Steering stabilizer install

[the74bronco]

Now that my Bronco is finally tracking and driving decent. I want to add a steering stabilizer to help dampen the 37’s. I have Duff’s new sport heim steer, so I bought their associated stabilizer and bracket. It appears that with the pitman arm straight back and the bracket installed, the stabilizer is fully closed allowing steering only in one direction. The tech support at duff is telling me that I have the right sized stabilizer. Has anyone ran into this? Is the best option to modify or extend the bracket? I tried extending the steering and pushing the pitman arm to the drivers side, but the movement isn’t enough to make it work.

https://flic.kr/p/2sj7E3P

 

[Shimmy]

Now that my Bronco is finally tracking and driving decent. I want to add a steering stabilizer to help dampen the 37’s. I have Duff’s new sport heim steer, so I bought their associated stabilizer and bracket. It appears that with the pitman arm straight back and the bracket installed, the stabilizer is fully closed allowing steering only in one direction. The tech support at duff is telling me that I have the right sized stabilizer. Has anyone ran into this? Is the best option to modify or extend the bracket? I tried extending the steering and pushing the pitman arm to the drivers side, but the movement isn’t enough to make it work.

https://flic.kr/p/2sj7E3P

i'd give em a call and show them what you're dealing with. it's their design so i'm sure they have a solution. or email them with a pic

 

[.94 OR]

I would also measure the travel from side to side of the bracket on the linkage, and the travel of the stabilizer.
I bought one from Tom's years ago and the shock had a shorter throw than the linkage travel. I took it off.

 

[the74bronco]

i'd give em a call and show them what you're dealing with. it's their design so i'm sure they have a solution. or email them with a pic

That was my first try. Not very helpful. They just reassured me I had the right parts.

 

[the74bronco]

I would also measure the travel from side to side of the bracket on the linkage, and the travel of the stabilizer.
I bought one from Tom's years ago and the shock had a shorter throw than the linkage travel. I took it off.

I’ll try this. The shock has tons of travel, but it’s almost like the factory bracket needs to be 3 or 4” to the passenger side.

 

[.94 OR]

I’ll try this. The shock has tons of travel, but it’s almost like the factory bracket needs to be 3 or 4” to the passenger side.

I ran into that as well so I made an offset bracket but it didn't help.

 

[bmc69]

Similar setup on my '78 FSB....notice how much closer to the pitman arm the stabilizer mount is.

 

[DirtDonk]

Measure the shock, bushing to bushing (between the two halves) both compressed and extended and post those here.
Members here can compare them to known good ones.

Those aren’t actually factory brackets, and they don’t mount in the factory location at least on the drag link.
It does look like it’s utilizing the factory holes on the cross Member, but it’s hard to tell from here.
Does the passenger side bracket use two bolts in line, as shown in that other picture by .94 OR, of a factory bracket next to the custom offset one?
Looks like there’s a little more room you could move that over, but certainly not enough to compensate for the long shock.

You could be dealing with the double issue of a longer bodied shock, and the non-stock drag link.

 

[DirtDonk]

The supplied driver side bracket does look nicely offset to accommodate a slight lift. Is there any chance that, using the U-bolt mounting method that you have, it can be pushed up to the upper link closer to the Pitman arm? Instead of on the main bar of the drag link?
Or does that put it too close to the Pitman arm?

 

[Shimmy]

do you have a zoomed out pic? i'm thinking your pitman arm side heim should be screwed in further and the tie rod side extended out? this would allow the stabilizer mount to be closer to the pitman arm and extend the stabilizer

 

[ksagis]

Do they know you have adjustable trackbar? The adjustment is eating up a bunch of the real estate to mount the bracket.

Edit, any reason you can’t flip the ends of the track bar? i.e. there’s no reason the adjustment feature needs to be on pitman arm side

 

[EPB72]

Do they know you have adjustable trackbar? The adjustment is eating up a bunch of the real estate to mount the bracket.

Edit, any reason you can’t flip the ends of the track bar? i.e. there’s no reason the adjustment feature needs to be on pitman arm side

You mean drag link.. no HE can't flip it because the lower end has a saddle mount on the tie rod end to drag link ,uses a different style heim on the lower end,,

OP agree somthing is Amiss in there kit,,, ,, FWIW I have there tie rod drag link set up ,, but not running a stabilier,, just measured on drag link , from center of frame bracket mount holes to closest adjuster lock nut on drag link is 14 inches ,

ther web site says there shock is 12 1/8 collapsed and 20 1/2 extended is that what yours is ?

 

[Wild horse 75]

I believe the bracket is suppose to go on the adjuster. The nut has a recess machined into it for the u-bolt.

 

[Oldtimer]

Looking at Duff's photo on their website, the stabilizer bracket is mounted to the pitman arm rod end, not the drag link.
Not sure what that does to adjusability?

 

[Shimmy]

Looking at Duff's photo on their website, the stabilizer bracket is mounted to the pitman arm rod end, not the drag link.
Not sure what that does to adjusability?

View attachment 963371

i never noticed this. seems like a poor concept to mount this to the threaded portion.

 

[EPB72]

Here’s some pics without bracket , so yes maybe one unbolt around adjuster (hex in center position and then other around upper rod end .. ,, s far as alignments well the tech would have remove bracket while making adjustments if needed,, not ideal but have had to do that on quite a few aftermarket set ups on various vehicles,

Note ,, OP’s signature shows 5.5iin lift with drop pitman , so may take some extra work? Op also post picks of whole setup all the way to right side , looking at how the upper end is the adjuster shows a lot of thread on tube side and not many threads on rod end side ,, ,,, ,, there is adjustability in the tie rod ends and adjuster to shift tie rod tube left or right as well as drag link to get everything in good position ,

I found on the ends that aren’t part of the adjustment, I first had them in the tube so minimal thread was showing but found that didn’t work so well as then the adjusters would need to have a lot of thread showing,, so had to play with all the ends till I was happy , had it close until brought to work and did final adjustments,,

Also note , I find my steering box center and mark it , set everything with box centered and then worry about if steering wheel is installed properly .,,
But all this is done after frame and axle are centered with track bar .

 

[ksagis]

You mean drag link.. no HE can't flip it because the lower end has a saddle mount on the tie rod end to drag link ,uses a different style heim on the lower end,,

OP agree somthing is Amiss in there kit,,, ,, FWIW I have there tie rod drag link set up ,, but not running a stabilier,, just measured on drag link , from center of frame bracket mount holes to closest adjuster lock nut on drag link is 14 inches ,

ther web site says there shock is 12 1/8 collapsed and 20 1/2 extended is that what yours is ?

Yeah, I meant drag link. Even if the heims are different, are the threads (threads to mount the heim) the same and can swap the heims on each end?

Edit, adding pictures. Actually looks like the pictures on their website show exactly what I mean. Looks like first pic the heim would go in the saddle.

 

[EPB72]

Yes there diferent.. the lower is male thread , the upper is female thread and the Hex adjuster screws into upper rod end

 

[ksagis]

I’m confused, the DOM is female on both ends. Unless one of the ends of the DOM is reverse threads, or a different thread

Edit, ignore, I see. What is shown on website isn’t current anymore.

 

[the74bronco]

I ran into that as well so I made an offset bracket but it didn't help.

Why did the extended bracket not fix it? I was thinking about doing the same thing.