Hi there,
I just purchased a 1985 Toyota Sunland Express, unfortunately the suspension has been extremely neglected, so I am looking to do a complete overhaul of it. I tried following through the "1985 Escaper full suspension and steering overhaul tips, tricks, and questions " and "Toyota part numbers for Brakes, Axles, Suspension, etc". From this, I was able to gather that Bilstein 24-184830 shocks are good for the front, and Bilstein 24-002585 are good for the rear. Is https://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/ENE818102R.htm the correct bushing kit for this truck? My guesstimation is that I can leave the leaf springs as they are(they look good enough, and are keeping the RV afloat), but should I supplement them with airbags? Reading through the forum postings, I can see that the recommendation is to go with a manual kit such as AIR LIFT 57113, will this noticeably improve the driving characteristics? I come from the sailing world, and she currently handles like a ship in some pretty gnarly waves, has a huge tendency to be blown all across the road, and sways aggressively above 58mph(indicated speed). Also, downhill, the front-end "floats", and steering inputs are amplified. On the topic of steering, I did notice that there is evidence of an oil leak coming from the steering rack box(?). Unsure what to call it, the steering column goes into it, and I did want to investigate it. Also of note, I remember reading someone having a hard time replacing the control arm bushings, are there any negatives to replacing them with these Dorman 522-651? Any advice on fixing or minimizing these issues would also be appreciated.
Looking forward to posting pictures on here as soon as I get some work done. I put in a large order to bring all the electronics up to date, the only "suspension" component I purchased in the last run was tires, I hope I did well with Nexen Roadian ct8's, I was looking for a more wintery mix tire, but I think I'll just buy two pairs of chains/wire if anyone has any advice on which to get. Was thinking of https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091RCM5Y/.