I added a ford steering stabilizer to my 1999 e350 7.3 van. I know theres a mile long thread about this but i had some minor issues along the way that i havent seen before.

So my frame had the holes for the stabilizer bracket, but they werent threaded. Maybe they were at some point, but not anymore. I decided to thru bolt the bracket by drilling holes thru the other side of the frame.





i know theres a third spot for a bottom bolt but this seemed adequate. I used stainless hardware everywhere i could.

I picked up 1 7/8” exhaust clamps to clamp the far side of the bracket to the drag link, but they ended up being too big. I settled for 5/16 x 1 3/8 x 2 1/2 generic u bolts at my local hardware store for 5 bucks. Ford wanted like 55 bucks for those clamps.





i sprayed white lithium grease on any moving parts as i assembled them. Including running to the store this took me about 2.5 hours. Its pretty straight forward, i didnt even flip out and throw any tools today. Actually a fun little upgrade. The truck drives very smooth and predictable, granted it was very tight to begin with since im pretty **** about the front end. Im not thrilled about how close the stabilizer is to that bottom coolant hose, but I’ll monitor it. Every van really should have came with a stabilizer. Overall i think i spent like 210 bucks including hardware.

 

Maybe throw on a lock nut and/or washer on the ubolts. Also maybe a little paint on the steering arm or something that will mark it so you can see if it moves any. Make sure to drop a message in a month or two once you've really gotten a feel for it and give an update on how it feels.

 

thats a good idea. I agree that the u bolts are the weak point of this design. I was saying it to myself as i was assembling it

 

I've had a long-term concern how close the lower radiator hose is to the drag link---when "new" our vans have a re-closeable strap that is secured to the radiator shroud. When its in place the hose is kept away from the drag link.

Like a lot of other vans that strap degrades over time and fails to stay closed or someone removes it for reasons unknown. I've used heavy duty cable ties to replicate that strap BUT still check the lower hose every time I crawl under the van.

FWIW I did notice that hose showing signs of slight wear meaning I had a potential weak spot. Eventually I did swap out that damned thing but it's like wrestling a stubborn octopus.

 

Is this a kit or just something that was put together? If a kit where did ya find it?

 

i put it together with ford parts. The big e450 box trucks and ambulances have this stabilizer and it bolts right up to regular vans. Ford was being cheap and the vans didnt get stabilizers. Heres the part numbers:

Bracket to frame:

F2UZ-3E652-A

damper:

F7UZ-3E651-AB

bracket to drag link (does not include c clamps)

L F2UZ-3E652-B

These parts are on ebay brand new. Theres some hardware you will have to source yourself but its pretty basic stuff.

i beleive there is an aftermarket stabilizer kit for these vans still available, but from my research its a poor design and not very affective. The oem ford design is what you want.

 

its not rubbing so far! I knew i wasnt just crazy though!!

 

Thanks for the pictures.

 

Thanks for the photos and showing possible failure points. I have my stabilizer sitting in a box in the shed with a worn out shock. Time to order a new one and install on my 4th van. Some peeps on the truck forum use a Bilstein damper.


Has anyone here used the Bilstein? It's twice the price of the Ford OEM damper.

One Amazon review posted this review:

"The bottom line is, from what I read, that the stock Motorcraft Steering damper is gas charged in the 40-50 PSI, whereas this Bilstein steering damper is gas charged in the 110 PSI range. Makes perfect sense, and why it pulled so hard to the left. Technically, it is really a "push" to the left, as the Bilstein damper is pushing the tie rod / steering linkage due to the excessive pressure, and the way it is mounted means it can only push to the left."

 

Hmm i didnt notice a pull to the left with the ford damper. When i had it in front of me before installing it, it didnt seem to “push” in any direction. It just seemed hard to move in or out. For example, when all the way open or closed it never returned to an original position if you let go of it like a regular shock would. So i dont see how it would cause a pull. The bilstien could be different, i never considered that.

So far i really like the damper. It really shines at speeds above 70mph, which many vans cannot do safely. I can point this truck in any direction and it holds it. Much less driving fatigue. Of course I go slower when towing.

 

Might be a bit late posting this but here's more information about parts needed to do this with all factory parts, U-bolt part numbers also listed:

 

Also steering dampers are not pressurized like gas shocks, its only purpose is to provide a bit of resistance against bump steer. they will stay where ever you put them.

 

I ordered the frame bracket and the damper, but can't find the bracket to drag link ANYWHERE. Does anyone have any idea where I could get it? OR, do you think could work? It looks like it's designed for an OD that's a bit bigger than our vans, but do you think it'd still do the trick?

 

So, I still don't know if that Amazon one could work or not…but I found something better. There's a guy who I found on the Sportsmobile forum who has started his own company, and along with a lot of other cool offerings, he sells a beefier remake of this no-longer-available part. You can find it here: Vantage Optics I placed my order today and look forward to putting this all together.

 

You would want to contact the seller to determine what OD that bracket is intended to work with.

Scott's products seem to be well designed so if I were in the market for his stuff I'd have no problems giving his company a try!