They went on my 70 camper special.
Sway Bar
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From: Bonney Lake,WA USA
Sway Bar
Did a '71 F250 have a sway bar. I want to install a sway bar in back. Is there an easy bolt on? I would prefer to steal one from around the same year as mine so it would be a direct bolt on with no mods.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Black Hills of SD
Sway Bar
I had a 77 camper special that I junked out and it had one that would be a bolt on except you have to drill 2 holes in the frame. Also the rear end had 2 aligning dowels but you can weld on some quite easily if you take the measurements from the axle
housing of the doner.
housing of the doner.
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From: SD
Sway Bar
Do you have a front one? I'm told that it's best to put on the front one first - or both together... Just a rear one makes it more difficult to drive - or so I'm told. No experience, just hear/say...
Marty
Marty
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From: Black Hills of SD
Sway Bar
I got rid of the whole truck as I sold the property where I had it stored.I would think you should put on the front one first. Any vehicle that has only one will have it on the front. Tose aren't too hard to find but are a little tough to get off in a junk yard. Take your torch.
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From: Bonney Lake,WA USA
Sway Bar
I don't understand why is the front sway bar is more important than the rear . If I am hauling cords of wood in the back, shouldn't it work better to have, if any, a sway bar in the rear??????????? Thanks
. If I am hauling cords of wood in the back, shouldn't it work better to have, if any, a sway bar in the rear??????????? Thanks
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: Black Hills of SD
Sway Bar
If you drove everywhere with cords of wood in the back then you may want the rear one first. Normal corning forces will usually put more weight on the front unless you are heavy on the gas. Dirt track cars don't normally run one on the rear so the inside tire can maintain better contact. There is a lot of theory involved and opinions too I'm sure. I go back to the fact that all cars since the 50s and pickups since the late 70s-early 80s have had a front one but only certain trucks like camper specials had rear ones. I do see the rear sway bar getting more common on the new 3/4 ton pickups, but again the heavier duty versions.
I do not think you will create a monster if you put a rear one on first. We people who modify our own old trucks are smart enough usually to do our own product testing and live with any limitations that might occur.
By the way a cord of wood is cab high all the way to the rear on an 8 foot bed. Depending on the species you will most likely never get much more than one cord on a load. The "cord" most amatuer woodsmen sell is barely 3/4.
I do not think you will create a monster if you put a rear one on first. We people who modify our own old trucks are smart enough usually to do our own product testing and live with any limitations that might occur.
By the way a cord of wood is cab high all the way to the rear on an 8 foot bed. Depending on the species you will most likely never get much more than one cord on a load. The "cord" most amatuer woodsmen sell is barely 3/4.
Last edited by willowbilly3; Jul 15, 2003 at 02:21 AM.
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From: Bonney Lake,WA USA
Sway Bar
This old boy brings home real cords of wood. I have to drive over 300 miles from my property to home, so I stack her high. 
Thanks for the clear explanation Willowbilly3. I do understand what you are saying. I think now, using a front sway bar would be real nice. Ever since I did the P.S. conversion, my pickup's frontend dives when I corner. I think the main problem there is I am still trying to covince myself that I don't have to put my feet agianst anything to crank the wheel.
This was probaly answered already but I just want to clear it up. There are sway bars on the front and rear that were offered on camper special trucks?
What years will bolt up to mine?
I am going to also guess that in order to make the sway bars work on mine I need to find a camper special that is also a 4X?
Thanks for the clear explanation Willowbilly3. I do understand what you are saying. I think now, using a front sway bar would be real nice. Ever since I did the P.S. conversion, my pickup's frontend dives when I corner. I think the main problem there is I am still trying to covince myself that I don't have to put my feet agianst anything to crank the wheel.
This was probaly answered already but I just want to clear it up. There are sway bars on the front and rear that were offered on camper special trucks?
What years will bolt up to mine?
I am going to also guess that in order to make the sway bars work on mine I need to find a camper special that is also a 4X?
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Sway Bar
I just installed a hellwig in the rear. It was a bolt on and it took about a half hour and a little bending of brake lines to get it on. Part #7446 for a 69. It's an inch and an eighth in diameter. I've noticed a huge difference with the 9'6 Lance OTC on it.
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From: Black Hills of SD
Sway Bar
I think the 2wd rear would work, you would need to make longer links. I don't know if they ever made one that will bolt up to the front. I guess I didn't realize you had a 4x4.
I have only ever heard of a couple of 4x4 camper specials and I think both were 69s. One guy had his for sale on ebay and when I questioned him about it he said he special ordered it and had owned it since new. My first highboy was a 74 and by then Ford was putting a warning in the glove box and owners manuel that these trucks were not suitable for slide in campers. Some one must have tipped one over and sued them by then. You could maybe make a front one off something else work, like a chevy. I think they all hade a front one after 73 or so.
I have only ever heard of a couple of 4x4 camper specials and I think both were 69s. One guy had his for sale on ebay and when I questioned him about it he said he special ordered it and had owned it since new. My first highboy was a 74 and by then Ford was putting a warning in the glove box and owners manuel that these trucks were not suitable for slide in campers. Some one must have tipped one over and sued them by then. You could maybe make a front one off something else work, like a chevy. I think they all hade a front one after 73 or so.
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From: Bonney Lake,WA USA
Sway Bar
I did some surfing and also found no info on sway bars for the front of my type of pickup. I checked out the Hellwig. I am going to try my luck at the bone yards first to see if I can save a penny or two. The hellwig is my next option, if it provides possitive results, it just might be worth the cash.
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