FuzzFace2 Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 This thread has me motivated to install my front swaybar...lol. I might tackle it Sunday morning. Since I am changing my radius arms at the same time, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that I can pull the axle beams far enough ahead to get the end(s) of the arms out of the brackets on the frame... If you have to undo the long bolt thru the spring to install the sway bar bracket I think the distance from the beam to end of arm is shorter than the threaded part of the arm into the frame bracket. If so I think it would be easier to undo the long bolt and pull the beam forward a little then pull the arm from the frame bracket. Replace the arm bushings, arm back in the frame bracket and pull the beam forward to fit back into the arm so you can install the long bolt and parts for the sway bar. Then again when I put the beam and arm back in the truck I did the arm to frame bracket first then the center beam pivot bolt. So maybe just undo the pivot bolts to drop the assy.? Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Your radius arm brackets haven't been removed before? Mine had the rivets removed before we got the truck and is just simply held in by same sized bolts with a shank. Makes changing the bushings easy if need to do it. No they have not, they're still riveted to the frame. I bought the truck with only about 35k original miles on it, so nothing had been touched. I installed new 87-91 radius arms and bushings back when I had the axle beams out, but I have since gotten a nice set of southern 1984 radius arms (and new 83-86 bushings) so I plan to put those in it when I install the swaybar, to get it all done in one swoop. I'll drill the rivets out of the brackets if I have to, but if I can pull the beams ahead and slide the arms out with the bolt out like Dave says, that will save me some effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 Your radius arm brackets haven't been removed before? Mine had the rivets removed before we got the truck and is just simply held in by same sized bolts with a shank. Makes changing the bushings easy if need to do it. No they have not, they're still riveted to the frame. I bought the truck with only about 35k original miles on it, so nothing had been touched. I installed new 87-91 radius arms and bushings back when I had the axle beams out, but I have since gotten a nice set of southern 1984 radius arms (and new 83-86 bushings) so I plan to put those in it when I install the swaybar, to get it all done in one swoop. I'll drill the rivets out of the brackets if I have to, but if I can pull the beams ahead and slide the arms out with the bolt out like Dave says, that will save me some effort. Ah, I don't know how many miles was on our truck when we got her she wasn't that old but 10 years or so old at the time. but they were removed for bushings. Im going to pull them out again though when I do the sway bar and new coil springs as I want to put the same prothane brand poly bushings over the blue poly bushings I got from napa. I also want to use the prothane lube as I didn't put lube on the poly bushings I have now and it was fine till around year 7 or 8 since I did it and now the bushing creaks and groans. My temporary fix was to drill a small hole into the plastic spacer and installed a zerk fitting so I can pump grease into the plastic spacer which put grease directly on the poly bushing and helped keep it quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted May 4, 2020 Author Share Posted May 4, 2020 Was doing some browsing just now. Found a NOS swaybar part # E9TZ-5482-C for $140. problem is though I question if that is the part number though cause on the site it lists it as being for 4x4 and the number I need which is E9TZ-5482-C is a 2wd swaybar. Might have to call them up but I think I will go ahead and get this one as finding a used set might be a bit hard around here. They also have the E0TZ-5486-H swaybar to crossmember mount brackets for $11.95 a pop. But they most important part they don't have the E0TZ-5486-D and E0TZ-5486-E which is the end link ears that goes under the coil springs. I guess that puts me closer with getting the bar and the mounts to the crossmember. Just need to crawl under my truck tomorrow and see if my crossmember plate is one of the ones that has the mounting holes if so I will go ahead and pick the NOS swaybar and the swaybar to cross member mounts. They also have the rear swaybar correct E7TZ-5A772-G part number for my '82 as well for $210 that is NOS as well. But none of the mounting kits for the rear axle which is part number E0TZ-5C489-B. This is why I cant get my engine finished on my truck, I keep finding parts for other parts of my project lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 But they most important part they don't have the E0TZ-5486-D and E0TZ-5486-E which is the end link ears that goes under the coil springs. Those ears/brackets that go under the coil springs are the hardest parts to find. Took me two years, and I ended up finding them locally. A friend of mine bought a southern '84 F150 2wd and converted it to 4x4, so the 2wd beams, springs, radius arms, etc were all just sitting there, with just some mild surface rust. Just need to crawl under my truck tomorrow and see if my crossmember plate is one of the ones that has the mounting holes My '84 F150 had the front crossmember with the holes for the swaybar brackets, but when I bought my front swaybar assembly, it came with the crossmember still attached lol, so now I have two. My front bar is from an early 90's F150 4x4, and from what I've read and measured myself, it should fit my 2wd truck just fine. I read on FTE one time where a guy had removed and installed about 20 sets of these things over the years, and according to him, all of the F150 4x2 and 4x4 swaybars were the same, all that changed was the mounting points over the years (and the end links between 4x4 and 4x2). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Found a NOS swaybar part # E9TZ-5482-C for $140. problem is though I question if that is the part number though cause on the site it lists it as being for 4x4 and the number I need which is E9TZ-5482-C is a 2wd swaybar. By the way, if you look at the part numbers on Gary's Swaybar page, you'll see that this is correct swaybar for both 2wd and 4x4 F150's, all the way up to at least 1989-1990, and from what I've been told, they were also the same right up until 1996. The differences were only in how they mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 By the way, if you look at the part numbers on Gary's Swaybar page, you'll see that this is one of the correct swaybars for both 2wd and 4x4 F150's, all the way up to at least 1989-1990, and from what I've been told, they were also the same right up until 1996. The differences were only in how they mount.http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n59202/bars.jpg I just had to jump in. I've added "one of the" to your statement above, Cory, because since that part number is E9 there has to have been an E0-prefaced part number, and maybe even another one before 1989, meaning E9. I don't know what it is, but can find out if anyone wants to know. And the reason for knowing is that you might run across one NOS and w/o that part number you won't know what the thing is or if it'll fit.(And if I go find it I should put it in my MPC and on that page so we will know next time.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 By the way, if you look at the part numbers on Gary's Swaybar page, you'll see that this is one of the correct swaybars for both 2wd and 4x4 F150's, all the way up to at least 1989-1990, and from what I've been told, they were also the same right up until 1996. The differences were only in how they mount.http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n59202/bars.jpg I just had to jump in. I've added "one of the" to your statement above, Cory, because since that part number is E9 there has to have been an E0-prefaced part number, and maybe even another one before 1989, meaning E9. I don't know what it is, but can find out if anyone wants to know. And the reason for knowing is that you might run across one NOS and w/o that part number you won't know what the thing is or if it'll fit.(And if I go find it I should put it in my MPC and on that page so we will know next time.)Gary,Understood on the detail. I don't need any info, but maybe Rusty does. I was just pointing out that the most front swaybars you're going to find on F150's will be interchangeable...assuming one was "Junkyarding"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Gary, Understood on the detail. I don't need any info, but maybe Rusty does. I was just pointing out that the most front swaybars you're going to find on F150's will be interchangeable...assuming one was "Junkyarding"... Yes, that is true and a very good point if you are junk yarding. However if one were searching there might be NOS E0's available. And if having that number would help, I could get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted May 4, 2020 Author Share Posted May 4, 2020 But they most important part they don't have the E0TZ-5486-D and E0TZ-5486-E which is the end link ears that goes under the coil springs. Those ears/brackets that go under the coil springs are the hardest parts to find. Took me two years, and I ended up finding them locally. A friend of mine bought a southern '84 F150 2wd and converted it to 4x4, so the 2wd beams, springs, radius arms, etc were all just sitting there, with just some mild surface rust. Just need to crawl under my truck tomorrow and see if my crossmember plate is one of the ones that has the mounting holes My '84 F150 had the front crossmember with the holes for the swaybar brackets, but when I bought my front swaybar assembly, it came with the crossmember still attached lol, so now I have two. My front bar is from an early 90's F150 4x4, and from what I've read and measured myself, it should fit my 2wd truck just fine. I read on FTE one time where a guy had removed and installed about 20 sets of these things over the years, and according to him, all of the F150 4x2 and 4x4 swaybars were the same, all that changed was the mounting points over the years (and the end links between 4x4 and 4x2). I'm just surprised that I found what I did find in NOS. Just struggling to decide if I want to spend the money now or wait and spend the money on finishing my truck. Normally I jump on NOS parts as they are getting hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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