Hello everyone, first post here. I've been reading the forum for many months now trying to learn as much as I can before I dig into my 1985 F-250 standard cab/long bed, 7.5lt C-6, 2wd. Last weekend I did my first modification to the truck, I changed the factory gauges(non-tac) to the factory (Tach) gauges from an 86. Direct swap, wiring is in place from the factory, works like it came in the truck from the factory. This weekend I am thinking about getting sway bars at a local salvage yard. My truck doesn't have factory bars on the front or back. I have looked several times on other trucks, and looked all over this site for more information on swapping bars into my truck but I haven't found any information yet. Question is, do I have to change the piece that the springs sit on to mount the end links? I don't know what it is called (spring seat, radious arm ect....). The trucks I have looked at are different than mine so I know something has to be changed at the ends. It looks like the rear bar is just a bolt in. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.

 

I have been looking at the same thing on my truck - adding the factory sway bars. I don't know if this will help or not, but after looking at trucks in the junkyard, on the front suspension, it LOOKS like the brackets that the sway bar end links attach to are between the TIB and the "pad" that the lower end of the coil spring sits on. I think you have to pull the coil spring and remove the large bolt that holds the lower spring pad to the TIB and remove it to get the sway bar bracket out. I have not actually done this yet, so this is just what it looks like to me.

This picture might help too:

http://media.lmctruck.com/pdf/FD/0124.pdf

One of these day I hope to get to the junkyard and pull a set of sway bars. Then I will find out if I am right.

I don't know how much pressure the coil spring is under when the suspension is at full drop. You may need a coil spring compressor to get them out. Be VERY careful if you try to pull the springs. If you unbolt the front shock, maybe the suspension will drop enough that the coils will fall out, not sure, never tried it.

Good luck.

 

 

OP's truck is 2WD. Sway bar attachment to TIB is different than 4WD.

 

whatever you guys do... DO NOT put rubber bushings back in. You'll have nothing but problems and still have "body roll." If you find jy sway bars make sure the inside of the bolt/link holes have not be rounded out by rusty bolt with bad rubber bushings! The OEM bar on my truck had end links and once the rubber deterioriated to a certain point is allows just as much body roll, and it traps in water to rust your bolt/endlink tight. In my case the rusty endlink was ignored by the PO and eventually sawed through the rubber bushings and cut into the eyelets on the end of the sway bar making the eyelet holes oval instead of round.

MOOG or Energy Suspension bushings are the best! Stay away from the Rest!

PS: there is a ton more body roll in the rear of these trucks so you might want to start with a quick and easy bolt on in the rear. The 88-90 sway bars us end links that need a mount on the bottom of the frame... So you might need to fashion your own end link mounts and weld them to the bottom of the frame in the rear... But I guess it depends on what axle you have and what type of suspension you can find in the JY for parts.

 

Thank you everyone that replied, I went and bought a haynes manual for the truck, total waist of time because there is no exploded view for the suspension. I do believe you are right f100jim, I am going to go tomorrow to get front and rear JY bars, links ect. I'm going to attept to remove the springs and take that pad and everything else. On the rear it looks like its a bolt on. Once I get them I will post on how it went. I'm not allowed to post picture, but I will do a complete write up. Thank you for the words of caution nstueve. I have a dana 60 rearend. Hopefully i'll find one that someone else has taken the springs out already...if not i'm going to get a compressor and safety chains.

 

Well what can I say, that was one heck of a job getting them off the donor truck. 1st there is no need for a spring compressor. Just make sure that the truck is suported by the frame and let the suspesion drop all the way down. There is no need to remove the shocks. I unbolted the upper spring retainer, then gently pryed the spring out of the upper seat using a larger pry bar. Next you unbolt the large (1 1/8") nut that is inside the bottom of the spring. this allows you to completely remove the spring and the spring seat. Under the spring seat there is another (1 1/8") nut that is on a 3-4" long bolt. this is where the fun began. That bolt must be torqued to 400ft. lbs. It was so tight that even with an 1" wrench added to the 1 1/8" wrench for added leverage, I couldn't budge it. So I sprayed it with PB Blaster while I searched for a 3' piece of exhaust pipe to put on my wrench. BTW the 1" wrech is now bent. You must remove the brake caliper to get it out of the way and then remove the tie rod end to be able to turn the front hub out of the way, unless the key is in the ignition and you can unlock the sterring wheel to turn it or someone already has the steering wheel removed. So back to the removal, remove the last nut and the sway bar attachment point will slide right off. then remove the two bolts that attach the sway bar mount to the frame on both sides and the whole assembly will slide right out one side. All of this took about two hours to remove, granted there was a lot of waised time looking for a pipe big enought to put on my wrench. If you had an electric impact with a 3-4" deep socket (1 1/8") it will be alot faster. On to the rear bar. on the rear end center section there is two U-bolts to remover, 5/8". on the frame rails there is one bolt on each side that is 3/4". Removing the rear bar took about 15 minutes and it was soooooooooooooo easy. Everything is a direct bolt on but I am not going to install mine until I get new bushings. One note: Make sure the donor has the same type of rear end as your truck. Mine has a dana 60 as did the donor. All of the holes in the frame rails are already in place so there is no drilling required. Difficulty scale is a 3 out of 10 if you have the right tools, mainly the big wrech and/or socket I described earlier.Total cost for the bars at my local pull-a-part was $22.67 out the door. I will do a write up on the install once I get the bushings. If you need pictures e-mail me at jacandjlo@yahoo.com and I will gladly send them to you. sorry I can't post pictures here and I need to get my photo bucket account re-set up.

 

1. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140854.jpg Inside the spring 1 1/8" nut to remove
2. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140845.jpg upper spring retainer.
3. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140828.jpg lower spring seat on my truck, note no place for the sway bar end link to mount. It bolts to a plate that bolts in under the lower spring seat.
4. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140814.jpg JY bar with the end link attachment bracket still attached, just like it came off the donor truck.
5. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac353/jacandjlo/2011-04-16140758.jpg[/URL] front sway bar frame mount.
6. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140736.jpg another view of the front sway bar frame mount as it attaches to the frame.
7. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140636.jpg sway bar end link that bolts on under the spring seat.
8. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140620.jpg rear sway bar end link that bolts to the frame.
9. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140613.jpg rear sway bar, as it attaches to the rear differential center section....large u-bolts.
10. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-16140553.jpg rear sway bar as it came off the truck.
11. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-14183635.jpg back view of my trucks rear end, make sure yours is the same as the donor truck or this swap may not go as smooth for you.
12. http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...4-14183351.jpg picture of my truck in the shop waiting for me to do more work.