Hello everyone.
I finally decided to do something about the wild sway that I'm subjected to on my 1976 G30 Glendale motor home. It's the one with the short wheelbase. Some call it a 50/50. (the ratio of wheel base to cabin length). There's a lot hanging over the back of the rear axle and all the weight sits on it. (close to 10,000 lbs)
The handling of the motor home in a crosswind is just like the rear end is made of jello. When a transport passes, I'm almost blown a foot over while I try to compensate with steering. I'm sure there are lots of you out there who know exactly what I'm talking about.
I should mention that I'm not one of those who fly down the highway at 65 MPH and expect to find something that will correct all the ill-handling issues of an RV thatโs over 40 years old. I know that these rigs were built for ideal cruising between 45-50 MPH. I never push the old girl past 50 and always slow down when the wind and other driving conditions require it. That being said, Iโve sometimes had to slow down to 35 MPH because the heavy cross winds are blowing me all over the highway. You make a lot of people angry when you have to slow down that much! But, to keep to safe driving, thatโs what you have to do. Before I get to my question, Iโll just mention,.. yes I realize if the winds are that bad,..an option is to pull over and shut down the rig. But how many of you out there have found yourself in the same situation,. 30 MPH cross wind blowing your all over the road, and yet.. youโve got to make it to your campsite before nightfall..?.? Weโve almost all been there.
I found a rear sway bar that is suppose to greatly improve drivability in these kinds of conditions and reduce (to some degree) the sway from side to side that these rigs are known for. The sway bar kit is made by Hellwig. They list a kit (Hellwig 7178 Sway Bar Kit for 1983-1996 Chevrolet/GMC G30). I donโt know how to attach a photo to this forum, so here is the linkโฆ
https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3612
They only list a kit for the G30 Chevy chassis starting with 1983. I phoned the company and spoke with their leading โexpertsโ but they cannot tell me if the kit will fit a 1976 G30. Now,..Iโm a Chevy guy going way back. And Iโve seen my identical Glendale motor home in a 1983 and even 1985 G30 model years. To the best of my knowledge, the GM G30 chassis was the same from 1973 to 1985. The rear axle on these dually rigs was always the same Dana 4:11 rear end.
So, my question,.. is there anyone out there who can help me confirm that these GM chassis on the years from โ75-โ85 G30 were the same.? Any help would be appreciated.
UPDATE. I checked with the guys at Roadmaster. Their sway bar which IS listed for my rig is $650 and they have none in any of their warehouses. I checked the photos that Hellwig sent me and their 1983 installation and specs look identical to my '76. And with their price being only $359 for a complete sway bar kit, I decided to drop the hammer and place an order. Oddly, Hellwig told me yesterday that they only make them "on demand",..today I phoned and they had 6 in stock ready to ship. Will post back on the installation. In wosrt case, my mechanic can make modifications to the sway bar if needed. Just in case anyone else wants to know,.. the Hellwig are sold through many dsitributors. I went with SD Truck Springs. The guys there are pretty eager to make things happen. So how the process goes,.. I'll update in about 2 weeks.
