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My "Official" Stepside Restoration Thread and LS Swap 2021

Overview Gallery Discussion
I took the truck out today to take advantage of the nicer weather before the cold set back in. So I took the obligatory poser shot:

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After a conversation with Deuling earlier this month, I disconnected the sway bar to see how my truck would ride. You see I was looking at the photos from the Dune Party trip earlier this summer, particularly the flex shots on the RTI ramp. I noticed that I really should have flexed better than I did. I know I had some limiting factors at the time like short front shocks, fender clearance, and track bar hitting the frame, but most of all, I think it was the sway bar.

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I have always been a believer in the sway bar because the truck sees plenty of highway time, but I have never actually disconnected it and tried it. The verdict: definitely a better ride. It was less jarring and it felt like the front end actually moved like it was supposed to. Go figure :screwy: Now there was more sway but it was manageable. I do need to replace the frame bushings for the sway bar and then I was thinking of using the ORD quick disconnects for highway use. Opinions? Is it worth my while?
 
Yep. Ditch it. You basically never tow with it and its on the light side for these trucks. I think you will get used to not having it. I ditched the sway bar on a couple of my old trucks and never missed them. It's not like with the bar your truck will carve corners. If your looking for a less harsh ride from the rear you should look into the sulastic shackles. I hear only good reviews.
 
I bought the discos for mine and the sway bar has stayed off the truck since I bought them. Absolutely minimal difference.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm to try some highway driving and test the flex and then go from there.
 
I got a chance to drive the truck around today on the highway. After I got home I immediately threw the sway bar in the trash. :doah:
Good riddens, I'm just surprised at myself for keeping it on for so long.
 
Those sway bars are made from some thick, heavy steel. I wonder what else they could be used for... :thinking:
 
You won't miss the sway bar, I took mine off a few months after I bought the truck.

If you need a sway bar, drive the camaro. :pimp1:
 
I'm thinking that now since I removed the rear overloads and sway bar, once I get the front shocks and some kind of bump stops in I should be doing pretty good for the dunes this year. I say bump stops for accidental airing of all 4 tires last year :whistle:
After that my only hold back should be fender clearance.
 
Sulastic Springs/shackles . . .

y5mgisi said:
Yep. Ditch it. You basically never tow with it and its on the light side for these trucks. I think you will get used to not having it. I ditched the sway bar on a couple of my old trucks and never missed them. It's not like with the bar your truck will carve corners. If your looking for a less harsh ride from the rear you should look into the sulastic shackles. I hear only good reviews.
Click to expand...

Anybody here running these???
 
I have looked them up on lots of diesel truck forums and everyone seems to like them. The overall take on them seems to be that while they don't make your truck ride like a caddy, they do take out the harshness of bumps. Guys seem to especially like them on bumpy gravel roads.
 
Ford Shock Towers

Okay so I've done some calculating and figuring finally on these Ford Shock Towers I've been talking about for most of a year.

An update on my goal here:
Last spring I installed some Bilstein 5100s and found the ones listed for a 4" lift to be too short. So I bought ones listed for a 6" lift and found them to be too long for the factory front mounts. So in comes the Ford shock towers that everyone seems to do to raise the mounts to their proper height for the shock and suspension travel.

My calculations:

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So I could cut off the 2 rivets for the factory shock bracket and place them there. But everyone says that its better to have the shocks as vertical as you could get them. So I unbolted the top of the shock to see if the factory axle mount would even let the shock move that way. Unfortunately it does not because the shock body make contact but I could easily grind in some clearance. I placed the new mount against the frame to see if would work in the space between the factory bump for the shock and the brake line bracket.
I immediately noticed that the drag link could possibly interfere so I cycled the wheels to check:

Straight:

20150108_203249_zps89f5fba8.jpg


Left:

20150108_203032_zps6ac25cf0.jpg


Right:

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Fortunately it looks like it'll clear at ride height at least, under articulation and turned is anyone's guess. It seems 90% of the rigs that do the shock towers have crossover so drag link clearance is a non-issue.

So should I set up the towers in the location I pictured or should I bolt them in at the factory location?
But can I run these shocks upside down? As in body up and piston down? I ask so maybe I won't have to clearance the axle mounts if I mount them more upright.
Also should I set up the longer shocks to be mid travel at ride height?
 
Mid travel is your safest bet IMO.

Your rig isnt for crawling and flexing out anyway. So mount them as vertical as possible I say, then you get the best dampening out of them. I doubt your springs have much more travel than 9" anyways.


But you could always droop out the front axle, and see how far down the springs will go. Then split the difference.

Or go flex it out, but I dont think your going to get that thing in a flexy situation all the time. And if so, its not like you are going to destroy the shock if you max it out in either directions a few times here or there.
 
Why wont those fit into the stock locaiton?

They look so close. How are you gonna attached the ford towers? Cut up and drill holes?
 
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