TRAC BAR question
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TRAC BAR question
okay to make a long story short, i have a 84 f 150 with a 79 front end, over time the trac bar that was welded to the frame has broke many times, ive just been re- welding it up and tryin not to play in my truck so it wont break again, but yesterday it broke, so now ive got most of it re-welded back up,lol with a peice of angle iron re-enforcing it, i was wondering if i could run a long peice of heavy duty angle iron from the frame down onto the axle housing itself and weld it up, kinda act like another trac bar, wouldnt that make it just a lil bit stronger, the only thing im worried about is burnin a hole or somethin threw the housing, its not really a powerfull welder but it does the job.
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Quesnel, BC, Canada
no, you dont want to weld a bar solid to the frame and axle housing. You need pivot point on each end of the bar I hope you know that. What part keeps breaking? The mounts or the bar itself?
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From: La Grande, OR
If you weld it solid, when the suspension lets the axle drop and rise, it puts all the pressure on your weld. Sounds like you just solidly mounted it there. No point in having a suspension then, or trac bar, as that will try to not let that axle go anywhere. The best fix for that that I've seen is a mount on top of the housing with a grade 8 bolt, and Heim joint in a piece of 1" or 1.5" DOM tubing, then a Heim joint at the other end where it connects to the frame with another mount and grade 8 bolt, that way it acts as a joint to let your axle go up and down.
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just to clear this up, i wasnt the one who put a 79 front end in a 84,lol, so uhh the only thing that came apart is the mount thats welded to the frame, it just like ripped the frame,lol so lately i just welded it back up adn then would go play in my truck and it would break again, so now im not gonna play at all and just drive it normal, alright so im not gonna weld on a bar from the axle to the frame, thanx ya'll before i made a big mistake.
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im just tryin to think of somethin to make it more re-enforced without spending barely any money, the only thing i want re-enforced is the mount thats welded to the frame, or is prolly suppose to be bolted but mine isnt,,,,,,,,,,,,,, could big tires put more stress on it, becuz right now i have some floaters on my truck, some 35x15.50's on a 14 inch rim i think, thier tooo wide for my liking, but im thinkin that the tires are also puttin stess on it becuz its more turning mass/weight, those damn things are heavvvyy
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2005
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I have a 94 that I did a sas with a 79 front axle. I made a gusset for my trac bar mount that goes from the bracket to the engine crossmember. I'm running 40's and haven't had a problem yet. There are some pics in my gallery.
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yea idk why he put in that front end, wut is so better about it, im confused, iknow not all 80 models were IFS, that would be my only thought of why he would do it. but idk. im just gonna take it easy then sell the piece.
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Postmaster
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All of the 150's in those years were ttb. It's a pretty common swap to use the 78-79 straight axle in them and when setup right can make a great truck. If you need any help with it just holler.
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From: riverton u.s
they sell a drop bracket for your track bar. I used that on my 66f-100 with a 79 high pin d44 in it. I run 35x12.50.15 for 5 yrs and ive jumped it drove it off some cliffs and over pine trees and its never broke. you can get the bracket from a place in utah called Jack-it. they have a web site. it mounts to the frame where the old one was. the only thing i did extra was drill 2 holes all the way through the frame into the bracket.