pdemarest wrote:Hey Blu - does that E450 rear sway bar ride softer than the aftermarket bar? I've had IPD bars on some Volvos I owned years ago but they definitely rode pretty hard, but than I was driving pretty hard back then. I have an aftermarket bar on mine (haven't been under it enough to remember the make) and that back end shudders over every little bump. Tried running my tires at 50 psi and air spring helpers at 30 psi but its still pretty harsh.
It's a Volvo that I had my first anti-sway bars on. And yeah, on that I also ended up with the "turbo" bars because they were halfway between stock and IPD in thickness, and turned out to be the "just right" bear for me.
When I put the aftermarket bars on my Chinook (Roadmaster, which is IPD), I had the SAME issue. The handling (curves, etc.) was great, but the rear end shuddered and jounced over every little pebble (which is what I called "harsh"). I drove home from the shop on the same roads I'd driven up on, and had things falling off (of counters and such) that had never budged in thousands of miles. So that had to go.
Ultimately I kept the front Roadmaster bar, but went with a stock (from a junkyard) E-450 rear bar. That was right between the stock E-350 bar and the Roadmaster bar in thickness. It gave me most of the goodness of the heavier bar without the added harshness. So to recap, bar-wise, I ended up with the Roadmaster front bar, and the E-450 rear bar.
I think that was the main thing, but I also tweaked my rear shocks. I had put on Koni FSD all the way around, and they were fine; but when I did the bars I changed the rear shocks to Koni adjustables, which I set on the softest setting. I don't think that made as much difference as the bars (and maybe was unnecessary), but at the time I wanted the adjustability until I was sure I had a handle on things.
M Spec,
Good luck on the Chinook candidate! On the maintenance, I find it's a bit of a mix.
1) For the Ford chassis stuff, either a Ford dealer (but not all Ford dealers are that experienced with the dually rig - there are Ford dealers that specialize in fleet vehicles and I think they'd be better). Or, an independent shop, but sometimes being able to lift can be an issue. For example, one shop I really like can only do things that can be done outside and not needing a lift. So I can't get everything done there. But essentially, 99% of the chassis is Ford. Our 21-ers are typically an E-350 dual rear wheel classification. But many parts cross over from E-250, E-350 single wheel, etc. Van parts can be annoying to look up because are they calling it "van," "Econoline," "E-350," or something else...
2) For the coach things, appliances are just whatever brand they are, and typically not Chinook specific. The wiring is done by Chinook, but uses some brand specific parts (Sure Power, etc.). Windows are often Hehr, but were sometimes Se-Gi. And the walls, floor, and etc. were basically custom so any work needed is on a case-by-case basis. Fiberglass can be handled by a boat repair shop if anything needs to be done.
One thing I'd suggest right away (presuming you will have the "eight hand hole" wheels) -- because it can cause some really annoying problems on the road otherwise -- is to get some extended valve stems. Not the "extenders," which are floppy things that screw onto normal valve stems, but rather fully metal valve stems that are "custom bent" (but you can buy them off the shelf) for our wheels. I think I have a post on these in the archives here with photos so you can see what I mean. Either Borg or Tireman make them ready to go for the E-350 dually. Dually tire issues on the road are even less fun than "singly" ones (see above about lifting, towing, etc.) Being able to check and fill the tires like a breeze helps a lot, as does not having the extenders hoses that can leak, get caught, drag, etc.
Happy shopping!
BG
The more info you guys pass on the better!!!
