Sway Bar

[JMcTurnan]

So ever since I got my truck it has been a bit shaky and a tad uncontrolable on the highway at high speeds. Mainly because I think shocks so it feels bumpy, but I've also thought about installing a sway bar. How to those hook up, into each tie rod or?

[SteveC]

are you sure that all the steering linkage and rag joint are good ? i dont have a sway bar on my truck and it doesn't wander every were.
Your steering box could have some play in it as well. Even if its a 1/8 of a inch to much play if that's every were it adds up to a lot of play.

[fordman]

your problem is probably elsewhere but the sway bar hooks up to the I beam on each side of the truck and then to the front of the frame. the i beam brackets go under the coil springs and coil spring cups. these are hard to see. but the brackets are there and the bar is layign on the tire. i dont have this any more. but this one came from a 77-79 camper special.

[JMcTurnan]

Sorry dads been in hospital havent been able to post. let me explain it a whole lot maybe it will give me a dead on answer. When I hit about 50-60, the whole truck starts to shake. Including the steering wheel, I have a couple of issues that may cause that. The metal tabs that are bolted the the coil spring are not attached maybe thats part of it. Another is also shocks I think I could use new ones. My engine is also outta time, which makes the engine vibrate a bit, plus I got a new intake leak out of the front of the intake which spits a little oil. So thats a vacuum leak there, just a little one. When I hit a "Big" bump the wheel sort of jerks me to the side, that would be the rag joint right? I also dont have the back plate that attaches to the firewall on, would that cause it? Thoughts please?

[fordman]

a broken belt inside of a tire will do the same thing. a sway bar wont fix the problem you are describing. it could be the king pins or bad sterring linkage. take it up to one of those places to get an free estimate on fixing it. they will tell you whats wrong with it. and then go fix it. or let them do it.

[JMcTurnan]

Hmm, that could be true. It didn't start untill I put the 2 front tired off an f150 on there. Maybe one of them is bad. I don't think its king pins because it does it even if I go straight.

[JMcTurnan]

How would I know a broken belt? Or do you think just try to put a tire on each side?

[JMcTurnan]

Could you tell me a stock tire size for a 15x10x5.5 i think thats what my rim is. I dont know anything about tire sizes and its pouring rain outside .

[70_F100]

My engine is also outta time, which makes the engine vibrate a bit, plus I got a new intake leak out of the front of the intake which spits a little oil. So thats a vacuum leak there, just a little one.

An oil leak and a vacuum leak are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!!!

Vacuum leaks don't occur at the FRONT of the intake, only where the intake SEALS AGAINST THE INTAKE PORTS.

If it was a VACUUM leak, it would SUCK oil, not SPIT it.

[JMcTurnan]

Oh, thanks 70_f100, I didn't know that. Ok thats good then.

[fordman]

it would SUCK oil, not SPIT it.

what are we talking about?

[JMcTurnan]

Well I said I had an oil leak at front of intake, its slowly spitting it out. Maybe a tblspoon a day. I would think it would have caused vacuum loss/leak. But he said it wouldn't spit if It did.

[JMcTurnan]

But I recally that i noticed the bumpyness alot more when I put the 2 front tires off an f150 on. So maybe its one of them.

[fordman]

internal engine pressure will spit or sometimes puke oil out of open places in gaskets. i was making a joke earlier.

[JMcTurnan]

Oh LOL, well I got a couple of problems. I was backfiring on the highway, once I hit about 70mph. Which means I'm not exactly in time, which I think I'm still a tooth off. But we already had that discussion. But Ill have to put on an intake gasket. Which the gasket is still its original. Never been replaced, so I'm not complaining. Hopefully i get that shake fixed. Ill try putting my spare on.