I just bought a Rancho 5000 stabilizer, and for some reason the stock bolt on the boot side of the stabilizer was just a bit to big to fit through the bushing. So I figured I would drill the hole a bit bigger. We'll I was just about done when the metal sleeve came out of the bushing.

So my question is. Would it be OK if I just put the bolt right through the bushing? The end of the bolt doesn't have

threads anyway so I can't imagine it would ruin the bushing.

 

The bushing is supposed to have a tight fit on the rubber isolator. The bolt when installed will clamp the shock mount to the bushing. So no, you need that bushing. Otherwise, you’ll clamp the shock mount to the isolator and tear it up. The bolt will likely also have play in the isolator too.