How to get a smoother ride?

[jgf100]

So as the title says, I am trying to improve the ride quality of my 70 f100. I am not looking for late model quality, I get these are old vehicles, but still would like to decrease the rough feel of every bump or crack in the road, especially at higher speeds. When I hit a bump I bounce up and down in the bench seat. Aside from a CV swap, what other options do I have? I'm thinking about adding front and rear sway bars and they should help with body roll but will they help with the bumps?

[cep62]

Put about 500 lbs in the back, it'll help on snow and ice too.
Seriously if you don't haul a lot you can take a leaf or two out of the rear spring pack.
There might be a variable rate front coil spring that can soften the bumps .
What do you have for tires ? a P series radial might help too.
Sway bars will help handle corners , but not overall ride quality

[basketcase0302]

Like CEP says.

My one ton rode best when I put 1000 pounds on it!
Tire pressure even effects my little SUV so play around with it too.

[6Delta]

What tires are you running and what kind of air pressure? A 1970 1/2 ton should ride fairly nice (compared to my 3/4 ton camper special). You will not get the same ride as a new pickup but it should be nicer than it sounds. You might want to check you shocks also. Age can make rubber parts get harder and shocks won't work as well, so what do you know about your suspension parts?

Really, if throwing some weight in the back makes a difference, sand is cheap and a couple of bags don't move around much. Back when your pickup was new it would have rode darn near like a car. I recently replaced the front springs and shocks on my pickup and am very happy with the ride. However the tires have real stiff sidewalls and it won't ride nice until they are replaced. I can tell when the tire pressure is low because it rides better (except for turning in a parking lot). Good luck and keep us informed.