Sway bar issues
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 331
Likes: 9
Sway bar issues
82 F100 going to be used to haul around a slide in popup camper. My mechanic had it up on a lift and was able to get my rear sway bar installed, but the front sway bar wouldn't clear steering/suspension and he couldnt install it. So do I leave the rear and run without front sway bar (does have steering damper) or remove the rear and go with none? He said it should be fine to run it this way, but I thought I'd get 2nd opinion
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
With the camper it should be fine. With the truck empty you can try it. Normal driving you won't notice anything, but if you do any slalom racing with it you may find the rearend wants to slide out more than it did before.
Experiment with it in an open area, make a long turn faster than you normally would and see how good the rearend sticks in the road after you install the bar.
Experiment with it in an open area, make a long turn faster than you normally would and see how good the rearend sticks in the road after you install the bar.
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 10,536
Likes: 2,664
From: Near Salt Lake City
Leave the rear one on there
Maybe look for a different style front one?
Remove the steering damper shock, install the sway bar and then re configure the steering stabilizer shock
Good luck
Maybe look for a different style front one?
Remove the steering damper shock, install the sway bar and then re configure the steering stabilizer shock
Good luck
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 262
Likes: 37
From: East Tennessee
I don’t haul much in mine but, I do run a rear sway bar on my truck. To me there’s no big steering difference than before (normal driving) but, it rides much better because it removed a lot of body roll when cornering.
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 331
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I wasnt able to find a 2wd front sway bar other this Hellwig I got off FB marketplace, which was still in the box manufactured 2012. It was supposed to be the right one, but maybe since I have an F100 with the small brakes something else is different under there?? I have no idea. SDTruckSprings didnt have anything and no other place had any either. Thanks everyone for the input!
FTE Legend
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 30,940
Likes: 4,125
From: Angier, NC
I wasnt able to find a 2wd front sway bar other this Hellwig I got off FB marketplace, which was still in the box manufactured 2012. It was supposed to be the right one, but maybe since I have an F100 with the small brakes something else is different under there?? I have no idea. SDTruckSprings didnt have anything and no other place had any either. Thanks everyone for the input!
Small or big brakes up front should not make a difference on the bar fitting or not.
I would like to know what it was that that bar did not fit?
They say the 4x4 front bars fit, I have not tried.
On the rear bars know the early trucks used Ford 9" and around 83 or 84 they started using the Ford 8.8 rear and from what I remember reading the bars mount different but cant remember if the 8.8 will fit the 9" or not at this time?
As others have said leave the rear bar on and give it a try as it has to help on body roll over not having anything.
Dave ----
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2008
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My 81 F100 has a lot of body roll with normal driving and 1 day i will look into sway bars for it
What were the part numbers of the 2 bars and who made them?
Small or big brakes up front should not make a difference on the bar fitting or not.
I would like to know what it was that that bar did not fit?
They say the 4x4 front bars fit, I have not tried.
On the rear bars know the early trucks used Ford 9" and around 83 or 84 they started using the Ford 8.8 rear and from what I remember reading the bars mount different but cant remember if the 8.8 will fit the 9" or not at this time?
As others have said leave the rear bar on and give it a try as it has to help on body roll over not having anything.
Dave ----
What were the part numbers of the 2 bars and who made them?
Small or big brakes up front should not make a difference on the bar fitting or not.
I would like to know what it was that that bar did not fit?
They say the 4x4 front bars fit, I have not tried.
On the rear bars know the early trucks used Ford 9" and around 83 or 84 they started using the Ford 8.8 rear and from what I remember reading the bars mount different but cant remember if the 8.8 will fit the 9" or not at this time?
As others have said leave the rear bar on and give it a try as it has to help on body roll over not having anything.
Dave ----
The rears were Adco 341 1" bars. They worked without any issue and I bought them new from sdtrucksprings.com for $241.82 with shipping and tax. Pretty sure I have a 9" rear end w 3.25 gears. My F100 was almost undriveable when I first got it going. Shocks helped more than a normal person could imagine and steering damper helps quite a bit with RR tracks and bumps in the road. Night and day difference between now and then.
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From: Angier, NC
Thanks for the numbers.
The suspension has been rebuilt, poly in front rubber out back, with new KYB shocks all around and a new Blue Top steering box when I did a full 4 year cab off frame rebuild.
It rides pretty good for a unloaded short bed pick up but I can feel it lay over in turns and would like ot fix that same day (only been on the road over 2 years now) LOL
Dave ----
The suspension has been rebuilt, poly in front rubber out back, with new KYB shocks all around and a new Blue Top steering box when I did a full 4 year cab off frame rebuild.
It rides pretty good for a unloaded short bed pick up but I can feel it lay over in turns and would like ot fix that same day (only been on the road over 2 years now) LOL
Dave ----
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 331
Likes: 9
Thanks for the numbers.
The suspension has been rebuilt, poly in front rubber out back, with new KYB shocks all around and a new Blue Top steering box when I did a full 4 year cab off frame rebuild.
It rides pretty good for a unloaded short bed pick up but I can feel it lay over in turns and would like ot fix that same day (only been on the road over 2 years now) LOL
Dave ----
The suspension has been rebuilt, poly in front rubber out back, with new KYB shocks all around and a new Blue Top steering box when I did a full 4 year cab off frame rebuild.
It rides pretty good for a unloaded short bed pick up but I can feel it lay over in turns and would like ot fix that same day (only been on the road over 2 years now) LOL
Dave ----
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