Found! Early-Design Front Sway Bar (1st Gen Ranger)

[kishy]

I'm looking to buy an early-design front sway bar and all factory hardware for my 85 RWD Ranger. By "early design", I mean the type that mounts to the inboard sides of the radius arms, not the type which connects to the front of the axle beams.

I am located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with ability to cross the border to the Detroit area. I'd prefer to avoid shipping (as I'm sure you do too) and am willing to drive up to about a 2 hour radius from this area (but if you're 3 hours away and the price is low, I'll still go for it). Payment would accordingly be cash in-person (either US or Canadian). I have no idea what this item is worth on the used market between enthusiasts of these trucks, I just know what I can pay at my local junk yard...but they never get the early trucks.

If shipping from further away becomes the only option, I can receive mail at both Canadian and American addresses, so international mail paperwork is a non-issue on your end regardless of where you are. Payment can be by PayPal in that case.

Please get in touch if you've got something suitable kicking around. Thanks!

 

[AndyB.]

Stabilizer Bar for Ford E3TZ5B496A | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Stabilizer Bar for Ford E3TZ5B496A at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[kishy]

Stabilizer Bar for Ford E3TZ5B496A | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Stabilizer Bar for Ford E3TZ5B496A at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I appreciate the link, but it looks like this may be the "later" design version of the part. It seems to connect with end links, which the bar I'm looking for does not. Other sources say that part number runs 85-92 which would be consistent with it being the wrong bar. I recognize that an E3 part number would start in 83, though...

That aside, that's also more than I'm hoping to pay. It's a $15 item at a few local yards, I will obviously consider paying more private sale, but I think there must be bars to be had for well under $175.

 

[svtcards]

I'm also looking for one as well.was told there mostly in the 87-88 supercabs.hope that helps.i modified my front of axle bar hoping it would work.but it won't.now im on the hunt for the rear axle bar.good luck

 

[AndyB.]

83 84 85 86 87 88 RANGER NOS FORD E3TZ-5482-A BAR ASSY. - FRONT STABILIZER | eBay

Part number E3TZ-5482-A.

www.ebay.com

 

[kishy]

I'm also looking for one as well.was told there mostly in the 87-88 supercabs.hope that helps.i modified my front of axle bar hoping it would work.but it won't.now im on the hunt for the rear axle bar.good luck

I had studied how to possibly modify the beams to take the front-side bar. I think it must be possible, but it may be a lot of work.

Specifically, I think the metal dowels (used in factory alignment I think?) can be unscrewed out of threaded holes that would then enable the use of some of the hardware for the front bar, but I've never tried to take mine out. It's the type of project that I wouldn't mind doing, except separating the radius arm from the axle beam looks like a bit of a chore and I didn't want to go there. There might be a compromise method where that can be skipped though.

I apologize for what happens below:

83 84 85 86 87 88 RANGER NOS FORD E3TZ-5482-A BAR ASSY. - FRONT STABILIZER | eBay

Part number E3TZ-5482-A.

www.ebay.com

yoink!
Thank you very much. Still more than I wanted to pay but at this point, balancing the added cost vs actually having the thing in my hands, I was happy at that number.

The hardware will be a bit of a challenge, if anyone happens to have part numbers for those or detailed photos I'd appreciate it.

There are 4 mount points:
-one on each radius arm, probably forming somewhat of a cage containing a large bushing, which the ends of the bar go into, and probably sharing some hardware with the shock mount
and
-two on the crossmember that the radius arms attach to, probably looking somewhat like wide U-bolt clamps.

A DIY solution to the crossmember mounts is probably pretty easy, but it's not clear to me that the same will be true for the radius arm ones.

On account of the hardware issue, I'm going to wait a bit before I mark this thread as 'found'.

 

[AndyB.]

Images attached.

 

[kishy]

Images attached.

You're my favourite person (with a 'u') at this exact moment. Thanks, that's what I needed!

 

[AndyB.]

When tracking down these parts, I’d use rearcounter.com. You can search N802584 and see which obsolete dealers have them in stock (nuts and bolts are generally pretty reasonable, and worth getting over trying to piece together stuff from Home Depot). I’d call Green Sales Company for help tracking down the hardware you need. They have access to updated parts numbers, and if they don’t have it, they can check inventory of Ford dealers.

 

[kishy]

When tracking down these parts, I’d use rearcounter.com. You can search N802584 and see which obsolete dealers have them in stock (nuts and bolts are generally pretty reasonable, and worth getting over trying to piece together stuff from Home Depot). I’d call Green Sales Company for help tracking down the hardware you need. They have access to updated parts numbers, and if they don’t have it, they can check inventory of Ford dealers.

I appreciate that; I had already called my dealer who confirmed the key items that I don't really want to use generic hardware for are not available in the dealer supply channel. Green Sales is on my radar as I have other 80s Fords as well.

In this case, N802211-S2 U-Bolt (x2) and E37A-5C498-AA Retainer (x2) are the parts I'd like to try to get, and then I'd feel comfortable just using normal grade 8 stuff off the shelf for the rest.

The bar is including the bushings at the crossmember, and it looks like the bushings at the radius arm are still commercially available (and if not, they are similar enough to many other sway bar bushings that I could make something work).

But the correct dimensions, shape, and hardness of U-bolt will be hard to know for sure, so that's where OE hardware is nice.

 

[AndyB.]

The E37E is a drawing number, the original service part number would have probably been E3TZ-5C498-?, but I can’t find it in my book. The part number had also likely been superseded over the years. You’d likely need a microfiche reader to find the correct part number.

 

[svtcards]

These r the bushings you LL need for that sway bar.the bars diameter should be 11/8".these are the prothane ones for it https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/1986-Ford-Bronco-II-ProthaneProthane-Sway-Bar-Bushing-(Red)-6-1107/_/R-BHLP-6-1107?ppcfon=1&gp=1&ecmp=p:google_9816045568_102528557440__aud-320825496947la-673197193852&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SC Shopping - Brand/Number - LOW MARGIN&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnuGNBhCPARIsACbnLzrXgvwFzx2pcxqqam7RDE-ZQhKjtF-jvbr_ll2-RC2b0DrpWvvhkhIaAgvJEALw_wcB

 

[svtcards]

Now why are you looking for this particular sway bar?u having clearance issues with the front of axle one?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Sway Bar Pictures

https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/sway-bar-options-for-your-ford-ranger/ Some exploded views of how various style sway bars fit together. Fronts are 2wd, 4wd is similar. I have the sway bar colored in gold and the mounting bracketry you may need to go with it for those that are...

www.therangerstation.com

Pictures have the base part numbers, you will have to play around to get the engineering codes and suffixes to line up.

My restored bushing ubolts and shock mounts. As you can see the factory ubolts are pretty unique.



Installed minus shocks:

I had studied how to possibly modify the beams to take the front-side bar. I think it must be possible, but it may be a lot of work.

Specifically, I think the metal dowels (used in factory alignment I think?) can be unscrewed out of threaded holes that would then enable the use of some of the hardware for the front bar, but I've never tried to take mine out. It's the type of project that I wouldn't mind doing, except separating the radius arm from the axle beam looks like a bit of a chore and I didn't want to go there. There might be a compromise method where that can be skipped though.

I apologize for what happens below:



yoink!
Thank you very much. Still more than I wanted to pay but at this point, balancing the added cost vs actually having the thing in my hands, I was happy at that number.

The hardware will be a bit of a challenge, if anyone happens to have part numbers for those or detailed photos I'd appreciate it.

There are 4 mount points:
-one on each radius arm, probably forming somewhat of a cage containing a large bushing, which the ends of the bar go into, and probably sharing some hardware with the shock mount
and
-two on the crossmember that the radius arms attach to, probably looking somewhat like wide U-bolt clamps.

A DIY solution to the crossmember mounts is probably pretty easy, but it's not clear to me that the same will be true for the radius arm ones.

On account of the hardware issue, I'm going to wait a bit before I mark this thread as 'found'.

It isn't bad on a 4wd, what I think you call a dowel is the stud that holds the spring in, brackets wrap around the beam and that is it. I swapped in a later axle that had all that there, snagged the frame brackets off a later scab and ditched the behind the axle setup so I can pull a link and disconnect the sway bar on the trail. I would think 2wd would be similar.

 

[kishy]

Now why are you looking for this particular sway bar?u having clearance issues with the front of axle one?

I'm hung up on this specific bar because the early trucks do not have provisions to install the front-mounted bar. Not only is the bracket on the axle beam missing, but there's no way to mount it without alterations:







These peg/dowel things are in the way. I've tried to make them move, and they don't want to, so it's not clear to me that they're removable.

Obviously with a grinder, anything is removable, but I was looking for "easyish" here.

Sway Bar Pictures

https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/sway-bar-options-for-your-ford-ranger/ Some exploded views of how various style sway bars fit together. Fronts are 2wd, 4wd is similar. I have the sway bar colored in gold and the mounting bracketry you may need to go with it for those that are...

www.therangerstation.com

Pictures have the base part numbers, you will have to play around to get the engineering codes and suffixes to line up.

My restored bushing ubolts and shock mounts. As you can see the factory ubolts are pretty unique.



Installed minus shocks:





It isn't bad on a 4wd, what I think you call a dowel is the stud that holds the spring in, brackets wrap around the beam and that is it. I swapped in a later axle that had all that there, snagged the frame brackets off a later scab and ditched the behind the axle setup so I can pull a link and disconnect the sway bar on the trail. I would think 2wd would be similar.

See above for "dowel".

Thank you for the pics, much appreciated. That's what I expected the U-bolts to look like, kind of like some axle leaf spring U-bolts, but maybe even wider than those would be.

I've installed a replacement crossmember and it doesn't have the holes for the sway bar mounts, so that'll take some drilling, but that's minor in the big picture here.

Maybe I'll make a post when I install this.