Rear sway bar drop link bad: what to do while I'm in there?

I filled up the tank in my '79 450SL today and very soon thereafter it started making a horrid noise in the passenger rear when turning. I'm fortunate to have a lift and quickly saw that the passenger sway bar drop link is toast. The bushing part if completely gone and the drop link is completely free at the bottom. Seems like an easy fix (famous last words) so am thinking of refreshing the rear suspension in general. Looks like Methuselah himself last installed the shocks and chassis bushings. So, questions:

1. Is replacing the rear sway bar drop links as easy as it looks?
2. I've read the earlier r107's had thicker sway bars? True? Do they drop in? Do I want them?
3. Is there a preferred brand of rear shocks?
4. Is it fairly straightforward to change the bushings between the frame mounts and body (flat round rubber isolators the body seems to sit on). Is it worth doing them? They look super old and dry.
5. Anything else I should be thinking about while I'm back there?

This is a survivor car driven with love for 135k miles by my dad, so lots of "deferred maintenance." So while I realize none of this may be necessary just to fix a drop link, I'm sure any/all parts that can wear out back there have worn out...