I just finished installing a Hellwig rear sway bar on my 2004 Ford E350 Cutaway Quigley. Hellwig's instructions are nearly useless, their tech support was much better.
Rant alert*** Hey automotive accessory companies, your instructions almost universally suck, did you make your diagrams with Corel Draw in 1996? Get some real photos, with color pictures, and detailed install info. You could save your customers days of work and they could end up with a better final product.
Some of this info, I presume, would help with the #7085 install on non-Quigleys as well. First up is info applicable to any #7085 install.
--On your lower rear shock mounts, make sure the bolt heads are inboard and the nuts are outboard. If you need to make this change, you may want a small bottle jack to help adjusting the shock to re-install the reversed hardware. Because the bolt head is lower profile than the nut, the sway bar mounting hardware can be pushed closer to the shock mount, as the instructions call for..
--On the driver's side there is a small manifold/block mounted near the top of the axle and inboard of the shock. The block makes it hard to run the U-bolt under the brake line. The block is bolted to the axle, using a fitting that serves as both the axle breather and a mounting bolt. You can determine this by following the rubber line of off the top of the block that basically just terminates in no-man's-land. You are going to need more clearance between the rubber brake line and axle tube, so the U bolt is not in contact with the rubber brake line. Clean the area around the block, remove the runner line from the barbed fitting, then slowly loosen the breather bolt/fitting, 15mm. Once you've backed it out, put a washer or two in between the block and the axle tube, with the breather fitting running through the washer. Retighten. This will give you the proper clearance. In the photo you can see the U-bolt just fitting under the rubber brake line because of the washers.
For Quigley specifically:
--In my case, I needed to trim the rear lower shock mounts. I think Quigley changed these mounts from stock, although not certain. I used a Sawzall to cut these down, a cut off wheel or a portable-band would probably work as well. I cut the mounts so their lowest hanging point was 1.25" below the bottom of the axle tube. In the first photo you can see the bar and shock mount in contact. In the second photo you can see me pointing to about where I cut, and also the reversed shock hardware.
And after I cut it down....
--For the sway bar links, the included set-up is too short, basically because the Quigley is lifted about 4". The sleeves I made are 7.75" long, the included ones are 3.5" if I remember right. The bolts that run in the sleeves are also too short for a Quigley, I bought 1/2" threaded rod, with gave me a lot of flexibility, I cut those down at 13" and then trimmed some excess, 12.5" would probably have been better.
--In an effort to get the driver's side sway bar mount closer to the shock mount, I trimmed the corner off the mounting bracket, this notch is where the head of the lower rear shock mount fit, allowing me to push the sway bar mount further outboard by a bolt head thickness. When I did this I did not know I would be raising the brake manifold/block, you should consider not trimming the bracket and first raising the brake block ad seeing if everything is happy that way. Notice the notch in the lower right corner.
--When you install the L brackets to the frame, only loosely tighten them, so you can move them a little. You want the end links to be vertical, or close to it. The movement in the L brackets is the only option to make adjustments. You'll see what I mean when you are in there working. I also ground the corners off the backplates that the top bolt goes through, looking to eliminate stress risers.
A tip I have is to use cam straps to hang the bar roughly in place while you gets things aligned. The bar is very heavy and awkward when you are laying under the vehicle by yourself.
I hope these small pieces of info can save somebody a lot of BS. Hellwig, your customers should not have to scour the internet for this type of info.
I have not done a test drive yet, but will report back.
I hope somebody finds this helpful.
Hellwig rear sway bar sway-bar sway bar anti-sway anti Quigley 4wd E-350 E350 E-250 E250 E450 E-450 Econoline E series E-series cutaway Cut away.
Rant alert*** Hey automotive accessory companies, your instructions almost universally suck, did you make your diagrams with Corel Draw in 1996? Get some real photos, with color pictures, and detailed install info. You could save your customers days of work and they could end up with a better final product.
Some of this info, I presume, would help with the #7085 install on non-Quigleys as well. First up is info applicable to any #7085 install.
--On your lower rear shock mounts, make sure the bolt heads are inboard and the nuts are outboard. If you need to make this change, you may want a small bottle jack to help adjusting the shock to re-install the reversed hardware. Because the bolt head is lower profile than the nut, the sway bar mounting hardware can be pushed closer to the shock mount, as the instructions call for..
--On the driver's side there is a small manifold/block mounted near the top of the axle and inboard of the shock. The block makes it hard to run the U-bolt under the brake line. The block is bolted to the axle, using a fitting that serves as both the axle breather and a mounting bolt. You can determine this by following the rubber line of off the top of the block that basically just terminates in no-man's-land. You are going to need more clearance between the rubber brake line and axle tube, so the U bolt is not in contact with the rubber brake line. Clean the area around the block, remove the runner line from the barbed fitting, then slowly loosen the breather bolt/fitting, 15mm. Once you've backed it out, put a washer or two in between the block and the axle tube, with the breather fitting running through the washer. Retighten. This will give you the proper clearance. In the photo you can see the U-bolt just fitting under the rubber brake line because of the washers.
For Quigley specifically:
--In my case, I needed to trim the rear lower shock mounts. I think Quigley changed these mounts from stock, although not certain. I used a Sawzall to cut these down, a cut off wheel or a portable-band would probably work as well. I cut the mounts so their lowest hanging point was 1.25" below the bottom of the axle tube. In the first photo you can see the bar and shock mount in contact. In the second photo you can see me pointing to about where I cut, and also the reversed shock hardware.
And after I cut it down....
--For the sway bar links, the included set-up is too short, basically because the Quigley is lifted about 4". The sleeves I made are 7.75" long, the included ones are 3.5" if I remember right. The bolts that run in the sleeves are also too short for a Quigley, I bought 1/2" threaded rod, with gave me a lot of flexibility, I cut those down at 13" and then trimmed some excess, 12.5" would probably have been better.
--In an effort to get the driver's side sway bar mount closer to the shock mount, I trimmed the corner off the mounting bracket, this notch is where the head of the lower rear shock mount fit, allowing me to push the sway bar mount further outboard by a bolt head thickness. When I did this I did not know I would be raising the brake manifold/block, you should consider not trimming the bracket and first raising the brake block ad seeing if everything is happy that way. Notice the notch in the lower right corner.
--When you install the L brackets to the frame, only loosely tighten them, so you can move them a little. You want the end links to be vertical, or close to it. The movement in the L brackets is the only option to make adjustments. You'll see what I mean when you are in there working. I also ground the corners off the backplates that the top bolt goes through, looking to eliminate stress risers.
A tip I have is to use cam straps to hang the bar roughly in place while you gets things aligned. The bar is very heavy and awkward when you are laying under the vehicle by yourself.
I hope these small pieces of info can save somebody a lot of BS. Hellwig, your customers should not have to scour the internet for this type of info.
I have not done a test drive yet, but will report back.
I hope somebody finds this helpful.
Hellwig rear sway bar sway-bar sway bar anti-sway anti Quigley 4wd E-350 E350 E-250 E250 E450 E-450 Econoline E series E-series cutaway Cut away.
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