Front Stabalizer bar

[Russell]

I have access to one off my 76 parts truck, is it worth installing onto my 80?

[Russell]

Also, what is a 400 turbo transmission? Apparantly, thats what I have in my truck, but I have never seen anything like it mentioned in here. Also is a 3.75 ratio (or something similar, heard it yesterday while not paying much attention to my uncle who originally bought the truck) any good?

[Slonaker]

If your truck doesn't have one, make the upgrade. Adding the front swaybar is probably one of the best things I have done to my truck. While you are at it, get new bushings for it. A complete set for it should be less than $10. I think mine were $2.99 or $3.99 per pair at Auto Zone. It takes two pairs.

The Turbo 400 transmission is a heavy duty 3 speed automatic. It was what they usually put behind big blocks and such.

Slonaker

[bpmcgee]

Russell,

The 3.73 gear ratio would have been standard in a lot of years of trucks. Most people consider it fun for driving around town, but a little on the low side for highway cruising.

At least in '71, any truck with a 350 would have come standard with 3.08 rears. More suitable for highway driving.

In terms of the transmission, the TH350 and TH400 are both regarded as pretty bulletproof. Real techno-nuts will point out that, unless you're running SERIOUS horsepower out of your 350, the TH400 will be overkill, and will hurt your mileage due to the increased parasitic losses in the bigger tranny.

Good luck,

Brian

[PHOENIX]

Sway Bar

I need to change the bushings (non-sway bar) on the front of my truck.
My truck did not have an ANTI-sway bar (for you Mike ).
I added an anti-sway bar with new brackets and bushings.
It did not make a noticable difference.
I am sure my old bushings affect this, but you would still think either way it would be an improvement, but I couldn't notice it.

[Low83]

Try putting a 3/4 or 1 ton sway bar off a dually and see if you notice. half tons came with 1-1/16 bars while the 1 tons are 1-1/4, go with Poly bushings to take full advantage of the bar.

[Russell]

It would be coming off a 3/4 ton onto my 3/4 ton. I have a 5.8 litre stock engine on, not sure how much horsepower it put out, but it certainly sounds mean. This truck is one of those camper specials, it has two huge leaf spring packs on the back (12 leafs each) and a very heavy differential. I assume that the truck puts out a lot of horsepower considering how many stock heavy duty components are on the truck...

[pkbinplano]

I put a sway bar off a 1 ton on my half ton lwb and man did it make it drive more like a newer truck. No more hanging on through corners.

[Russell]

My truck can take corners really well as it is, I dunno, it sticks to the road and is incredibly stable compared to the newer blazer I am used to driving (99, not a nice old one ) I will install it anyways, it can't hurt and is only a two to three hour job as I see it...

[Russell]

Just how fast do you guys figure I can take off with my tranny and engine? Enough to burn out from a standstill or will I have to buy more stuff first?

[ocbaud]

Originally posted by ZiDigi
My truck can take corners really well as it is, I dunno, it sticks to the road and is incredibly stable compared to the newer blazer I am used to driving (99, not a nice old one ) I will install it anyways, it can't hurt and is only a two to three hour job as I see it...

i put on my rear antisway bar in about 40 minutes. the front should be a lot easier.

[79BIG10]

The front sway bar is so easy. One thing you need to look for is the brackets that are on the frame. If you don't have these you need to get them. The U shpaed brackets mount to these on the frame then the others mount to the A-arms. Take about 20 mintues for everything to be bolted up. All your holes are already there.

[PHOENIX]

Originally posted by Low83
Try putting a 3/4 or 1 ton sway bar off a dually and see if you notice. half tons came with 1-1/16 bars while the 1 tons are 1-1/4, go with Poly bushings to take full advantage of the bar.

For our trucks Energy Suspension also make a kit for a 1-1/8" bar.

Tom gave me his old sway bar, I bought the energy suspension kit and installed it. I didnt notice much of a difference (if any). Do you think its because my front end bushings need replacing or do guys think its because of the size of the bar?

If you guys think going to a bigger bar will be noticable I will do it. I need to take some of this sway out of this truck.

What size are the bigger bars (diameter)?

For those who haven't installed a sway bar, it is easy and doesnt take long. The only part that takes thought is which way does the bar go. At first I put it on upside down. I could tell it wasnt right. I checked a pick swervin had posted and his looked different. I flipped it and it works out fine. I bought the greasable bushings and bushing brackets in a kit (Energy Suspension, from Performance Suspension). I bought the frame mounted brackets from the dealer. They were like $25-$30 for the pair.

[rockman20]

In a truck I would go as big as I could go on the sway bar. I did this on my 69 Cutlass. Went with a 1.25" bar. It definitely stopped the bad body roll I had, but now when I hit a pothole it gives a bit of a more rigid ride. 1" or a 1.125" would of sufficed on there.

What kind of tires are you running as well? If they are cheap tires, you will have bad sway. I use to run the cheapest tires I could buy for my 81 Chevy Citation and man what a difference from the tires that were on there when I bought the car. The thing would roll pretty bad and made handling around corners a nightmare at any kind of speed.

[Russell]

I am running 16 inch stock wheels, they look to be only like 5 inches wide or so... Very narrow tires, but they are brand new all terrain radials, very nice tires, just too narrow and too tall for my liking... I am planning on installing the stabalizer bar on the front since I have nothing to loose with doing so.

[PHOENIX]

I am current running brand new
Dunlop GT Qualifier
Speed Rating = TR
Catagory: Performance / All Season

Here is a picture I found online:


I just bought these tires and I see no difference between these and the previous tires. Pacemark was the brand.

Size of all tires (front, back, previous, and new) is 295/50/R15

[Tom]

I never had that 1 1/16" bar on my truck to compare [well it did but it wasent bolted to the a-arms when I bought the truck] but I put a 1ton bar on [ 1 1/4"] with energy suspension poly bushings and man did it help. The truck leans about 3/4 less then it used too. Now Im looking for a rear bar off a 3/4-1ton truck at the junkyards. I like stock stuff when it works

[pkbinplano]

79 big 10 and I looked at a rear sway bar off a 1 ton a while back.
It would have been a major project just to get it off. The 1 ton had a different leaf spring set up . If my memory is correct. Way easier to install a Energy sway bar.

[79BIG10]

Originally posted by pkbinplano
79 big 10 and I looked at a rear sway bar off a 1 ton a while back.
It would have been a major project just to get it off. The 1 ton had a different leaf spring set up . If my memory is correct. Way easier to install a Energy sway bar.

I agree. The one we saw off a 1 ton dooley was mounted using a plate going through the U bolts along with hangers on the frame where you would have to fab something up to your frame unless it had it on there and was a heavy SOB. It was way too much trouble to even think about installing. Plus the weight alone was incredible. I would definately get the aftermarket on this rear setup.

[Russell]

My back end hardly moves as it is due to having 12 leafs on each side on the back... It came with 10 stock, but my grandfather added 2 on each side as it was starting to bottom out when it was loaded with hay bales, my father tells me that after putting those springs on, the back end stopped going down half as far as it did before, and I know the hay weighs a lot more than anyone gives it credit for, so I can safely say that my back end is pretty solid and doesn't really need a stabalizer... I am headed down in a couple weeks to grab the front bar to install though, gonna have fun getting those bolts off, just like I did with it's leaf springs... One of my bundles is cracked on the third spring up, and since both are the same size and have the same number of leafs, I am installing one from the other truck onto mine. Man was I sore after taking all those bolts off with a breaker bar :P