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Use a few of these coil spring washers under your front coil springs
Add at least one more leaf to the existing rear leaf springs
Yes, those coil over shocks will help too These are just big, thick washers that fit over the spring bolt
I did lift a Bronco II with a thick washer under the coil, 1/2" got near 2" lift up front, I take it that does the same, wish I had done it, of coarse the 89 then needs the beams bent to correct camber. I can say the coil over shocks in the rear made a big difference on my 73, but then the rear is lighter, the stupid 300 is heavier than a small block V8, wasn't horrible, as the rear wasn't near as rough as my E350, tho I suggest air bags for the rear as you can adjust them, but realize they only last 10 years tops before rot will have them leaking.
Depending on how much you throw in the storage you built in the rear its still lighter than the front, I put more in mine and its made no difference in the back, I have a bed, stereo equipment, and wheelchair lift, that does most damage getting in/out putting strain on the passenger side alone, air is the only fix for my situation, you shouldn't need more than coil overs, adjustable ones are best but expensive. @manicmechanic007 dad will die if I tell him I need those washers, he doesn't see the 1/2" gap as being a problem for the suspension, I know end result is busing the bump stops, right now gotta get it back in the shop, finally found a mechanic that will look at it, EFI inline six belong in a scrap yard, they suck.
Improve the ride in what way? Smoother? Less roll in corners? Less bounce?
The old 1/2 ton van was a poor platform for an RV conversion IMO as it is too easy to overload, but it has the nicest ride of all of them. You haven't seen a rough riding vehicle until you have driven an empty 3/4 ton cargo van, those things get air over every crack in the road.
Do your front wheels have negative camber all the time? If so then the springs are sagged or just fully loaded, so ideally you want higher rate springs to counteract that, New stock springs will put you back in the same situation pretty quickly. Same applies to the rear, you need some extra load capacity in the springs, I had a set of Helwig EZ990s in my last truck that I thought did a good job of adding that extra capacity without making the ride harsher. The TIB front suspension will never be plush riding like a car, it's biggest defect is that it has very little up stroke due to the desire to keep ride height reasonable. It's into the bump stops over just about any obstacle so the only real solution is a lift kit. Low profile tires are also a bad idea, the extra inch you might get from tall tires makes a big differnece as long as you stay with P rated tires, LT tires handle better but you give up a noticable amount of ride quality to get it.. even going from P rating(4 ply) to C load rating (6 Ply).
Taming bounce is all about the shocks, and roll in corners or sway on the highway is all about anti-sway bars. I never realized how much of a difference they make until a rear sway bar link broke on a trip one time, I had to slow down on a bad section of highway that was badly rutted as I couldn't keep it in my lane, the drive went from casual to butt puckering in an instant.
It seems to be a bit bouncy and sways on the turns. But after reading all these replies it seems like maybe adding a rear sway bar and some brand new shocks would probably benefit me the most.
OP may have already added shocks etc. but if not, take a look at my experience (posted on SMB). I bought HD KYB shocks, added airbags on sale, when I should have upgraded the ancient leaf and coil springs in the first place. Money finally well spent on springs for sure. Reach out to Junior at ATS Spring to get a specific set of leafs for your '89. I don't see a web listing for the HD version for your year, but the specs appear the same? Anyhow with your build out, you could use the extra capacity, for sure if you are towing a trailer from time to time. As far as the front coil springs, again you'd need to verify for your year, but I think they might be the same. The Moog springs are a variable rate and really help the ride, plus I got a bit of lift over the old tired springs. Moog Springs, ATS Leaf Springs '95 E-150
I've also used coilover shocks in the past to better handle heavier loads, but they are not a replacement for worn out springs.
RockAuto shows three choices for your front springs. All three have the same spring rate and installed height, but different load ratings, and different free heights. The nearest equal to what I am running now, (but designed for through '91 year), is this one. Slightly higher install height and overall spring rating should increase handling, capacity, and give you a bit of lift within reason. Moog CC 824
Yeah the 95 had heavy duty coils offered, the 89 doesn't, I put the HD on a friends 96 with the 4.9 and it lifted it up, where stock has them almost touching the bump stops, used to be spring shops here, but they've all closed up, I'm betting they have everywhere, the Chinese replacements do nothing to help, the brand new parts store coils I had installed sit exactly where the factory ones did, coil over shocks were no help either, front is the same, either the inline six is heavier than all the other engines or the replacement coils for them are not made for them. Good luck trying to get it right, if you want it up, get coils for a 460.
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