Texas owners

[Manitou]

I am looking to find a Texas owner, that I could speak with. Since having new shocks and stablizer bar installed we took a trip to Louisiana back to Galveston then home to Conroe for our first week trip. I am interested in seeing the underbody of another
Chinook to see what could be corrected to make our ride better.
The steering drift is better since the new tires, shocks and stabilizer but now we are having suspension that slams like it is bottoming out. Don't know if the Mor Ryde is worn out or if we need springs...
We would be willing to come and meet, the Ford service center has no experience with the Chinook.
My email is trw4546@aol.com.

[caconcourse]

I just happened to look at my Chinook Mor-Ryde springs yesterday and realized one of the rubber springs had completely sheared in two. I am not sure when it happened, but I am glad I noticed before our next trip. I called Mor-Ryde and ordered new replacements this morning. In response to your request (no I am not in Texas) I am uploading two pictures: of the failed Mor-Ryde spring and the good one, that you can look at.

FYI, replacements are about $155 each from Mor-Ryde, and they recommend an upgraded part from the original: P/N DSR108-075 and recommend they be replaced in pairs. I will be attempting to change them myself, but we will see what happens.

[Blue~Go]

I don't have Mor-Ryde (my rig just came with typical leaf springs), but I also did have a problem with "harsh" rear suspension crop up after I tuned up the rest of the suspension. In my case it was adding a rear anti-sway bar that really made it unacceptably harsh. I ended up going with a less beefy rear bar (vs. the "no bar" that is stock, and the beefy bar I had added) and slightly softer (Koni adjustable) rear shocks. This brought it back to where it was originally, but with the added "fun factor" of the suspension upgrades.

I did find out that the E-350/450 is somewhat notorious for this. Ambulances deal with it quite a bit (they need to handle well, but can't be riding super harsh obviously). There seem to be a number of ways to modify the leaf springs/rear suspension to tackle the problem:

1) Sulastic spring shackles. These are "rubber shackles" that take the place of the stock ones. I may try these to see if I get more improvement.

2) Mor-Ryde rubber "inserts" (or whatever you officially call them).

3) Apparently the "new thing" is parabolic springs (apparently ambulances favor these). They are just as they sound, parabolic shaped springs that replace the rear leafs (neither #1 nor #2 replace the leafs). They are apparently a bit more refined in design than a bunch of flat pieces of spring steel (surprise suprise ).

[Manitou]

I know they mention mor rude, which is rear suspension, but are they actually talking about a "bottoming out" up front?
I'm not in Texas at the moment and not sure when I'll be back. Further more, my rig has been extensively modified for the 4x4. (Not apples to apples)

[99ChinookTXGRANS]

Caconcourse
Your order shipped from Mor Ryde today.
Thanks for your input and pictures. Our system was in worse shape than yours...ours will ship on Monday.
Thank you for all of the forums information, special thanks to Manitou....I still haven't figured out how to post an original topic unless I send to you.
Carroll and Tom

[Blue~Go]

Carroll and Tom,

I guess you don't have the "new topic" button? Mine shows at the top left of the screen once I am in a sub-forum (such as this one, General Chinook).

You can click on the image to make it bigger and easier to see.

Maybe Manitou has gone over this with you already, but darnit, we hate to miss any new topics from you!

[caconcourse]

One more comment on the Mor Ryde rubber spring replacements. The rear plate that the spring is attached to has three sets of mounting holes one inch apart. The factory installation used the middle set of holes. Since most of us struggle with the low clearance in the rear of our Chinook, you can gain one inch of lift by installing the new springs in the bottom set of mounting holes instead of the middle set. (This is what some refer to as "adjusting" the springs). I am planning to make this adjustment, as we are often scraping driveways when there are dips and the additional inch of clearance will help.

I am glad the pictures were useful for you, Carroll and Tom.

Clay

[99ChinookTXGRANS]

CaConcourse,
Just wondering if you have installed the Mor Ryde and how is the outcome.
We are scheduled for installing on Tuesday at the service center.

[caconcourse]

CaConcourse,
Just wondering if you have installed the Mor Ryde and how is the outcome.
We are scheduled for installing on Tuesday at the service center.

I received the springs Thursday, but they did not include the installation tool, so it is coming in another shipment. I will try to get my tire shop to do the installation next week, as there is a lot of weight to deal with. It looks like a straightforward process. Hopefully it will go well. Let me know who does it and how it goes for you, as you will probably get it done first.

[Skillet]

I just looked at mine and they are in bad shape. Need to replace! How did it come out for you guys? Do it yourselves or shop it?