I was tossing around the idea of putting some sway bars on my '60 F100 in hopes that it would corner a little better. Someone on another site made several posts on a thread about the subject, stating that it was a "waste of time and money" and that it would do nothing to affect the handling characteristics. So is he right? Does the sway bar work well with leaf springs?
I call major BS here. My O/T Ranger PU has rear sway bar with parallel leaf springs. Ya think Ford don't have a clue?
A sway bar is one of the best mods you can do. In fact you can probably find a factory bar to retrofit from an 80-90's F-150 & Bronco's. I had an 89 with a factory bar and added one to my OT 98 F-150, made a huge difference.
I'd like to put some on my F-1 as well.... Who out there has done this? Post up some ideas for donors and mounting ideas.
Take measurements and pictures of sway bars on car dealers lots, all make and models. I am sure you will find something that will work. Be sure to use a larger bar on the front than on the back, you don't want oversteer! After you find what will work, check with the local wrecking yards for those models and buy all the parts to make it work on your truck. I'm sure some fabrication will be needed! GOOD LUCK
Dumb question but is a sway bar and panhard bar the same thing. I'm thinking I'd like to put one on my Dodge.
I found some old photos the other day detailing the underside of the original SCCA Boss Mustangs. It was clearly visible that many were running a panhard with leaf springs. It must be set up right, but I can see a combination of panhard and sway bars making a huge difference.
Not quite, in a nutshell a panhard bar controls side to side movement of axle, sway bar controls body roll. I find Jeep Cherokee (square bodies) rear swaybars to be almost universal, they mount to body not to axle and have the links attached to axle.
Most newer leaf spring equipped vehicles have factory sway bars. I removed the factory rear sway bar on my old OT Dodge Diesel Dually and drove it to the parts store to get new bushings...I could certainly feel the difference in the body roll. It felt heavy around corners, not stiff and straight like when it had the sway bar intact. When you see a panhard type bar on a leaf spring rear, it's usually on a track car. The panhard helps keep the spring from wrapping sideways under hard cornering by keeping the rear axle straight.
Pick'n'Pull has F150 Ford trucks, they have the rear anti-roll bars with brackets on a standard width frame that fits from '48 F-1 thru all the F-100s. Front anti-roll bars not as common, may have to use Addco or like the boys said: Look under 'em all. Something will fit. This is a real improvement to make. Unbelievable, the difference.
Although it was mentioned earlier, a panhard bar is used to keep the axle from moving from side to side, it has nothing to do with sway, or body roll, at all. A sway bar is generally attached at the frame on each side about 12" in front of or behind the axle and then is attached via u bolts to the axle on each side, as you turn left as the body/frame wants to lift on that side up and away from the suspension, it puts the pressure on the other side and wants to pull it up as well. Since the two forces are pushing in opposite directions they kind of balance out and keeps the body/frame fairly parallel to the suspension. I have had four F100's from 64 to 66, 2 where stock, the two with dropped I beams had front and rear sway bars. They were about 1 1/8 or so. Those to cornered "like" a vette. It makes a huge difference in any application. I will bae adding them on our 56 belair wagon this winter. Joe
Panhard bar is connected between the frame and the suspension, controlling side to side movement of the suspension, front(not IFS) or rear(trailing arms/4 bars). A sway bar is connected between the right and left sides of the suspension,pivoting on the frame, to control body roll.
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