Quigley steering damper

[shenrie]

Originally Posted by TCNorthwest

Great, will do. I wish I would have know about the RIP kit before I pieced my own together

Might be worth inquiring if you can send him your shocks and see if they are willing to revalue yours. Just the difference between my version 1’s and the version’s I have now was pretty significant. Iirc it was specific valving for the 7.3 vans that had the moog springs used from the original rip kits they offered.

[Wanderer-RRORC]

something else you might want to consider is that the rear track width of the axles are often narrower than the front period when I went to twenties I had to put two inch spacers in the back and I was amazed how much more stable the van was with the stock rear 60 and twin beam front.

once I got my Dana 60 put in the front several trips to the alignment shop correct caster camber bushings and everything all the line it still had a little bit of a wander when I put the inch and a half spacers on the back to make my track with match it definitely helps with the nuisance corrections that cause driver fatigue. I just put a new skyjacker steering stabilizer for a 2005 on the van and ended up just drilling through the engine crossmember for the van side mount . It is absolutely perfect it takes that nuisance correction away so my driver fatigue is completely gone

[TCNorthwest]

Originally Posted by Wanderer-RRORC

something else you might want to consider is that the rear track width of the axles are often narrower than the front period when I went to twenties I had to put two inch spacers in the back and I was amazed how much more stable the van was with the stock rear 60 and twin beam front.

once I got my Dana 60 put in the front several trips to the alignment shop correct caster camber bushings and everything all the line it still had a little bit of a wander when I put the inch and a half spacers on the back to make my track with match it definitely helps with the nuisance corrections that cause driver fatigue. I just put a new skyjacker steering stabilizer for a 2005 on the van and ended up just drilling through the engine crossmember for the van side mount . It is absolutely perfect it takes that nuisance correction away so my driver fatigue is completely goneAttachment 36549

I added 2” spacers to the rear a couple months ago, and it made a huge difference! I don’t like the idea of spacers, but with a full floating axle and quality spacers, I think It will be OK.

I talked with Agile Off Road today, the guy who called me back couldn’t have been more helpful. Highly recommend them.

After going over all the parts I’ve thrown at the front end already, he said that replacing the damper or even adding a Fox stabilizer would be a waste of money. I don’t have bump steer and the bit of wander is probably due to the fact that Im sending a 7000lb lifted 4x4 shaped like a brick down the freeway and expecting it to drive like my new ford pickup. I might pick up a Fox damper and throw it in there because it looks cool, but I think I’m just going to learn to live with a little wander.

[Chinook]

Considering my rig weighs in at 10,400 LB's dry and is just over 10 feet tall with 4 inches of lift and no wander.... sounds alot like someone was blowing you off.

I hope thats not what they would say to a customer that paid for one of their conversions and called with the same complaint.

"Im sorry sir, youre just expecting to much if you think your truck should drive straight down the freeway at 65 mph." Lol, not what i would be accepting as a reasonable answer, not even from my X wife who claims to know everything.

There are so many variables when it comes to an issue like this that i dont know how a person with any mechanical background could state with a straight face..."Youre sending a 7000lb lifted 4x4 shaped like a brick down the freeway and expecting it to drive like my new ford pickup."

Not even the best mechanic in the world is qualified to make such a statement without having performed the work on the van himself, or at a minimum having inspected the vehicle first hand himself. Sounds to me like they put the Janitor on the phone just to appease you.

My response would have been something like this... "Pardon me, your new pickup truck weighs as much as my van and has the aerodynamic qualities of an old cast iron bathtub on wheels. I find your statement to be clownish in nature and beyond rediculous. Unfortunately at this point im forced to question the validity of any credentials you may have that you feel qualifies you to make such a statement as if it was factually accurate and true without having so much as looked at the vehicle."

[TCNorthwest]

Originally Posted by Chinook

Considering my rig weighs in at 10,400 LB's dry and is just over 10 feet tall with 4 inches of lift and no wander.... sounds alot like someone was blowing you off.

I hope thats not what they would say to a customer that paid for one of their conversions and called with the same complaint.

"Im sorry sir, youre just expecting to much if you think your truck should drive straight down the freeway at 65 mph." Lol, not what i would be accepting as a reasonable answer, not even from my X wife who claims to know everything.

There are so many variables when it comes to an issue like this that i dont know how a person with any mechanical background could state with a straight face..."Youre sending a 7000lb lifted 4x4 shaped like a brick down the freeway and expecting it to drive like my new ford pickup."

Not even the best mechanic in the world is qualified to make such a statement without having performed the work on the van himself, or at a minimum having inspected the vehicle first hand himself. Sounds to me like they put the Janitor on the phone just to appease you.

My response would have been something like this... "Pardon me, your new pickup truck weighs as much as my van and has the aerodynamic qualities of an old cast iron bathtub on wheels. I find your statement to be clownish in nature and beyond rediculous. Unfortunately at this point im forced to question the validity of any credentials you may have that you feel qualifies you to make such a statement as if it was factually accurate and true without having so much as looked at the vehicle."

That’s a pretty bold statement for only hearing my opinion of a much longer conversation. If they were trying to blow me off I doubt I would have even got a call back, or a follow up after I lost cell reception in the middle of the call. He took the time to explain his reasoning and it made sense. A steering stabilizer mitigates bump steer and road shock, but isn’t going to make a difference on slight steering adjustments on a straight, flat road. I have replaced every every ball joint, U-joint, tie rod end, bushing, shock, tire, and even the steering box. They would have gladly taken my money if I would have insisted on a new stabilizer, but I respect the fact that they advised me against something they saw as unnecessary and explained their reasoning.

I have a 5in lifted rear on a 9ft tall body with a single wheel axle with no sway bar. You have a dually, an Ill assume you have an RV sway bar. I have had many different makes and models of service and rigs for work and I’ll tell you that a dually makes more difference than anything as far as tracking down the highway. I had a 2015 1ton Chevy dually with a 4K crane weighing in at 14000lbs. Even when I gave it up at 250k miles without ever having suspension work, that thing tracker straighter than any new single wheel pickup I’ve ever driven.

[Chinook]

So now your backstepping and saying that he didnt tell you..."Youre sending a 7000lb lifted 4x4 shaped like a brick down the freeway and expecting it to drive like my new ford pickup" ??

So you come on a public forum asking for help, but then claim you only gave us part of the conversation and that your original post wasnt completely accurate and perhaps you may have twisted what was actually said by the mechanic?

No i dont have an RV sway bar, i have a stock 2008 E-350 front sway bar and no rear sway bar at all. Apparently you didnt read earlier posts or you chose to ignore them. Sway bars are not an end all, be all cure for a vehicle that wanders or is unstable.

You stated you added blocks in the rear which helped tremendously. With that said, lifting the rear of the vehicle will change the caster in the front. Its also an indication that your issue is originating in the back not the front. Its called tailwag and there is a fix for it.

This is my rear suspension... The sway bar that you see in the pictures is no longer on the truck, because not unlike yourself i spent buckets of money trying everything i could think of including replacing the entire front suspension on the truck with take off components from a new truck. After a years worth of screwing around and listening to alignment shops tell me " your driving a lifted brick, youre expecting to much". I installed a tracbar/panhard bar on the rear and eliminated all of my issues to the degree that i can now drive the truck straight down the road with two fingers even when passing a semi truck or being passed.

I told you what the fix was days ago, yet you ignored it.

Hey, its your truck, im sorry i mentioned anything. If you prefer to give credence to a mechanic that tells you "live with it, youre expecting to much from a truck that wanders all over the freeway" over a man that suggested you try something you havent even thought of, then more power to you bro. Why bother posting at all if you werent looking for a solution or ideas from others?

Most of todays mechanics arent even aware that tailwag can mimick front end alignment and steering issues.

I would suggest just taking the mechanics advice and just live with it since you seem to trust their opinion. Beyond that i didnt mention anything about a steering stabilizer so im not sure why you felt a need to rant about him telling you not to install a steering stabilzer. You have already convinced yourself that there is no fix for the issue. Youve already convinced yourself that im wrong and that because my rig is heavier than your rig and has dual rear wheels it couldnt possibly have any steering issues. Take your mechanics advice, live with it, sorry i chimed in.

[TCNorthwest]

Originally Posted by Chinook

So now your backstepping and saying that he didnt tell you..."Youre sending a 7000lb lifted 4x4 shaped like a brick down the freeway and expecting it to drive like my new ford pickup" ??

No i dont have an RV sway bar, i have a stock 2008 E-350 front sway bar and no rear sway bar at all. Apparently you didnt read earlier posts or you chose to ignore them. Sway bars are not an end all, be all cure for a vehicle that wanders or is unstable.

You stated you added blocks in the rear which helped tremendously. With that said, lifting the rear of the vehicle will change the caster in the front. Its also an indication that your issue is originating in the back not the front. Its called tailwag and there is a fix for it.

This is my rear suspension... The sway bar that you see in the pictures is no longer on the truck, because not unlike yourself i spent buckets of money trying everything i could think of including replacing the entire front suspension on the truck with take off components from a new truck. After a years worth of screwing around and listening to alignment shops tell me " your driving a lifted brick, youre expecting to much". I installed a tracbar/panhard bar on the rear and eliminated all of my issues to the degree that i can now drive the truck straight down the road with two fingers even when passing a semi truck or being passed.

I told you what the fix was days ago, yet you ignored it.

I didn’t ignore your recommendation, I asked for more info and when I found that the track bar needed the stock shock mounts that I just cut off, I decided to continue looking for easier options.

Maybe this will clear it up for you. I stated that he said replacing the damper or adding a stabilizer would be a waste of money. End of sentence. From then on that is me talking about a wanting my 7000lb brick to drive like a new truck
.

[Chinook]

The easier answer would be to weld your own bracket on the axle. Maybe take it to your local 4x4 shop and have them weld a bracket on the frame and one on the axle, measure the distance and have a bar fabricated by one of the 4x4 shops or race shops using spherical rod ends?

Just a thought, supersteer and Blue Ox just happen to use the shock mount bracket for their lower axle mount point. That doesnt mean you have too or that its the only way to achieve the desired result. In fact you would get a better result by having it custom made because they could fab the brackets based on how much lift is on your truck so that the bar sits closer to level once installed. The supersteer and blue ox bars sit at a pretty good angle once installed on a lifted truck. Not unlike the front, you want the bar as level as possible so that it doesnt force the axle sideways when you jounce the truck.

You would most likely walk away having spent less than what super steer wants for theirs at $525 plus shipping, and most certainly half of what Blue Ox wants at $725 plus shipping. For that matter theres no reason you couldnt get a used front track bar off of a pickup at the salvage yard and have your brackets fabricated to utilize it on the rear if money is tight.

[TCNorthwest]

Originally Posted by Chinook

The easier answer would be to weld your own bracket on the axle. Maybe take it to your local 4x4 shop and have them weld a bracket on the frame and one on the axle, measure the distance and have a bar fabricated by one of the 4x4 shops or race shops using spherical rod ends?

Just a thought, supersteer and Blue Ox just happen to use the shock mount bracket for their lower axle mount point. That doesnt mean you have too or that its the only way to achieve the desired result. In fact you would get a better result by having it custom made because they could fab the brackets based on how much lift is on your truck so that the bar sits closer to level once installed. The supersteer and blue ox bars sit at a pretty good angle once installed on a lifted truck. Not unlike the front, you want the bar as level as possible so that it doesnt force the axle sideways when you jounce the truck.

You would most likely walk away having spent less than what super steer wants for theirs at $525 plus shipping, and most certainly half of what Blue Ox wants at $725 plus shipping. For that matter theres no reason you couldnt get a used front track bar off of a pickup at the salvage yard and have your brackets fabricated to utilize it on the rear if money is tight.

I’m liking the idea of having my own fabbed up. I have a buddy who is a pretty good fabricator and likes projects like this. Maybe build some custom brackets and throw some Johnny adjustable joints on a scrap yard track bar.

[Chinook]

Sweet, you could even fab one up that just clamps around the axle tube on one side using U-bolts if you didnt want to weld directly on the axle. Then fab one that bolts to the frame on the other side.