73 to 79 rear sway bar on 72 on back

[junkyardjeff]

I found a 77 F250 at a local junkyard that had both the front and rear sway bars which I grabbed everything including the beams,I know the 73 to 79 frames are a little wider but can the 73 to 79 rear sway bars be used without too much modifications. Jeff

[FORDification]

Looking for a second opinion?

As you stated, the '73-up F250 2WDs had a wider rear frame section than the bumpside-era trucks. Since the swaybar connects to the frame at each end, it also has to be wider. Therefore, the wider swaybar will not fit an earlier truck.

I found this out the hard way...I too purchased the rear swaybar from a mid-'70s truck to put on my '67 F100, and when trial-fitting it in I found that it was just too wide to work. It's been some time since I tried, but IIRC the swaybar and/or connecting links would actually be hitting the rear leaf springs on each side.

[junkyardjeff]

Was a rear sway bar a option on the 72 on back trucks or is a aftermarket the best way to go. Jeff

[FORDification]

Sure, the factory would put a rear swaybar on an F100 or F250 bumpside if special-ordered...but few people did so, and so they're going to be pretty hard to find in a junkyard.

If you're determined to use a junkyard unit, what I'd suggest is looking under the F250 4x4s and the F350s up through '77-1/2. These trucks would be slightly more likely to have them, and since they still had the narrow framerail spacing, they'll basically bolt right up.

However, an aftermarket setup is probably going to be the best route in this case. They're going to attach in virtually the same way as the factory types, and will be much less of a headache to install, since it'll come with all the mounting hardware.

Here's a link to the Addco page listing swaybars for Ford products, including trucks:

http://www.addco.net/Ford-GMC_AntiSwaybars.htm#Fordm

You mentioned that you got your swaybars from a junkyard truck, and that you got the I-beams. The factory front swaybar will work with your existing I-beams, so those aren't needed. However, the swaybar installation does require special radius arms...did you save those too? They'll be slightly extended forward and are notched to properly locate the swaybar mounts. The alignment pin is built into the swaybar mounts. Here's a couple comparison shots. The first picture is of a standard bumpside-era radius arm. Notice how they're flush with the front of the I-beam:



...and here's a shot of a dentside-era radius arm set up for a swaybar (not all were). You'll see how it's extended with a notch for the swaybar mounting bracket:



Here's a picture I took of a mid-'70s Ford van in a local salvage yard, that shows the relationship between the mounting bracket and the notch in the end of the radius arm, and is virtually identical to the truck setup. (I just didn't have a good pic of a truck layout to post.):

[MadMaxetc]

Crap!! I orderd the wrong rear one.

Looks like I will be talking to Summint to try to return it.

[junkyardjeff]

I got the radius arms too since it was easier to take everything off togather and I have been hearing about later bronco rear sway bars to possibly use,the van setup looks identical to what I got off the F250. Jeff

[AlleyCat]

I got the radius arms too since it was easier to take everything off togather and I have been hearing about later bronco rear sway bars to possibly use,the van setup looks identical to what I got off the F250. Jeff

I checked into the van setup.It won't work because the vans have wider frames.