Hi guys, I'm enjoying my (new to me) '81 242DL. The only thing that aggravates me is the "floaty" suspension. I'm wondering if there's a good "stage 1" upgrade. Are Turbo swaybars a good upgrade? If you have any recommendations, let me know.

Turbo bars would be a good first step if you know the bushing, ball joints and tie rod ends are in good shape. IPD bars are better but more $. If the shocks and struts need replacing Sachs advantage are reasonably priced. The best Bilstein HD's cost big $. It's all in what you can or need to do. Dan

The thing with working on suspension is that its much more efficient to change/upgrade all at once. example being that once you remove the strut assembly you've basically removed the springs,struts,strut bearings, balljoints,sways,bushings,etc. If you would like to spread the cost out maybe do front then rear.

I put Boge Turbo Gas struts and shocks, IPD's sport springs (TME) and 25mm front and rear IPD sway bars on my '79 242DL. It's a great ride. Not too harsh like Bilstein sports, but still corners incredibly well. I'd say that the sway bars will be the best bang for the buck if you dont have the cash to do the whole package. BUT, I would recommend that you do it all at once if you can afford it. The difference is like night and day compared to stock suspension.