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sway bar bushings

Satan bianchi

Satan bianchi

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my 78 cheyanne got a little squirrley last night and damm near swerved off the road after crawling under there this morn i noticed the sway bar bushings are pretty much gone …was going to order energy urethane bushings this morn but can't figure what size i mic"ed the sway bar its looking like 1 1/2 " energy says it only fits 1 1/4 " am i reading something wrong ..do i just order them? can't seem to find 1 1/2 " listed anywhere
 
I'm just going to throw this out there, it might something else. I took my sway bar completely off and it actually rode better. It certainly isn't squirrely.

That said, I don't know how soft your front springs are and such.
 
a lot of the bushings are rotten as hell under there …it damm sure could be another issue it prob needs a totally new suspension …to be honest it all looks bad but that was all i could see that was noticeably gone …bar is just sitting in the hangers …whole body rocks when ya hit the gas …hit a bump last night and it damm near tourqe steered into the guardrail…was def hairer then id a liked
 
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/swaybarbush.htm

might be a lot faster in this link .

and they have tons of other stuff and good service . .. long time vendor hear and supporter.

as said tho . check other stuff. I took my sway bars off years ago when I went with lift kit springs .

try unbolting yours and drive it again . if not removed bungy cord / or coat hanger it up to the frame for road test.
 
Upon further inspection I find this...it don't look good ...how the hell do I fix it...
 
find what ? looks like a normal rust belt plow truck frame to me . . . . ask me how i know.

please point out what you think is wrong in the pic .
 
Looks like the part attached to the shafts on the column is Damm near gone
 
looks ok

Check your spring and upper shackle hanger bushings.
 
Oh trust me it's pretty blow apart it's all warped and barely on ...I don't know the first thing bout swapping out the joint ..I heard a jeep xj shaft will swap out but I ain't sure if that'll work on a 78...thought that was for 83 and up
 
Turn the key to "ON" and have someone turn the steering wheel while you watch the rag joint. Watch for slop. If there is none, it's not the problem. I'm sure it could stand being replaced but no sense in spending money on something that isn't at fault.

check to see if your lines going to the steering box are flare or O-ring.
O-ring means you can run the XJ. You can always replace the box and lines with the newer stuff (might have to do pump too, IDK)
 
So that's a normal lookin rag joint? ...I thought the metal around it was all blown apart but I'd that's what it's suppose to look like I ain't gonna worry
 
has to be bent the way it is to give room for motion . think of it like a u-joint on your drive shaft . the yoke that holds the u-joint has room to flex .

important part on a rag joint in your picture is if the rubber is freyed or torn then = time for replacement . fairly easy job to do .
 
I've had the metal part surrounding the rubber rust away to nothing long before the rubber was going bad--if it looks "iffy" I'd replace it anyways,believe me you dont want the ride like I took in one of my trucks when the rag joint decided to fail,luckily I was making a slow speed U turn,just after getting off a highway going 65 mph!..:eek:..
I ended up on someone's front lawn!..
 
The XJ swap is fairly easy. It does need to be a newer steering box though. Replacing the rag joint is easy as well. Would have to agree that it does not seem to be your issue or it would do it every time you tried to steer. Running with out the sway bar is not an issue either or at least it has not been on any of the four or five trucks I have done it on.
 
I'm gonna have to take a look to tell ya the truth I'm getting tired of crawling under here ...it's always something...in the last two months I've had to replace the trans, carb, intake gaskets, fuel line , gas tank , brake lines to master cylinder, and everytime it leaves the driveway some other shit breaks
 
Yeah, I hear ya. When my truck developed bump steer all of a sudden I took a peak underneath and saw that all my rubber bushings(and body mounts)were shot too. I replaced my spring bushings and that helped a little. It wasn't until a co-worker was ****ing around with my truck that I noticed the steering box move before the tires. Once I welded a patch on the frame and bolted the box back down solid it got way better.
 
Phil513 said:
That said, I don't know how soft your front springs are and such.
Click to expand...

I agree here. I would not describe my performance as squirrely. It is not as tight as it could be but I drive down the highway and all normal driving.

I have the factory setup and no sway bar (temp while I change bushings). It is the OEM front springs in the reverse arch (two leafs) and a longer shackle. The rears are OEM with small lift blocks. Shocks are single twin-tube hydraulic procomps at each corner; years ago I drove awhile without shocks and was suprised how much it did not matter - had stiff add-a-leaves then. The steering box is at the end of life and I cannot adjust it anymore. The steering linkage is all 40 year old OEM. My leaf spring caged bushings are all 40 year old OEM (except the front shackle bushings) and ripped up from suspension flex. All the u-bolts are tight (not OEM) and checked by a mechanic. My front bearings are new and have a fresh grease pack. No steering dampener. Also, my frame was straightened (OEM flaw) so it is square.

I don't think I could have a setup more suitable to squirrely performance. You probably have something going on elsewhere in your suspension.

EDIT: When did it get squirrely? On braking? Turning? Acceleration? Driving 35mph down a straight road? Doing donuts in a parking lot?
  • If it was braking - sometimes one caliper can work better than the other and it will pull. Also, the chevy steering design crates bump steer when you brake hard and you could end up in the next lane. Glazed brake pads, glazed rotors, or dirty calipers (internal piston dirt) can make this worse.
  • On turning could be your steering box needs adjustment - there is a bolt on the top with an allen key in the center, tighten this up. This would be squirrely all the time and not likely to just show up one day - though you might finally notice it.
  • On acceleration, I have had this and was due to a bent frame - the rear axle was going its own direction. Also loose front bearings will create some slop in the tires and they can take their own track and dart around, worse during acceleration since less weight on them. You should hear the bearings banging around while driving. Locker made this worse.
  • Driving 35 mph down a straight road - you have problems there.
  • Doing donuts - it is supposed to be squirrely, give it more gas and turn the opposite direction you are drifting, then straighten the wheel in the direction you want to go and let off the gas.
 
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