sparky60 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Hi all, Just returned from my first trip with my 83' Dolphin. Got around 24 mpg ( better than I thought I'd get). Unfortunately the water pump blew out after the first 150 miles or so. What a nightmare that turned out to be. Luckily a very nice fellow helped helped me locate a nearby garage for repairs so it wasn't to awful painful. I did notice my rig road a bit rough tho so I believe I need a new set of shocks. My question is ,,what type is best ( air shocks..regular gas type shocks..load leveler type(with the spring wound around the upper part) and where would you suggest I find them. I think they need to be suited for a 1 ton chassis ?........Has anyone ever replaced them themselves ...it doesn't look to difficult ........ not really sure about any of this........Thanks.....Oh yeah, the steering wheel is a bit sloppy ,not much, still a bit. Isn't there a way to stiffin this up somewhat ? At the steering gear box maybe ?.......thanks for any help...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmj Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Hi all, Just returned from my first trip with my 83' Dolphin. Got around 24 mpg ( better than I thought I'd get). Unfortunately the water pump blew out after the first 150 miles or so. What a nightmare that turned out to be. Luckily a very nice fellow helped helped me locate a nearby garage for repairs so it wasn't to awful painful. I did notice my rig road a bit rough tho so I believe I need a new set of shocks. My question is ,,what type is best ( air shocks..regular gas type shocks..load leveler type(with the spring wound around the upper part) and where would you suggest I find them. I think they need to be suited for a 1 ton chassis ?........Has anyone ever replaced them themselves ...it doesn't look to difficult ........ not really sure about any of this........Thanks.....Oh yeah, the steering wheel is a bit sloppy ,not much, still a bit. Isn't there a way to stiffin this up somewhat ? At the steering gear box maybe ?.......thanks for any help...... My 89 Winnie Warrior was riding rough when I had 65 psi in the tires. Now with 40 in front and 50 in the back, the ride is quite a bit softer. But there is still a shake around 60 mph so I am going to replace the shock and see if it'd help. Someone on this website said he replaced his shocks with Gariel ProGuard #61509 for the front and Monroe Gas-matic #59541 for the back. He got the shocks from Auto Zone. I'm planning to do the same. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 One word is all you need to know..... Bilstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky60 Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 My 89 Winnie Warrior was riding rough when I had 65 psi in the tires. Now with 40 in front and 50 in the back, the ride is quite a bit softer. But there is still a shake around 60 mph so I am going to replace the shock and see if it'd help. Someone on this website said he replaced his shocks with Gariel ProGuard #61509 for the front and Monroe Gas-matic #59541 for the back. He got the shocks from Auto Zone. I'm planning to do the same. Michael Thanks to all..........I checked on the Pro Guard and the Monroe shocks and it said there for 1985 -- models but I have a 1983 Toy Dolphin and I don't know if they'll work or not. Guess I just gotta go down to Autozone and check this out...thks again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Thanks to all..........I checked on the Pro Guard and the Monroe shocks and it said there for 1985 -- models but I have a 1983 Toy Dolphin and I don't know if they'll work or not. Guess I just gotta go down to Autozone and check this out...thks again... 1979-1983 are a different model design then 1984-1988 and not interchangable. Bilstein no longer makes shocks for Toyota trucks made before 1984 so you are stuck with using another manufacturer shocks. Luckily I purchased Bilsteins for my 1981 fourteen years ago. I just had both of the fronts rebuilt by Bilstein under warranty. They could not "replace" them because they were no longer made but they rebuilt them. As long as the tubes do not give out they will continue to rebuild shocks that are no longer made. I don't think that there is another company that would do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky60 Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 1979-1983 are a different model design then 1984-1988 and not interchangable.Bilstein no longer makes shocks for Toyota trucks made before 1984 so you are stuck with using another manufacturer shocks. Luckily I purchased Bilsteins for my 1981 fourteen years ago. I just had both of the fronts rebuilt by Bilstein under warranty. They could not "replace" them because they were no longer made but they rebuilt them. As long as the tubes do not give out they will continue to rebuild shocks that are no longer made. I don't think that there is another company that would do this. Thanks for the info turtle.........nice pics...sure wish I could get those Bilsteins......oh well...I'll keep checking around...cul.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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