Front Suspension

From GMC Motorhome Wiki
Revision as of 08:35, 28 October 2021 by Bob Crisler (talk | contribs)

The front suspension on a GMC Motorhome, like most of the front running gear, is repurposed from the Oldsmobile Unitized Power Package, designed to move the 4,841-pound Toronado around. Some components were beefed up mid-production. Lower control arms are a particular sore point, as the stock Toronado engineering was not up to the task. Later lower control arms in the Motorhome were crudely but effectively reinforced in the area of the lower ball joint; all GMC owners should include these areas as part of regular inspection.

Any suspension is composed of many skeletal metal components, all of which are connected, but isolated, using some combination of bushings, joints, and rubber. If you have any rubber components that are unchanged since yours rolled out of Truck & Coach Plant #29 in Pontiac, they need to be replaced. Note, not "they may need to be replaced." They need to be replaced.

What follows is a list of components and sourcing info necessary to replace all wear parts from the front suspension of your GMC. Source info is from a suspension rebuild in 2018. The list was compiled from the perspective of a cheapskate; some or all prices may have changed. Most if not all of these parts can be sourced in a single order from any of the reputable GMC retail suppliers.

Source Price Quantity Subtotal
Adjusting Tube Moog ES2004S RockAuto 7.13 2 14.26
Ball Joint Lower Moog 6215 JEGS 72.99 2 145.98
Ball Joint Upper Moog K5238 Walmart 36.50 2 73
CV Boots (Outer) Summit 9.99 2 19.98
Energy Suspension 3.3121 Control Arm Bushings suspension.com 76.26 1 76.26
Energy Suspension 9.5162R stabilizer bar bushings Amazon 19.32 1 19.32
Idler Arm 18737 Performance Suspension Tech 69 1 69
Polyurethane end link bushings Applied 14.95 1 14.95
Shocks KYB KG5435 Amazon/AutoPartsKart 40.80 2 81.6
Steering Damper Moog SSD55 Amazon 41.78 1 41.78
Tie Rod End, Inner, TRE361R kanter.com 47.00 2 94
Tie Rod End, Outer, Moog ES412RL WalMart 34.02 2 68.04
718.17