How's it going!? I'm in a pinch, recently upgraded the steering components on my '79 F150. Ordered a kit in from Wild Horses 4x4. The linkages do not have a base for the stabilizer shock like the original equipment does. I'm new to this type of upgrade so I wanted some advice or options on how to mount a new stabilizer shock to the upgraded steering equipment. Is there such thing as a high mount steering stabilizer that mounts the the drag link and a part of the cross member? I'll attach a picture of the upgraded equipment. I'm thankful for any help and options.

 

Upgraded?

'78/'79 is the upgrade over the '77 back, and had the provisions for a stabilizer that may or may not be needed. Toe was adjustable and re-clocking the steering wheel centered it if needed.

 

Nice setup! Wish I would have seen that before I ordered factory replacements a couple years ago. Would be really nice to have adjustable drag link like that.

There are a number of after market bolt on stabilizers that use u-bolts to attach to drag link and a simple bracket that you can mount to the cross member where the original mount is. Rancho is one that comes to mind.

That said, you might try running without one and see if it is okay. With properly aligned steering, ball joints and all the bushings up front in good condition and as close to parallel and same length drag link-track bar relationship you should have minimal to no bump steer.

I would make sure the drag link and track bar are adjusted to exact same length and have proper toe-in set. If the drag link and track bar are not parallel make adjustments there to make them parallel. That may require a change to pitman arm and/or drop bracket for track bar. Make sure your tires have proper air pressure too.

Once the above is confirmed all good there should be very little or no bump steer. Adding a steering stabilizer, especially dual setups, is just a bandaid fix for bad steering geometry. With your steering setup combined with an adjustable track-bar and whatever is needed to make things parallel that need to be, you should be able to correct the flaws inherent with a stock setup that only offers a toe adjustment.

 

Definitely. Thank you for the compliments. I think what sold me on paying the extra money for the aftermarket kit was the fact that you can easily replace the ball joints due to the housing being threaded. Compared to replacing a whole arm. Great idea.
Thanks guys. Hearty information here. I am going to end up replacing as much as I can to make sure the truck drives nice, and straight. Then if needed, I can add an aftermarket set up as you mentioned.

 

I didn't look very hard when I ordered my replacements, but what I did find at the time was either factory replacement or using heim joints. On a mostly off-road vehicle I'd be fine with heim joints, but my truck stays on the road most of the time and I didn't want to deal with (as I understand it) faster wearing components compared to regular tie rods.

I'll probably end up going with the setup you grabbed when I put an adjustable track-bar on. My front axle sits about an inch towards the driver's side with stock replacement springs. I am adding some lift springs to level it out and that will shift the axle some more towards the driver's side.

I could just throw the adjustable track-bar on, but then it will end up being longer than the drag-link and cause bump-steer.

I did have some bump steer when I first got everything back together with factory replacements, but found I was toe-out about 1/4" changed that to an 1/8" toe-in and it went away.

 

Maybe... https://www.roughcountry.com/product...8aArVdEALw_wcB

And https://www.summitracing.com/parts/b...caAjiVEALw_wcB

Or https://www.summitracing.com/parts/r...YaAuylEALw_wcB

Tie rod clamp with anchor bolt. https://www.xtremediesel.com/synergy...QaArKwEALw_wcB

 

10:4. I'm going to have to replace the c bushings that hug the differential as well amongst other things to make sure its going to be driving well. I bought the truck from the original owner and he used the hell out of it but all the parts are still stock, so you can imagine the wear. Good thing is he parked it in 96 when he bought a new truck. So it does have wear but at least not 45 years of original part wear. Next time I'd pull the trigger on the kit I have. Definitely well made stuff and heavier duty by fat. More than we'll ever need for our trucks that mainly stay on road I'm sure.

 

Nice.... Thanks for the links!

 

My truck was 95% original when I picked it up back in late '22. Based on what I found working on it the last two years, my guess it was parked sometime in late 90s until around 2012, the second owner then bought it and did some work adding carb and intake and few other odds and ends to get it rolling again but nothing else as he fell ill. It then sat for another decade.

I completely understand what you're dealing with. Everything rubber was dry rotted, the floor boards rusted out and other issues due to it sitting for such a long period. Thankfully it was not too beat up and fairly certain the 30k it had on the odometer was actual mileage.

I am guessing your front bushings look a lot like mine did.

 

The linkages do not have a base for the stabilizer shock like the original equipment does.
First, many thanks for purchasing our Clydesdale system for your truck. Appreciate the support!
I'm a fan myself, for the reasons you stated. It's beefy, should last a long time even with bigger tires, and when it does come time for replacement parts, the small ends should be much less expensive than buying a whole bar just for a rod end. Well, hopefully still by the time you need them anyway!

The lack of mounting boss to fit the factory stabilizer setup was simply because many of us have felt for years that the stabilizer was not so important to the proper function of our trucks, that it was worth the extra development costs of having special bars made just for Broncos and F150's, where the stabilizer shock mounted differently than the 250's and 350's did. And with so many custom options for those that did want them, they weren't going to be right for everyone, every time.
They're not a bad thing of course, and I like keeping things factory when I can. But many of us have been running without a stabilizer for decades without issue.

Does your truck have the factory bracket that bolts to the bottom of the cross-member? If so, you should be able to make one of those other mounts listed in 77&79's links work for you. Perhaps even with the stock stabilizer shock?
You just have to make sure that the clamp or u-bolts you choose match the bar diameter you're mounting to. If I remember, the center links are 1 5/8" diameter, and the outer links are 1 1/4" or so? Probably easier to find clamps in the 1 1/4 inch size I'm thinking.
I was going to mention the type of clamp that Rich pointed out in that last link. Very beefy and of the type used by many to mount ram-assist setups to tie-rods.
Functionally, I don't know that there is much, if any, difference in performance of a stabilizer whether mounted to the drag link (like a Bronco/F150) or the main tie-rod (like my '79 F350 and GM trucks are) but my personal preference for a 150 would be the upper mounting position utilizing the draglink. Keeps it more out of the way of debris and the odd tree stump when off-roading. And probably easier to mount, if you have the factory frame mount.

Again though, it might not be worth all of the added cost and trouble, if it's not needed?
The stabilizer shocks were not used for helping with things like bad tires and shimmies and wobbles. And I can guarantee you they won't even have a chance of subduing a real death-wobble. They're there to reduce input from rocks and curbs, especially through manual steering that most of these trucks had originally.
Even with power steering, some inputs will still make it all the way up to the steering wheel. Which is why, when doing some serious off-roading, you NEVER wrap your thumbs around the steering wheel tightly! But for most driving, especially road and light dirt road driving, you're rarely, if ever, going to have those inputs make it to the wheel through power steering.
Would I use one if I had the mounts? Sure. Do I use one currently? Nope.
The last time I left one off, was on my '71 Bronco. That was because I added a front skid plate for protection, and the mount for the stabilizer was in the wrong spot. Used the vehicle to do all sorts of off-roading, including six trips over the Rubicon trail, and daily drove it for years that way.
Never had a problem while running without a stabilizer shock.

Hope that helps add some comfort to what the others were already saying.
By the way, what size tires will you be running? At some point, tire size might help with your decision either way.

Good luck.

Paul

 

Not a fan of the time-honored method of re-clocking the wheel. Not at least, as long as an adjustable draglink is available.
The gearbox has an "on-center" position, as you know. I prefer keeping the box centered in that position when driving straight down the road, and re-clocking the wheel just covers that up.
An adjustable draglink should have been available from the factory in my opinion. But since they were not thinking way down the road with spring sag (just replace the springs!) and these were never intended to be modified with big lifts and such, I can understand why Ford didn't do it.

Paul

 

Interesting. But not completely out of character for these old trucks either. Hard to say for sure if your springs were precisely as original, but I'd expect the new springs to be more accurate than the original build was sometimes!
I've run across plenty of old Ford trucks (but especially the Early Broncos!) that were not put together all that precisely at the factory.

Not really. Or at least, not really a problem.
The two bars are not always exactly the same length anyway (what year is yours again?) and simply lengthening the trackbar enough to move the axle over an inch or two is not enough to cause a problem. Probably more benefit from centering the axle, than downside of a slightly different length bar.
Many of us run different length bars and don't have bumpsteer. Especially if the difference is minimal.
But once you add lift springs, or leveling springs as it sounds like you're planning, you might find that having a dropped pitman arm and dropped trackbar bracket kill two birds with one stone.
The drop bracket is there not only to help bring the angle of the trackbar back down after a lift, but also serves to push the axle back over to center. Since yours is off already, maybe the drop (which are usually for taller lifts of 3" and up) could take the place of an adjustable trackbar. Maybe...
As long as those components fit with your overall build.
Are your lift springs going to be in the 1.5" range? Or something different?

Yeah, toe makes a huge difference in how a truck feels on the road. I've adjusted my Broncos and pickups over a wide range of settings (1/4" toe-out, to 1/4" toe-in) and found a very large difference (some bad, some actually really good!) in how it drove.

Paul

 

Going with factory rubber, or aftermarket polyurethane?
Rubber does provide a little better road isolation, but poly has it's own benefits as well.
But if you're thinking of poly, the point I'm getting around to is you might want to have your truck on an alignment rack at some point, to determine where your caster settings are.
The poly bushings are available in 2, 4 and 7 degree offsets to improve caster. Those offsets come with the disadvantage of moving the pinion angle in the wrong direction, but that's where knowing what your caster is now, will help with the decision in the future.
If your caster is good, stick with rubber or 2 degree poly bushings. If it's off and could use some improving, go with more offset.
If your truck remains at a relatively stock height, then offset bushings should not cause any trouble with your pinion angle to the detriment of the u-joint. But if it's lifted, then you have to do more measuring. But since it's a '79, the high-pinion front end has a lot more leeway.
And usually a lot more caster built into it already!

Just some food for thought though.

Paul

 

Love the detailed before-and-after pics. Especially this one, as it shows a lot of detail. I like that you can see, with the mostly missing upper trackbar bushing, how the trackbar eye wants to twist inside the bracket when the suspension is extended and compressed.
This is the other advantage of an adjustable trackbar that I like to point out. Not to help reduce the twist during suspension cycling, but to fix it at ride-height on a lifted truck.
Reinstalling a trackbar's upper bolt becomes a real pain whether the frame is on jackstands, or the suspension is lifted with springs. You have to twist the bar to align the bolt with the two holes.
You can do this with a really big pipe-wrench and literally twist the bar like a torsion bar, or with an adjustable trackbar you simply rotate the eye until it lines up all the holes. Then lock it down once it's in the desired setting and the length you need.
Not completely a sales pitch, as you can make the stock ones work just fine (up to a point), but showing others what sometimes needs to be done.

Another advantage of the adjustable bar though, is that upper eye bushing wear and tear are drastically reduced.
I used to replace my upper (poly) bushings about every three years or so. After the adjustable bar was installed, I never replaced a trackbar bushing again!

Paul

 

Replacing the C bushings with urethane had got to be one of the best mod/fixes for the 1/2 ton 4x4s....the difference is like day and night. You won't regret it one bit.