Needing new shocks...

[85 SWB 4x4]

Hey ya'll... new to square body forum... just bought a 1985 K10.
I am looking into new shocks...but, want something that will give a nice ride on the highway, won't be used to OFF road, I get pleny of 4 wheeling on lease roads and crappy weather...
If you've found a shock brand and model that gives you a smooth ride let me know... Thanks

 

[glockholiday]

Sorry to tell you but you drive a truck with 4 leaf springs. I haven't found a shock that would make much of a difference with leaf springs. It's going to ride stiff/rough.

After buying expensive shocks with great reviews on other vehicles I've come to the conclusion that the average price shocks from the local parts store are good enough for me on my leaf spring vehicle, if they prevent wheel hop while spinning in the sand that's all I can ask from a shock on my 28 year old vehicle.

If you really want a better ride there are some manufacturers that make some great leaf springs that ride way softer, but at a cost of course. Then maybe I would consider investing in some better shocks. I can't remember the names of those spring manufacturers though.

TLDR; Just go get some shocks if yours are blown.

I guess if you need a brand, Bilstein would be the 1st on my list.

 

[chengny]

These Monroe Gas-Magnums worked well on my last 3/4 ton truck. They toned down the harshness caused by the springs (3 front & 5 rear) to where the ride was pretty comfortable even on rough roads. I imagine that they would be able to do an even better job reigning in the bounce on a 1/2 ton suspension system. Monroe did not recommend these shocks for my current 1 ton (5 front leafs & 9 rear leafs). The part numbers are 34944 for the fronts and 34824 for the rears:

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One thing about Monroe shocks is the paint job sucks. They look like crap within a year in most cases. Now, as soon as they come out of the box and before they ever get mounted on the truck, I recoat them with good quality rust preventive paint.

They get rough sanded to give the paint something to bite into and washed in warm soapy water. When dry, a light layer of rust preventing primer is applied. That is smoothed up with a fine grit - like 400. Washed and dried again. When dry, they get a light base coat of finish (enamel) which is allowed to flash off and then a medium/heavy coat. Air dry for a few hours and then the finish is baked on in the oven for 6-8 hours (no more than 200 F). I have been using Krylon's "Rust Tough" line of spray paints for these kind of coatings - this stuff can make anyone look good. Goes on even and lays down really nice:

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[Camar068]

Dig through the posts, it might have been 89suburban that mentioned a specific brand shock that worked great....they were outside the normal type (not rancho, monroe etc). Sorry I can't remember the name of them or the price, but it's in here somewhere .