last few days. First was painting my upper A arms and installing the offset bushings and new ball joints (PIC 1). I waited until I got my hands on the correct tools which not only makes the job much easier but also greatly reduces the risk of buggering up your freshly painted pieces and/or new repair parts. If your serious about doing your own suspension work on your beloved Mopar then you should invest in the correct tools to do it right. My two friends and I share parts, tools and time on our projects so you don't have to buy everything yourself. If you don't have any Mopar buddies then its high time to go out and make some. One of the must have tools IMHO is a front end bushing removal/installation kit like this one from Mancini (PIC 2 & 3). Another is a torsion bar removal tool (I actually made my own a few years ago out of necessity). This kit has sockets for both large and small upper ball joints, upper A arm bushing tool and a lower A arm pivot pin/bushing tool. My ball joints were in so tight that I nearly bent a 1/2" breaker bar trying to bust them loose. They just laughed at both of my impact drivers. I resorted to using the handle off my floor jack as an extension on the breaker bar so don't even think your going to use a pipe or crescent wrench to remove them. My tip of the day: get the correct socket and leave the A arms installed on the car until they're broken free. Save yourself a lot of frustration.
I put a thin film of anti seize compound on the ball joint threads and the outer shells of the bushings and they cranked right in without any hysterics.
Today I cleaned up the drivers side front wheel well and welded up about 10 unused screw holes in the inner fender panel. After the passenger side is prepped I will touch up the paint and undercoating then reinstall the upper A arms.