SOA: Don't lose your third shock & track bars!!! ***PICS***

[torqlox]

For most 2nd gen Explorers with the "third shock" (Axle dampener) and 5.0L machines that have factory "track bars" (anti-windup bars), You don't have to lose them after SOA! After a little research and digging, I found a few ideas that make these parts work!

As for the Ford Factory Axle dampener, it's too short and does not reach both the frame and axle eyelet mounts. It is merely a 14" at full extension, and allows 4" of travel. After some trial and error I found that the 89-93 5.0L Mustang axle dampener is the perfect length at 18.73" and has 5.75" of travel! It also looks way cooler and only $22.00 free shipping on Amazon . The part number and model you are looking for is: "Monroe 32242 Monro-Matic Plus Axle Shaft Damper".

As for the factory traction bars, all you have to do is find some 1" pipe with an I.D. of 3/4", and extend them by exactly 1 3/8". This is the exact measurement that allows the bars enough slack for when the suspension droops and compresses. you just need a good bead weld around each sleeve where it touches the rod. I personally had a 6" steel rod bored with an internal thickness of 3/4" on each end to a depth that allowed a 1 3/8" section of solid metal in the middle for more rigidity. See pics below!

Missing Axle Dampener after stock one was too short to re-install.

New Dampener

P/N

Size Comparison with Stock

This blue dampener must have sat around for nearly 10-15 years. I guess Mustang owners never replaced them much.

Axle Mount

Frame Mount

Side View

Modded Track bars after refinish and paint

I rode around with just the track bars for about a week before I found this dampener. Acceleration and throttle response had already improved a great bunch, but after installing the dampener, it's night and day. I can feel so much more energy being applied to the rear wheels versus the vehicle body, even with my heavy 285/70/17 BFG Muds which need replacement. Hope you guys benefited from this. I always believed there is a reason the engineers put these items in place, so there is no reason to lose them when performing SOA. Talk to ya later. -JT

 

[drdoom]

Looks good man.

 

[Dono]

Is that Damper too long for use with factory ride geight? Im guessing so.

 

[torqlox]

Looks good man.

Thanks! Nothing more satisfying than when you discover something that actually works.

Is that Damper too long for use with factory ride geight? Im guessing so.

I'd say at least TT and Shackles to use this Dampener. You'd actually be losing travel at factory height.

 

[mounty71]

Not to be a negative Nancy, but I can't imagine those trackbars doing much of anything now since their axle mounts are so close to the leaf springs. Not to mention the rubber bushings will probably negate anything they might do.

 

[torqlox]

Not to be a negative Nancy, but I can't imagine those trackbars doing much of anything now since their axle mounts are so close to the leaf springs. Not to mention the rubber bushings will probably negate anything they might do.

Maybe you are right. All I know is that the ride got a bit stiffer, and throttle response a little quicker. On that note, aren't all track bars rubber-bushing based? I am new to this, but from a mechanical perspective, I'd see a rigid track bar as a potential problem.

 

[explorinitup]

LIKE

 

[slickemhoundd]

just incase you may know, would that dampner work with 4" springs SUA?

 

[99SportX]

Interesting. Have you flexed it out fully yet?

 

[torqlox]

just incase you may know, would that dampner work with 4" springs SUA?

I don't see why not. 4" SUA and 5.5" SOA is pretty close.

Interesting. Have you flexed it out fully yet?

Not yet, but I know it's not much due to the stiffness of the ride. I rather have a stiffer tail than a rear end all wrapped up though.

 

[rjcooperss396]

Maybe you are right. All I know is that the ride got a bit stiffer, and throttle response a little quicker. On that note, aren't all track bars rubber-bushing based? I am new to this, but from a mechanical perspective, I'd see a rigid track bar as a potential problem.

I think the stiffness has more to do with the fact that the rearend is binding because of the traction bars. As the suspension compresses the traction bars are trying to move the rearend back. If you were to hit a big bump that would bottom out the rear springs my guess is that you will either break one of the bolts on the tractions bars or it would S the spring and break the rear U-joint on the driveshaft.

Try unbolting the traction bar from the rearend and move it up to the point where it would be if the rearend was to hit the bump stop. I bet that it will be a couple inches too far back. The only way to correct that would be to extend it even more and move the front mounting point closer to the front spring hanger.

 

[99SportX]

^^ Yes. This is why I was asking about flexing it out. I think you may find that the rubber bushings in the trac bars won't last very long.

Granted, as the leaf spring compresses, it gets longer (eye-eye), but this is not likely to match up with the trac bar arc as it goes up. Best bet is to make the trac bar parallel to the imaginary line drawn between the front and rear leaf spring eyes. This would be the best compromise for both suspension compression and droop. Also, as previously mentioned, the farther the mount is above the axle, the more the axle wrap will be resisted by the bushings in the trac bar. Torque = Force x Distance. If torque applied to the wheels is constant, an increase in the distance from the rotational centerline will result in less force on the rubber bushings, therefore they will compress less. Don't go too high though or the mounts may hit the frame before the axle hits the bumpstop.

 

[kert0307]

Maybe you are right. All I know is that the ride got a bit stiffer, and throttle response a little quicker. On that note, aren't all track bars rubber-bushing based? I am new to this, but from a mechanical perspective, I'd see a rigid track bar as a potential problem.

That's why most anti wrap bars have a shackle on the end to account for the "arc" the leaf spring.

 

[torqlox]

Thanks for all the awesome recommendations. Well after some improvising, I adapted my OE sway link rods to serve as a proverbial "shackle" for now, until I come up with something better. The end result is that there is no more binding and it still provides some windup support.


I used the existing MOOG sway link bushings, and a random top hat from a car coil-over set I had stowed away. The long bolt on the bottom came from the no longer used warrior shackles (went back to stock shackled after SOA). It's not a permanent fix but it works. I plan on shortening the sway link or using some kind of custom shackle/clevis in the future.

 

[kert0307]

I hate to say it, but now the traction bar isn't doing anything. You need to add another bushing/mount to the bottom of the axle like the pict I put above.

 

[mounty71]

I don't think you understand how traction bars work.

Just because you find a way to bolt something up doesn't mean it's actually working.

 

[torqlox]

I just hate to either leave it hanging or remove it completely. As it is, I cannot remove it from the rear mount because the new SOA setup puts the spring way too lose to the T-Bar mounts and the bolt has zero travel distance to be removed. I had to decide whether to break my rear u-joint, leave my traction bars hanging by the front end, or find a way to bolt it up. It's my daily driver so I really don't have the down time to work on it during the week. Like I said, it's not permanent and I have ideas on what I want to do for the long term, I just need some time and planning.

 

[traveler]

Ok, gonna bring up a point on a long dead thread, cause thats what I do. LOL

If that shock that you installed was "gas charged" then it is biased. It favors one direction (out) not the other (in). For the application at hand you want one that resists movement in either direction. With the gas charged shock, it would be "pushing" the rear diff to one side all the time.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ok, gonna bring up a point on a long dead thread, cause thats what I do. LOL

If that shock that you installed was "gas charged" then it is biased. It favors one direction (out) not the other (in). For the application at hand you want one that resists movement in either direction. With the gas charged shock, it would be "pushing" the rear diff to one side all the time.

Maybe it's for round track racing, to help while turning going to the right. Good thought, but yes an old thread.

 

[traveler]

Well I find these old threads while doing searches for my own research (in this case anti-windup bars) and on occasion (rare, but sometimes) find things that just strike me as needing to be addressed. I figure that if I found it by doing a search for answers, others could find it the same way and they would want as much information as possible.

And I hope he's not circle track racing his lifted 4x4 Explorer.