Moog steering damper fitment.

[Blacktop]

Hi everyone, wondering if you could help with some info.
Does anyone have a Moog steering damper fitted to a 4x4 F150? I have mocked mine up ready to fit but not sure if it looks right!?!

[Blacktop]

Or perhaps this:

[Blacktop]

Steering was on full right lock in the previous pics. This one shows it wheels straight ahead:

[Gary Lewis]

I think I like the second one best.  But, two questions.  First, why the steering damper?  The guys here tell me they aren't needed if your steering linkage is tight and if you aren't traversing obstacles 1/4 the size of your tires.

Second, how does the angle change as you steer through the full range?  Does that second bracket seem to be at the right spot?

[Blacktop]

Hi Gary,
Just an experiment really to see if ride and bump steer improve with a damper fitted.
The angle appears to stay pretty constant from lock to lock. I have it as it appears in the final photo and it does seem to handle a bit smoother over bumps. With the 33" tires it does tend to bounce even with new shocks aswell.

[Gary Lewis]

If it is better then it looks like you have a winner.  

[Dyn Blin]

I'm interested to hear how the final installation affects your steering quality- subscribed!

[Steve83]

Blacktop wrote

...if ride and bump steer improve with a damper fitted.

Ride is distinct from handling, which is the system the steering damper belongs to.  Ride only refers to suspension, including tires, springs, struts (suspension links), frame harmonics, body mounts...  Bump steer is a specific effect of a Panhard (track) bar NOT being parallel to the drag link at any point in the suspension travel.



That term does not apply to the TTB suspension at all, and a steering damper would have no effect on bump steer anyway.  If anything, it would make bump steer MORE-apparent.

The only purpose of a steering damper is to reduce feedback from the tires to the steering wheel.

This shows the factory steering damper installation:



Although the diagram is from the '92-96 Ford service manual, it's essentially the same as what my '83 Bronco originally had.

[Blacktop]

Thanks for the replies👍
I'm going to leave it on for a while and see if it makes any improvement. As I said, its only an experiment to see if it makes a difference. As my truck doesnt have either a front or rear sway bar, anything is worth a try.

Alan

[Ray Cecil]

Blacktop wrote

Does anyone have a Moog steering damper fitted to a 4x4 F150? I have mocked mine up ready to fit but not sure if it looks right!?!

Mine isn't moog, but its the factory damper....I think. I will see if I can dig up a photo for you.

[Blacktop]

That would be great, thanks Ray👍😁

Alan

[Ray Cecil]

Didn't get to take a pic last night. I spent 2 hours in traffic for a 25 minute commute. By the time I got home and did my chores, I was beat and forgot all about it. I will tonight.

I can tell you, mine is not connected to the frame at all. One end is connect to the drag link, and the other is connected to a bracket on the differential. You can sort of see it in this picture, but I will get a clear pic tonight for you.

[Ray Cecil]

I misspoke earlier, its connected to the cross member near the differential, and the drag link. Sorry for delay. Its been a long day.

[Blacktop]

Thanks for the pic Ray👍
Thats another way of mounting the damper I wasnt aware of.

[Ray Cecil]

No problem. I will take a look at the bronco in a bit, I think the damper is missing, but there may be brackets still there.

[grumpin]

IIRC that’s how mine was mounted when I took it off.

[Gary Lewis]

I was looking at the catalog this morning and at first blush it looked like the only Bullnose trucks that got a steering damper from the factory were F350’s. But it came time to head out for a family reunion and I didn’t get to the bottom of that.

Maybe I can when I get home tonight, and will post what I find as well as create a new page, or tab in an existing page, to document it.

[Ray Cecil]

Gary, mine may be aftermarket or factory. I really do not know.

[Gary Lewis]

Ok, here's what I find in the catalog.  But, I'm not ready to create a page for this info as I don't fully understand it.  So, perhaps y'all can help me?

First, here's the only illustration in the whole catalog that includes the numbers 3E651, which is the steering damper, and 3E652, which is the bracket.  That would seem to suggest that only the 1988 and later stripped chassis trucks got the damper.




However, here are the entries in the catalog's text section for those two numbers.  Note that the kit first appeared in 1987, and only F350's and Super Duties got them.

But wait!  There's more!  The 3E562 listing suggests that there was a steering shock absorber on the 1980 and later F350 4WD trucks that didn't require a bracket.  However, there is no other mention of a shock absorber or damper for steering in the whole catalog.

I'm confused.    But at the least I think it is safe to say that nothing shy of an F350 had a factory-supplied steering damper.

[Ray Cecil]

Gary, the 87 bronco has a steering damper, and dual front shocks. I dont know. But just because the catalogue doesnt have it, doesnt mean it couldnt be ordered. I guess, I dunno.