How important are track bars?

[Angrywood]

Just a little backstory. I got what i thought was a 1962 C10 Fleetside. I come to find out the previous owner swapped the rear axle/differential and i believe possibly part of the frame with a 74 suburb. I just finished putting in 4” drop coils and shocks. Went today and had kind of a hard time putting the track bar in. One end bolts to the frame up by the rear driver side. Other end bolts to the right or passenger side of the differential. Measurements now are 7” driver side 6.5” passenger.

Question — how even do i need this to be? I can not twist the bar while installed to adjust. And i think to take it off and adjust it and try to put it back on will be a real pain if at all possible. I have the bed of the truck off right now and want to get it as close to center as possible before i put the bed back on.

Thoughts? Thank you

[Captainfab]

The panhard bar must be installed for driving. Having different measurements side to side are not uncommon with these trucks. If you want to even up both sides you will need an aftermarket adjustable panhard bar. They are available in a design that does not require removal to adjust.

[PGSigns]

The track bar was designed to fit at the stock height. As you lower the truck the bar swings through an arc and the length changes with the new ride height. You can put an adjustable bar in it at the stock location or go to a longer bar that goes from the stock frame mount to the trailing arm on the opposite side. I prefer the longer bar. It moves the rear over less as the suspension travels and also lowers the roll center improving the handling a bit. Here is a link to a good longer adjustable bar. https://www.earlyclassic.com/node/1166 If you will post pictures of your setup we can help with what you have and ways to proceed to get you where you want to go with the trick.
Jimmy

[LostMy65]

Adjust it after the bed (all weight) is on the frame and you have the ride height where you want it.

[Angrywood]

I got the point of the track bar but my main question is the offset in the measurements. Does a 1/2” matter? I have the adjustable bar but can not adjust it by twisting the bar while it’s installed. It doesn’t rotate.

[PGSigns]

Yes the 1/2" matters. Is the truck sittin on the wheels? I do a track bar install on a set of ramps. I pull the adjustable end off and then use a tape to get the rear center and blocks of wood and door ships to get the rear centered. Then adjust the bar till it is the correct length. Bolt it in and go.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

Here’s my set up

[PGSigns]

Here is what you have. The frame is stock 62. The rear is 63 and up to 71 if it is 6 lug. It almost looks like they modified the frame mount for the track bar. Just a bit hard to tell from the picture. You can see in the picture the modification they did to get the later rear in the truck. The trailing arms were wider at the back on the 60 to 62. Would need to see a better picture to tell how well that was done. The springs will settle a couple of inches when you get the bed back on. That will push the rear over a bit depending on the angle of the track bar. You can get it close by having a few friends stand on the frame while you take a measurement. Then adjust the track bar by half the distance you need and put it back on. Center the rod ends when you do it.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

thanks jimmy....

i think that will work for now to move it around until i get the bed back on.

hopefully it moves back towards the driver side when the bed is put on. that would be ideal and help out. otherwise i think i might have to bend the track bar a bit or mount it some other way to the frame.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Angrywood

thanks jimmy....

i think that will work for now to move it around until i get the bed back on.

hopefully it moves back towards the driver side when the bed is put on. that would be ideal and help out. otherwise i think i might have to bend the track bar a bit or mount it some other way to the frame.

Look at the direction of the track bar. When you put weight on the truck, the rear is going to move further away from the driver's side. So your hopes aren't going to happen as is.
Did you say you can't get that trackbar to adjust? It looks to be adjustable. You should be able to shorten the length, which will move the rearend closer to the driver's side.

[PGSigns]

One thing he may run into is the bar hitting the rear cover. I would like to see a picture of what the PO did at the frame for a mount. I looks like it is a bit to far forward. That may be binding it up and making it hard to adjust. Also the threads on the ends of the link need antiseize. That ways they will not rust in place.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Look at the direction of the track bar. When you put weight on the truck, the rear is going to move further away from the driver's side. So your hopes aren't going to happen as is.
Did you say you can't get that trackbar to adjust? It looks to be adjustable. You should be able to shorten the length, which will move the rearend closer to the driver's side.

it is an adjustable bar. type where both ends are threaded so i should be able to turn the bar when installed and adjust it. however, when this bar is installed, the angle of the bar and pressure from it being bolted onto the differential stud im guessing is preventing me from turning it. the stud does not come out straight back. it is angled to the right slightly. im a complete amatuere when it comes to this stuff. seemed like a pretty easy DIY job. so i dont know how to overcome this obstacle.

[Angrywood]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

One thing he may run into is the bar hitting the rear cover. I would like to see a picture of what the PO did at the frame for a mount. I looks like it is a bit to far forward. That may be binding it up and making it hard to adjust. Also the threads on the ends of the link need antiseize. That ways they will not rust in place.
Jimmy

ill send one when i get back to the truck. i was thinking of maybe the same thing and just getting a CPP bolt on mount and moving it back a bit. so it doesnot matter the angle of the bar from mount to mount? i was thinking it should be as parallel to the axle as possible.

[Captainfab]

What you have is a '65-'70 12 bolt if 6 lug or a '71-'72 12 bolt if 5 lug. Anyway, I'm thinking that you can not adjust the panhard bar once it is installed because it is in a bin. This is due to the frame mount being at an incorrect angle for that particular differential. The '60-'64 trucks had the panhard bar mount on the passenger side axle tube.

[Angrywood]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

One thing he may run into is the bar hitting the rear cover. I would like to see a picture of what the PO did at the frame for a mount. I looks like it is a bit to far forward. That may be binding it up and making it hard to adjust. Also the threads on the ends of the link need antiseize. That ways they will not rust in place.
Jimmy

Here are pictures of the mount and frame on both sides. Mount is on driver side now

[LostMy65]

Here is where I went from the stock 62 eaton to a 12-bolt.
It might help you see what you had, and why what you have now looks like it does.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...10#post7357010

[PGSigns]

Yup that bar is to far forward on the frame mount. That is why it is in such a bind. I think I would redo the mount. Also that rear end mounting looks a bit under engineered and I would redo it. Not sure what the guys do in the 60 to 62 stuff when they drop em to help get the shock angle a bit more vertical. I would look into that and it may be a simple as moving the mount forward.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

Yup that bar is to far forward on the frame mount. That is why it is in such a bind. I think I would redo the mount. Also that rear end mounting looks a bit under engineered and I would redo it. Not sure what the guys do in the 60 to 62 stuff when they drop em to help get the shock angle a bit more vertical. I would look into that and it may be a simple as moving the mount forward.
Jimmy

When you say too far forward I’m assuming you mean to close to the axle? So if I move the mount further back to the other side of that cross sill that should work. Is that cross sill strong enough to mount the trac bar too?

I know I gotta relocates the shocks. Just mounted there for time being.
Thank you everyone for your input
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[PGSigns]

Take it loose from the frame side and see where it want to line up at. Once you see where it needs to go then you can devise a bracket.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

Take it loose from the frame side and see where it want to line up at. Once you see where it needs to go then you can devise a bracket.
Jimmy

Hope this works. Bolt on mount from CPP.
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[PGSigns]

That looks a lot better. You can see from the distance between the two locations it must have been in a heck of a bind.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

So just a follow up from these posts. I put the bed back on thinking i would have to figure something out with the trac bar. To my surprise after the weight of the bed was on i could turn the bar and adjust the track bar accordingly. I was about a half inch off, so i removed the bar from the differential point. Used a come along and moved the frame and axle into proper position. Track bar slipped right on and tightened her down. Took her for a test drive today and seems everything is good. Onto the next project……

[PGSigns]

Been a while. Glad you got it going.
Jimmy

[Angrywood]

Yes i agree. Life gets in the way. Now i got the bed on and got some momentum again!!

[MT65]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

That looks a lot better. You can see from the distance between the two locations it must have been in a heck of a bind.
Jimmy

To take the bind out of the equation when I built mine, I used heim joints…