Who has the best sway bar ?

[AODf100]

I'm looking to install front and rear sway bars on my 71 long bed f100. So who out there sells the best bolt on set up ? Like most bump sides mine missed that option when it was rolling down the line.

[Calvin Gunter]

Addco,you can get them from LMC.

[427blackpearl]

how noticable are the sway bars

[69timemachine]

I don't have them yet, but I've been doing some looking around and plan on getting some. I really wanted an F250/F350 factory front swaybar, but haven't had much luck acquiring one. The only one I've found in the salvage yard is under a truck that may be sold complete. Story of my life.

That's about the best price I've found so far, but the 'net is a big place so you may want to continue shopping around. Let us know if you find yet a better price somewhere else.

I'll be sure to post how noticeable a difference they make when I do get them.

[68BigRed]

I don't have them yet, but I've been doing some looking around and plan on getting some. I really wanted an F250/F350 factory front swaybar, but haven't had much luck acquiring one. The only one I've found in the salvage yard is under a truck that may be sold complete. Story of my life.

69TimeMachine,

If you haven't thought of it already.....the front swaybar from a '73-'79 is pretty much a bolt-on. I got a swaybar from a '76 CS for my '68 F100, and the width is perfect. (Make sure you get the lower brackets that mount on the i-beams; I didn't have the right tools with me when I got the sway bar, so I ended up adapting some later Bronco lower-mounts instead). I also pulled the rear swaybar from the same truck, and it looks like it will fit with only minor mods to the links (since the rear frame-section is wider in the '73-'79s).

[69timemachine]

Yes sir, I did my homework on fordification before I went to the yard. I checked every bumpside and every dentside in the yard, and the one truck that had it isn't being parted. It was a '77 F350. I forgot to mention the year of it in my previous post. Sorry.

I don't know how much luck I'd have removing the beam brackets even if the bar were for sale. When I disassembled my '74 disc brake conversion, it took heat, penetrating oil, and a 3/4" impact wrench with a very deep 1-1/8" socket to get those radius rod bolts out. And that was with the entire beam assembly already out of the truck. It would be pretty hard to do in the salvage yard. Maybe the owner will allow me to use the blue wrench (aka cutting torch) if he does decide to part that truck.

That's good thinking on the rear bar. I'll have to start checking for one next time I hit the salvage yard. I know for a fact that the '80's/'90's rear sway bar won't work because I measured my brother's '96 F150. The bar is too wide and will hit the shocks. Also, the 8.8" rear ends used in those trucks have locating tabs made onto the axle for the sway bar brackets to lock into. The 9" rear ends used in the earlier trucks do not have these tabs. Thanks for the info!

[68BigRed]

I guess I'm spoiled where I am....there are three U-pull places within 40 miles, and with their high turnover, I haven't had too much trouble finding what I need. Too bad you're not closer, I could hook you up! (But I'll bet shipping for something like a set of swaybars is outrageous!).

I ran into the same problem with the stock front radius-arm swaybar mounts.....I didn't have the tools to pull them off at the salvage yard. But I happened to come across a set of mounts from a mid-80's Bronco that were already removed. Since I was planning on swapping in new i-beams later on anyway (I went from 5-lug manual drums to 8-lug power discs), I was able to install the Bronco mounts (inverted from stock) when I had everything apart. Check out the picture of the "test fit"...but the spring cup wouldn't sit right, so I ended up flipping it and putting it on the bottom of the radius arm instead. (Ignore the stock Bronco linkage piece.)

Now that you mention it, I think I'm going to take a closer look at the rear swaybar....I just kind of eyeballed the width, so I think I'll make SURE it's not too wide.

tmg

[69timemachine]

Here's a picture of the sway bar anchor brackets I made. They are intended for use when connecting DJM drop beams to an Addco swaybar. This way, I don't have to drill holes in my expensive new drop beams, which I would think could potentially weaken them or allow moisture to get inside and promote corrosion from the inside out. Not to mention that the angle-iron brackets included in the Addco kit just give off somewhat of a cheesy vibe (to me anyway). Granted, I never used them to see just how well they work, so I may be overreacting. Everything else in the kit seems to be of very good quality, but those brackets seem like an afterthought or shortcut in my opinion. A setup like this might also work when adding a factory swaybar when you're missing the factory brackets, which is a common problem.

I used 1-1/2" wide by 3/8" thick steel strap simply because that's what I had readily available. I made the driver's side bracket about an inch longer than the passenger's to make up for the slight offset that the beams sit at. That way, both swaybar links sit at the same fore/aft angle. That's about it. Hope this helps someone out!

[69timemachine]

I highly reccomend the Addco front and rear swaybars to anyone wanting a more sporty and stable feeling ride.
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 308#319308