Rear Sway Bar

[87sc302]

Is anyone using a rear sway bar on a lowered Ranger?
I have the flip kit on my 1987 X cab and I have been thinking about adding a sway bar.

[Grumpy]

i got a factory rear sway bar on my 1990 Ranger and also got it lowered...... 3 1/2 in front and 4 in the rear ..... what ya need to know ? right now its for a 7.5 rear but i got a 8.8 to go into it . same size axle tubes and all so it should bolt right back up to the housing with no probs as the tubes on both the 7.5 and 8.8 are the same .. 2.75 inches.. fire ya question off and ill see if i can look at mine or get a pic of it if you need..... Peace

[plowboy34]

On the boy's truck it is an 85 long box with a flip kit and we run a sway bar. No problems at all, one of the best things we did do to the truck. Between the front and rear sway bars the truck handles like a dream. With the right set of tires I would not be afraid to run anything on turns, it turns unbelievably steady. The rear would lose traction way before the truck ever got any roll into it, it is just rock solid.

[Grumpy]

i have front and rear sway bars on my 1990 Ranger and they OE and they work fine ..... even with the tire/rim combo i got installed.... i got Weld Drag lites on it.. i got 185 x 85 x 15 on front and 295 x 50 x 15 on the rear and they do not rub or drag or anything . So if you have any questions on the sway bars.. drop me a line her in an email or you can email me at grumpy_01@hotmail.com that is the smae as my MSN too if you want to add me ..... that goes for ANYONE else too no matter who it is.

i have almost got everything i need to start my conversion .. all but headders but three is someone there that has a set but they are the "in frame" headers and they retain ALOT of under hood heat ..... so im going to have a set custom made.... fender well exit.. kind of like the oned yjsy the old "Cuda's" and Coronets and Chargers and select few more had. That way i can hide the exhaust under the rocker panels and no one will know they are there unless they

As some of youll know.. as i get started on this project and move forward and get one step at a time im going to document it all ,, from loosing a bolt to swapping in different parts from start to finish.

this documentary that im going to make this one of the MOST compressive "How To" on the Ford Ranger engine swaps out there .. not only will it have a summary on HOW to do a certain thing but it will also have pictures and note and if it needs ANY modifications on a certain or piticalr area then it will be listed there too.. if you need wiring diagrams for the donor car and or the project car.. if i dont havr them then il will go find them for you.

i have see lots of book out there that explains on how to do stuff put they dont have notes or pictures or anything like that ..... well MY "How To" WILL have as much as i can collect.. pictures, notes, how to's and anything else i can find. That way the newbies can either access it on the web or order a book and it will explin it to them in trems that a 5 year old will understand and be able to do it.

Now.. ill be using name brand parts like L&L Products...Hooker..Headman, Canton, Ford Parts.. parts off MANY diff vehiles like Crown Vic, Mustangs, Rangers, Mavrick (IF i can find some of them) will and do have access to a machine shop so i f i have to have a part made then ill get all the specs from the machine and computer controlled shops and have all the measurements and stuff as if you wish to make your own cause i have found out that it a lil cheaper to have them made at a shop than it is to just go and buy them from a shop already made.

as you know .... i got one 1990 Ranger 2 wheel drive that im fixing to do the v-8 swap in ... well my step-son now whats one (I found him a 1991 Ranger 4 wheel drive) but his will be a 4 wheel drive plus he has a 1993 GMC Jimmy s-15 with a 4.3 that he wants to convert to a v-8 too .. so i think i got my fill ove v-8 engine swaps this summer to last me till about mid-summer on 2010.

Anyway .... when i get my 1998 Exploder going again then ill start n my Ranger swap .. then that will be the day then ill start taking the before during and after and finished product on my Project Ranger and will prob have a HUGE "how To" book (Catalog) on what and how to do it and prob cover a few things in it that you either will not need to do , or ill do it for trial and error to see if it will work.

Well.. till next time i drop in and see whats goin on.. Peace from Oxford Mississippi (right outside of University of Mississippi .... A.K.A. Ole Miss Rebels

[94stranger]

I was looking at my rear on mine the other day and its slamed in the back but. . . . . . no flip kit!

[87sc302]

How does the factory rear sway bar attach to frame?
If I get sway bar from salvage yard is there special frame mounting hardware I need to get with the sway bar from donor?
If so is it easily removed ie not rivited to frame like cross member mounts?

Would an aftermarket rear sway bar be the better way to go?
Thanks

[cgrey8]

The Ranger rear sway bar connects to the frame by way of 2 rods. The bar attaches to the rods. The rods bolt to holes in the frame. In most cases, those holes are already there even if your truck wasn't outfitted with a sway bar stock. The driver's side hole can be a pain to get to without removing the gas tank. I was able to persuade the gas tank away from the frame far enough for me to slip my hand between the tank and the frame allowing me to tighten the bolt. Make sure you get those rods and the frame bolts from the donor.

The sway bar attaches to the rearend via U-bolt clamps. You'll need all the hardware and bolts from the donor that held the sway bar onto the rearend.

[plowboy34]

What cgrey8 said, if you get one from a junk yard (which is what we did) just get everything you can, holes will already be in the frame, simply bolt everything on. Just a walk in the park.

[87sc302]

Just what I needed to know.

Thanks, I will spend time this weekend at the junkyards.

Like I needed an excuse!