Removing parts from my 1986 Ranger SCLB

[alwaysFlOoReD]

This morning I putzed around cleaning up some of the detritus from the last few days. Then crawled back under using my new to me creeper. It's nice!
Looking up I see the front sway bar, it's unlike most other ranger bars in that it runs behind the axle in a cross member channel and halfway up the radius arms. The outer bushing clamps to the inside of the radius arm and the other side is also a bracket for the bottom of the shock. I decided to pull it in case I can use it in the pinto or some other application. There are some pics with measurements included. The major diameter of the arm is 1.123", (1 1/8"), the smallest under the bushing is 1.09". The arms look like 12" from end to centerline. The width looks like 22" from centerline to centerline of the arms. Don't forget these are attached to the radius arms which are almost double the length of the bar arms.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

This morning I putzed around cleaning up some of the detritus from the last few days. Then crawled back under using my new to me creeper. It's nice!
Looking up I see the front sway bar, it's unlike most other ranger bars in that it runs behind the axle in a cross member channel and halfway up the radius arms. The outer bushing clamps to the inside of the radius arm and the other side is also a bracket for the bottom of the shock. I decided to pull it in case I can use it in the pinto or some other application. There are some pics with measurements included. The major diameter of the arm is 1.123", (1 1/8"), the smallest under the bushing is 1.09". The arms look like 12" from end to centerline. The width looks like 22" from centerline to centerline of the arms. Don't forget these are attached to the radius arms which are almost double the length of the bar arms.

Are... those old Halliburton coveralls?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Are... those old Halliburton coveralls?

No, a different oilfield company I worked for briefly. NTL Pipelines. Previously Nuefeld Trenching Limited. They no longer exist, went bust after they laid me off...

 

[SenorNoob]

That looks like what was on my dana 28.

 

[JoshT]

This morning I putzed around cleaning up some of the detritus from the last few days. Then crawled back under using my new to me creeper. It's nice!
Looking up I see the front sway bar, it's unlike most other ranger bars in that it runs behind the axle in a cross member channel and halfway up the radius arms. The outer bushing clamps to the inside of the radius arm and the other side is also a bracket for the bottom of the shock. I decided to pull it in case I can use it in the pinto or some other application. There are some pics with measurements included. The major diameter of the arm is 1.123", (1 1/8"), the smallest under the bushing is 1.09". The arms look like 12" from end to centerline. The width looks like 22" from centerline to centerline of the arms. Don't forget these are attached to the radius arms which are almost double the length of the bar arms.

Years ago I put a Hellwing bar (IIRC) under my 84 Ranger and it mounted up the same way. IIRC it was 1-1/8" or 1-1/4" too. It's possible you've got the same bar there. I need to pull it someday so I can transfer it over to the 85 if it ever gets built.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

This is a stock bar. The crossmember and brackets are not aftermarket. The crossmember is riveted on just like other brackets. I've seen mention of this style but have never seen anyone document dimensions, so I did.

 

[JoshT]

I wasn't suggesting that the crossmenber was aftermarket. My factory crossmenber looked the same, even had the same mounting holes for the anti-swaybar and the Helwing used them. My factory shock mounts were bolted onto the radius arm, and the bar Helwig brackets bolted to the back side. The truck was a base model and didn't come with a bar (or AC and other creature comforts). My dad got the truck it when it was only a few years old, so its not like someone had removed it.

I don't recall if it uses u-bolts or short behind the shock, it's been 20+ years since I installed it and almost 15 since I climbed under it. I'm kind of thinking the end links were different, but I've looked at enough bars since then that I can't be certain.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

From your description it could be aftermarket. It's been there since I've owned the truck, about 20 years or more.

 

[JoshT]

From your description it could be aftermarket. It's been there since I've owned the truck, about 20 years or more.

And it could very well be stock. On closer look, the shape of your bracketry does look more like factory pieces with how they're formed. Aftermarket stuff was usually more flat plate, c-chanel, and angle iron. Factory was more pressed and formed.

That is how the stock bar mounted in those years, helwig was copying the factory design with their aftermarket offering. I'm not sure if I've heard of one that age having a factory front bar that large. They were definitely bigger than the rear bars (when installed), but factory bars I've heard about on the older Rangers are usually 1 inch or smaller. That's based on second hand info. Unfortunately we don't have a very large sample set to compare, seems like most trucks of that generation didn't have them.

If I think about it when I get the forest cleared out from around the 84, I'll climb under there and see exactly how the Helwig bar mounted.