Front Rear Sways

1968Ranger · Post by **1968Ranger** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:51 pm

Does anyone reading this recommend or not the purchase of the performance sway bars Front and rear from LMC.. Also what about the Urethane bushings vs rubber.
Thanks for your thoughts.

BigRedTruck · Post by **BigRedTruck** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:10 pm

not really sure but if you do put them on they restrict you ability to put on some exhaust systems

cobraF100 · Post by **cobraF100** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:30 pm

Someone was saying that they put a set of Headers on when it said they would not fit with Headers and it still fit and worked just fine.

How much $$ is the Sway Bar Kit?

1968Ranger · Post by **1968Ranger** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:40 pm

329 front
199 rear

cobraF100 · Post by **cobraF100** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 4:41 pm

Thanks..........

Post by **FORDification** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:29 pm

I've heard that too....that adding a front sway bar might interfere with your headers...but I fail to see how. I've never actually had one installed (yet), but the sway bar should be mounted in front of the front crossmember, and the headers would be behind it. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, though.

As for the bushings, the sway bar is one of the areas where it's best to use the harder polyurethane or polygraphite bushings. Even if you go with the stock-type rubber suspenson bushings, it's been highly recommended that the sway bar bushings be upgraded. They won't affect normal ride quality, but will definitely help more in limiting body roll in the turns.

NM5K · Post by **NM5K** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 3:17 am

They *seem* to be fairly well made as far as the description. IE: no welded tips, etc...Kinda pricy though for a couple of pieces of bent steel and hardware...I've kinda hoped I would see a set off a junker and save some money...They are fairly scarce though...My truck could use a set of those. I think I would prefer the poly bushings. To me, if you use the mushy stock bushings, it's sort of defeating the whole purpose of having a sway bar..I want them stiff, and almost instantly reacting to sway. The stock bushings don't kick in until you have a more severe lean. I'd like to see my truck handle like a go cart.

Flat around corners..Would save on front tire wear and make the truck seem much tighter overall. My truck can get some pretty good sway going on a hard turn. The CG on a F-250 is a bit higher than a F-100 as it sits higher...Can lean more..MK

cobraF100 · Post by **cobraF100** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 2:58 pm

Check this Site out out.....

I'm waiting for them to get back to me and I'll let Ya'll know ..

http://www.p-s-t.com/truck/tvsway.html

willowbilly3 · Post by **willowbilly3** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 8:02 pm

If you don't rally need them I would think twice. The old pickups ride much better than the new ones because they don't have sway bars. All you need to do is take a rain gutter diagonally to see what I mean. We have prety deep ones here and have to go through them any time we turn off the street.

Post by **FORDification** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 8:02 pm

Just for the record, if anybody here every happens upon a truck with a FACTORY swaybar setup, front and/or rear, PLEASE get some pics. I'd be very interested in seeing how Ford did it back then for our trucks. I guess I just don't like the overall appearance of the aftermarket's mounting setup, by just clamping the swaybar link bracket onto the I-beam:

AFTERMARKET SWAYBAR HOOKUP

While in a salvage yard recently, I saw a later-model van with a swaybar, and was surprised to find that the swaybar link hooked into the end of the radius arm. The lower section of the radius arm was extended to accept the sway bar link. Unfortunately I didn't get some pictures for reference. However, I just whipped these two photos up in Photoshop to illustrate what I mean:

These pics are of the right-front wheel, viewing from the front. The first pic is the stock radius arm setup, which ends at the I-beam. The second pic was modified (a little crudely, but you'll get the idea) to show how the radius arm was extended:

STOCK SETUP

MODIFIED RADIUS ARM

I suppose it would be possible to weld a tab onto the end of the radius arm to duplicate the factory extension, but in the interest of clean appearance, I think I might be more apt to pick up a set of the stock extended radius arms. I suppose first I should find out if the radius arms from a van will work on a truck, huh?

willowbilly3 · Post by **willowbilly3** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 12:32 am

The 76 C/S I had used a part that went between the I-beam and the spring, held on by the big bolt going through it. It was kind of twisted in a 90 and the sway bar was hooked to it. I can't remember for sure now how it made the connection, whether direct or with a link

68F250 · Post by **68F250** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:47 pm

The factory C/S front sway bars I've seen was just a bar that tied the two radius arms together and didn't connect to the chassis at all, that must ride like crap. The radius arms had holes in them to attach the ends of the bar. These were on '73+ trucks, I haven't seen that setup on our year trucks. I think headers would run into those.

Post by **FORDification** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 5:19 pm

68F250 wrote:The factory C/S front sway bars I've seen was just a bar that tied the two radius arms together and didn't connect to the chassis at all, that must ride like crap. The radius arms had holes in them to attach the ends of the bar. These were on '73+ trucks, I haven't seen that setup on our year trucks. I think headers would run into those.

Hmmm....now THAT makes sense...as far as people saying they'd interfere with headers. So they're talking about FACTORY sway bar between the radius arms behind the front crossmember, not the aftermarket type which mounts up in the front like a standard car-type. Now THAT I'd love to see some pics of, for sure! Thanks, Barry!

willowbilly3 · Post by **willowbilly3** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:16 pm

I have seen those too, the ones between the radius arms. I saw one on a 75 Supercab. The 460 camper special I had was a regular cab and I think a 76 but might have been a 77. It had more of a conventional set up as I described and it was in front of the axle. I have seen others with this type too.

CACWBY · Post by **CACWBY** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:22 pm

I have the LMC on the front with ureathane bushings, and it was all "invent the wheel"- It looks like we did it OK (like the pic Keith posted), but there wasn't anything to replace and none of the manuals I have show factory sway. I also purch the LMC rear but was not able to use it due to putting the tank behind the axle. I don't have much to compare it to since so much on truck changed while it was apart-but I do feel the Placebo Effect, and also less weight in my wallet.

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Front Rear Sways

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