Van Suspension Upgrade

[jseabolt]

If I should ever buy my father's 98 1500 Express 1/2 ton conversion van, one of the first things I want to do is upgrade the suspension. This van just feels unstable. Dad used to have a 98 Ford E350 15 passenger van. It had a ton chassis under it. Although it was longer, sat higher off the ground it was much more stable.

 

I'm thinking if I put some ton leafs under the rear and the largest Addco swaybar I can bolt on, it should make the van more stable. Wishful thinking? Anyone ever done this on a conversion van with positive results?

 

Why put 1/2 ton springs on a van or truck anyway? Are 1/2 ton springs supposed to be create a softer ride or something? Yet the downside is it causes the van to feel unstable and unsafe?

 

I've added rear swaybars to to following vehicles:

 

68 Ford Fairlane

80 Fiat 124 Spider

87 Yugo

 

And all three made a big difference. I put the largest bar I could buy on the front of the Fairlane. No difference in ride quality and the car handles much better.

 

But when I had a 1" bar on the front of my Spider, it made the car ride really roug so I removed it yet left the rear bar on it.