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adding rear sway bar to Gen 1

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Old Mar 26, 2011 | 11:07 AM
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bill55az
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Default adding rear sway bar to Gen 1

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Trying to mount a sway bar from a later gen dakota to my 89, the part that is welded on to the axle of later dakotas doesn't exist on the older ones. After market bars use pair of large Ubolts for each side, not very neat looking.
Scrounging around in the Junkyards, I found an older ranger pickup with a ubolt mounted bracket that uses only 1 ubolt, and is a "strap" looking ubolt. It is uneven in that it mounts right where the tube enters the pumpkin, one part on the tube, one part on the pumpkin, but that can be delt with if you have a grinder.
Older rangers and broncos, etc. use that method, newer ones have the mount welded on.
I saw one full size bronco with the same bolted on arrangement, but the item is larger, probably for heavy duty use. It was a 93, I think.
The bar itself is not useable as it mounts too close to the pumpkin, but the bracket mounts are worth getting and using.
Later bars, from the welded on mount arrangement, may be a fit for early dakotas. I will know more when I get back to Utah and see how what I have fits....
 
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Old Mar 26, 2011 | 04:11 PM
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Crazy4x4RT
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I would say just buy some brackets for the axle that can be welded on. Very cheep online probably less then $10 and very clean look.
 
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Old Mar 26, 2011 | 05:24 PM
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True, but the local shops around here won't weld on an axle tube...unless it is drained, some not even then....
 
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