pathfinder Quadravan front end???

[spencyg]

I think you need to find the exact replacement linkage geometry that you'll be removing. The inverted Y acts to limit bump steer with the strange pathfinder geometry (albeit not well). Having a more standard crossover type linkage will make the thing dart all over the road when it hits a bump.

SG

 

[rex blackfire]

yeah, those are 49. something. I'm looking more like 53"
the distance from b.j. zert to zert is at 59"
The b.j.s are 1" diam. at the adjusters, and .55" at the spindle.
the left side (long side) is 56 5/8ths from the zert to the far end of the adj. sleeve, and the sleeve is 5.5"
The drag link is 1.25" diam. and 38.25" long.
The only part I'm having trouble with is the right side end, the long one. Gonna go to Six states today and see what they know.

 

[rex blackfire]

I have seen ford tierod ends that have an eyelet in the shaft, worse case I may be able to source something like that, then just have a tierod built and attach the drag link to the eyelet.

 

[justcuz]

Ford used the Y link on twin traction beam and twin I beam front ends. Once you installed a proper track bar, I don't think the Y link steering will gain you any advantage.
If you raised the pitman arm and were able to install a track bar behind the drag link, I think your steering issues and articulation would improve considerably.
Any good parts store will be able to look at those tie rod ends and cross reference the part numbers for the application.
The dual piston calipers were common on F250 and F350's. I would bet Ford used the same caliper on 2wd and 4x4's
They had 2 kinds of caliper retention systems, one was a sliding wedge type pins and the other had a pin with a bolt in it as I recall.
See if you can find a pre 80 F100/150 4x4 in your area. That steering and track bar would work well adapted to your front axle.
I say pre 80 because that was the first year of TTB and Y link steering on a 4x4. F150's had coils and F250's had leaf springs.
The van looks very presentable, I think it would be worth your effort to fix the front end.
Those look like a set of Selctro fee wheeling hubs, under the dial the hubs should have six bolts to hold it to the axle hub flange. If it does then it is the external hub design front axle, which is common to the first year F250 disk braked low pinion front axle which I believe was 1976.
You could be pretty safe to assume that almost all the front axle parts are the same as a 1976 F250 4x4.
I can double check for you but in 1977 when Ford went to the reverse arch front springs like Chevy and the t-case married to the transmission, they MAY have gone to the high pinion front axle. Either way the ball joints, knuckles hubs and brakes were all the same.
A good site to get info on Dana front axles, especially Ford stuff is "Mr N's Dana front axle guide".
Edit: The F250 low pinion disc brake front axle was in use from 1976 to 1977.5. After mid year they went to the high pinion front axle. On his site there are pictures of coil sprung F100/150 front steering and track bars, one photo of a disc braked front axle has a very bent tie rod but it is solid between the knuckles and the drag link goes from the steering over to the passenger side in line with the track bar. An F100/150 type tie rod, drag link and track bar as I mentioned above would be perfect for your setup. If you drop down to pictures of the newer TTB on Mr. N's site you will see a Y steering setup. My guess is you have nothing Chevy on your front end except possibly tie rod ends. The brakes are clearly Ford from looking at the Ford Dana axle pictures. There is lots of info on Mr N's site, stick with the Ford stuff to avoid too much confusion. Hope this helps.

 

[toddz69]

Ford used the Y link on twin traction beam and twin I beam front ends. Once you installed a proper track bar, I don't think the Y link steering will gain you any advantage.
If you raised the pitman arm and were able to install a track bar behind the drag link, I think your steering issues and articulation would improve considerably.
Any good parts store will be able to look at those tie rod ends and cross reference the part numbers for the application.
The dual piston calipers were common on F250 and F350's. I would bet Ford used the same caliper on 2wd and 4x4's
They had 2 kinds of caliper retention systems, one was a sliding wedge type pins and the other had a pin with a bolt in it as I recall.
See if you can find a pre 80 F100/150 4x4 in your area. That steering and track bar would work well adapted to your front axle.
I say pre 80 because that was the first year of TTB and Y link steering on a 4x4. F150's had coils and F250's had leaf springs.
The van looks very presentable, I think it would be worth your effort to fix the front end.
Those look like a set of Selctro fee wheeling hubs, under the dial the hubs should have six bolts to hold it to the axle hub flange. If it does then it is the external hub design front axle, which is common to the first year F250 disk braked low pinion front axle which I believe was 1976.
You could be pretty safe to assume that almost all the front axle parts are the same as a 1976 F250 4x4.
I can double check for you but in 1977 when Ford went to the reverse arch front springs like Chevy and the t-case married to the transmission, they MAY have gone to the high pinion front axle. Either way the ball joints, knuckles hubs and brakes were all the same.
A good site to get info on Dana front axles, especially Ford stuff is "Mr N's Dana front axle guide".
Edit: The F250 low pinion disc brake front axle was in use from 1976 to 1977.5. After mid year they went to the high pinion front axle. On his site there are pictures of coil sprung F100/150 front steering and track bars, one photo of a disc braked front axle has a very bent tie rod but it is solid between the knuckles and the drag link goes from the steering over to the passenger side in line with the track bar. An F100/150 type tie rod, drag link and track bar as I mentioned above would be perfect for your setup. If you drop down to pictures of the newer TTB on Mr. N's site you will see a Y steering setup. My guess is you have nothing Chevy on your front end except possibly tie rod ends. The brakes are clearly Ford from looking at the Ford Dana axle pictures. There is lots of info on Mr N's site, stick with the Ford stuff to avoid too much confusion. Hope this helps.

I would concur that the 78-79 F150 4x4 steering linkage and track bar are the way to go. You'll need to do some fabrication for the mounts but a good fabricator can easily do it. The 76-77 F100/F150 linkage was the inverted-Y so pass on it. The existing linkage looks identical to the 78-79 F150 pieces other than the angle of the drag link attachment to the tie rod as previously noted. I would guess this is a 78-79 F250 linkage.

Brakes are pre-80 F250/F350 calipers as noted. They'll have a small bolt that retains the wedge bracket that holds the caliper to the bracket. Be CAREFUL loosening that bolt - they break easily.

Todd Z.

 

[justcuz]

Thanks Todd for confirming my theory on the steering, it looks fairly easy. I would think a factory frame mounted track bar bracket and have someone fab up the passenger side that maybe even uses the same bolt on arrangement to the front passenger side may work out. As I recall Ford had two passenger side track bar mounts, one was tapered and the other was a pin type with a bushing and a castellated nut and cotter pin?
I just found a thread on Pirate and they say that the 85-97 F-350 draglink can be used with the 79 tie rod.
Check the length of an F-350 draglink and see if that may be used.

 

[rex blackfire]

Awesome guys thanks! The only thing that needs immediate attention are the rubber bushings in the dual track bar setup. Its crap-tastic for suspension movement, but makes it awesome for road manors. Even with the left ones rotted out from power steering fluid leaks, it handled really well at 70+ on the interstate, and did awesome in the mountain corners. 9 miles to the gallon average on the 200 mile round trip. It will do better once I pull the motor to see if the exhaust humps are still there, and put on headers. I pulled apart the hubs to grease n adj. the wheel bearings before I left, and the hubs are the ones held in by cir-clips, not bolts, and the breaks are the type that use the wedge with a plate and bolt.

 

[toddz69]

The only thing that needs immediate attention are the rubber bushings in the dual track bar setup.

Finding those bushings will probably prove to be a real challenge as I'm not sure what type of OEM setup they may have been adapted from. They remind me of the strut arm bushings on '60s and '70s Ford cars but I think they're much larger than those.

Todd Z.

 

[justcuz]

Rubber radius arm bushings maybe? The metal washers look similar to the ones on the back of the radius arm at the frame mount.