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ALANSD · 07-22-2003, 10:14 AM

the ride with the Bilsteins is tight, but not harsh. The steering damper is the same, it is tighter steering but not noticeably harder to steer.
I am pleased with the upgrade- and also my old shocks seemed to be the originals, so they were long due for replacement.

IPM · 08-13-2003, 10:06 AM

are excellant. They are very firm. I've bought bilsteins for other cars, and they were strif, but not like these! Looks to be an excellant upgrade.

regards,

Mike

swebster · 10-08-2003, 07:28 PM

I wanted to revive this post to ask about tag shocks and the coil over add on springs for the front Bilsteins.

I put on a Bilstein steering stablizer and it made a huge difference in road handling. The old one was so worn it might as well have been removed. Also ordered front take offs from ebay and should be here tomorrow. I was reviewing this post in prep to install the fronts. I have the bolt on coil overs springs on mine now. I understand from Dennis that they don't fit the Bilsteins. So...I can just run without them? Is there an adapter for these?

Next on the list are the rears and tags. Any 325/345/360 owners out there with part numbers for the tag shocks? Mine seem to be mounted horizontally.

87MH · 10-09-2003, 05:24 AM

I was unable to find a cross reference for the tag shocks. They are available from Inland for around 30 bucks a pop. However....

They are interchangeable from side to side (no "up" or "down" preference), which indicates to me that they are concentric in their manufacture (no low side or high side mount), and should therefore work in just about any mounting position. I bring this up because I wonder if there are other shocks that would work, but have not certified for "airstream" specs.

Just a thought.

I believe the shocks that were on the tag axels on my 345 were original when I replaced them earlier this year, and, unlike the 4 primary shocks, really did not indicate a lot of wear. They held constant pressure during extension and compression, and did not exhibit any "loose spots", particularly in the area of the extension where you would expect maximum wear.

I replaced them primarily for confidence, especially since I had the replacements at hand. Was this confidence factor worth 60 bucks? Probably, especially since the originals were almost 20 years old.

On the port (driver's) side, the air suspension level control will have to be removed in order to remove the tag axel shock. There was no interference with the starboard level control.

With the removal and handling of the port level control, the port air bag WILL dump air. Be sure to have the frame and main axel are properly supported by jackstands, and anticipate some weight transfer when handling the level control.

swebster · 10-14-2003, 09:23 AM

Installed the two "take-off" bilsteins up front and I can't believe the difference! No more side to side rocking when transitioning the incline off of my street onto the level main road. No more bouncing over bridges on the highway!

Checked the rears and was amazed to see that the starboard side is broken off at the mount. So....I’m buying new rears and figuring out how to repair the mount.

Dennis...thanks for the tag info. Might as well replace everything for the "peace of mind" factor.

87MH · 10-14-2003, 09:52 AM

Steve:

You didn't say whether it was the top or bottom mount that was broken.

If it's the top; don't let anyone weld on the web of the frame member. The frames are high tensile steel, and fractures could be introduced by welding without stress relief. A more practical way to mount the shock would be to;

1. Locate an "adapter" that would fit a predrilled hole, or,

2. Install a scab plate with reinforced mounting. These are mounted to the frame with high strength bolts or rivets.

IMHO, the latter would be the way to go.

Something had to cause the shock mount to fail, you might want to find a truck repair center that has the means to run a vibration analysis on your frame and running gear after you get it repaired.

swebster · 10-18-2003, 08:11 AM

Dennis,
Crawled under there last night to take a better look. Its broken at the top mount (starboard side). The mount itself is rivited to the frame and is fine. Looks like the mounting bolt broke off. The left shock has the same aged "patina" is the right so I'm sure this is worthless too.

I'm trying to find supporting evidence for the failure. There does not seem to be any noticable damage to the top of the axle and the sway bars look fine on top so there does not seem to be a "smoking gun". I'm sure it happened years ago based on the rust on the shock. Can't imagine what cause this unless it was a cheapo shock or a defect plus age (both shocks are very rusty)...maybe even just a loose mounting bolt that eventually broke off?

I'll try and post a picture and solicite some opinions and advice on this failure.

Stopped at CW on my way through Nashville and they didn't have Bilsteins in stock for the rear. May just drop $50 on napa shocks today just as a temporary fix.

I have a number of small vibrations here and there so once I get the basics repaired I will take your advice and get her over to a good truck shop for alignments, driveline balancing and high speed tire balancing.

Every little thing I fix makes her run and ride better and better. Went down and back to MS this week with no overheating, no problems with the heater hoses and a smoother ride (At least up front).

Some day I may actually have everything fixed!

wb13798 · 10-19-2003, 08:21 AM

you can order the bilsten shocks from camping world or as in other post . wouldnt wast the time installing anything else. bilsteins sure has made a difference in my coach. i also installed the wheel balancers that camping world sells cleaned up a lot of vibrations. the pans dont rattel any more. lol
al

87MH · 10-19-2003, 09:36 AM

Al:

Could you explain how and where the balancers mount, and how they work?

JanP · 06-04-2004, 07:49 AM

The top mounting bolt for the rear shocks on P30 chassis older than 1989 need to be reinforced by a weld bead around the bolt to the mounting bracket. If you buy new Bilsteins you will get this notice in the box. Take-offs offered on e'bay probably wont tell you this. So be advised!!!!

Ernie and Jan

ALANSD · 06-08-2004, 10:34 AM

thanks for that ---- most of us who got shocks off ebay bought the fronts. I haven't seen any rears for sale there...although there might have been a set or two I missed.
The front shocks and steering damper on mine made a nice difference in handling.

Nick Danger · 08-04-2005, 08:38 AM

I'm trying to find out the manufacturer of the front and rear shock absorbers on my 1989 370 LE. It's on a Gillig chassis with a Ford motor/transmission. I want to replace them but I need a model number to cross reference.

I emailed Aistream and they told me to call Ford at an 800 number. They were more lost than Airstream.

Any 370 LE owners out there that can help?

DaveFL · 05-11-2010, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swebster

Dennis,
Crawled under there last night to take a better look. Its broken at the top mount (starboard side). The mount itself is rivited to the frame and is fine. Looks like the mounting bolt broke off. The left shock has the same aged "patina" is the right so I'm sure this is worthless too.

!

Spotted Bilstein shocks on ebay at a good price so thought I would check my old ones, picked on passenger side front, pulled the bolt from the bottom, pushed and pulled and shock has tension, BUT the top mount was loose. took an adjustable wrench on the shaft and a 15/16 socket with extension solved that problem and discovered the bottom bolt wouldn't go back in hole, had to make a point on the bolt to help it find the hole. Sure glad to be doing it in the backyard rather than on the road at a truck stop. Price for repair 0.