Shocks for lift

[Rgarton88]

I have a 1978 chevy k20 4x4 that I'm doing a 4 inch lift on with 35s. I'm not sure what shock size I will need. I dont think I need anything heavy duty due to I have the stiff 5 leaf springs in the front and over loads in the rear. I found a set of pro comps ES1000 series... Extended length is 21.61" collapsed length is 13.25" travel length is 8 36". Would that work for a 4 inch lift?

 

[Rgarton88]

Any ideas?

 

[skysurfer]

Those would work on the front but they're too short for the back. Here's the specs for the shocks I have that are specifically made for a squarebody with a 4" lift. We have the same vehicle so these would work.

Front: Gabriel G63437
23.33" extended
14.05" collapsed
9.28" stroke

Rear: Gabriel G63438
29.33" extended
17.30" collapsed
12.30" stroke

 

[HotRodPC]

Geezus !!! Sure is a big price difference on that rear shock #. It's $44.79 at Auto Zone according to what I'm finding, and is only $20.79 at Amazon for the G63438.

I've thought of starting a thread in the Lifted Suspension Section for just this info where we can put shock part #'s and brands for different lift sizes. 2.5in, 4 in, 6in, 8in, 12in front and rear. IIRC, K10/1500 and K20/2500 are the same shocks. K30 might be different though.

 

[Camar068]

Geezus !!! Sure is a big price difference on that rear shock #. It's $44.79 at Auto Zone according to what I'm finding, and is only $20.79 at Amazon for the G63438.

I've thought of starting a thread in the Lifted Suspension Section for just this info where we can put shock part #'s and brands for different lift sizes. 2.5in, 4 in, 6in, 8in, 12in front and rear. IIRC, K10/1500 and K20/2500 are the same shocks. K30 might be different though.

Good idea! Be great to know what more the shocks can actually do for you. Example:

http://www.kaztechnologies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FSAE-Damping-Calculations-Seminar.pdf

Geared more to racing, but I found the resonance frequencies interesting. I used to race online a lot and the settings available opened my eyes to handling. I know they are simulators, but a lot of them are pretty darn good at it. Problem with my vehicle is a lot of that available for me in my price range lol.

 

[HotRodPC]

Yep, that's good info for racers if they understand it. For lifted trucks we need longer shocks and need to know the travel distance otherwise, we'll be hanging our axles by the shocks and not get near the drop we could be getting, or bottoming out too.

 

[theblindchicken]

Had a 4in lift on my K10 went with a set of Rancho RS9000XL's

Front:
Rancho RS999001
Compressed: 13.680"
Extended: 20.830"
Travel: 7.150"

Rear:
Rancho RS999112
Compressed: 16.250"
Extended: 25.960"
Travel: 9.710"

They fit pretty well. At full droop (with a full leaf pack) they still had some length until they bottomed out. Probably ~1" til full extension. More than enough room for compression.

Once I lifted the front a little bit more (~1-1.5") the shocks aren't long enough for wheeling, but are still fine for street driving.

So these do max out at the 4" lift height.

 

[Rgarton88]

Thanks everyone I'll look into it defend a huge help

 

[Rgarton88]

Those would work on the front but they're too short for the back. Here's the specs for the shocks I have that are specifically made for a squarebody with a 4" lift. We have the same vehicle so these would work.

Front: Gabriel G63437
23.33" extended
14.05" collapsed
9.28" stroke

Rear: Gabriel G63438
29.33" extended
17.30" collapsed
12.30" stroke

Will these work on a 3/4 ton ? They say for a light duty truck

 

[skysurfer]

Yup, I've been running them for about ten years and when it comes time to replace them I won't hesitate to buy the same ones again. In case you didn't notice, we both have '89 V2500s so the parts numbers I listed are correct for your application.

You have to remember that Gabriel makes shocks for big vehicles like semis and dump trucks, so to them our squares classify as light duty.

 

[Rgarton88]

Yup, I've been running them for about ten years and when it comes time to replace them I won't hesitate to buy the same ones again.

Thanks for the info. I'll order some today. Csny beat 20 and change for each

 

[skysurfer]

One thing I did before installation was I took them to the auto parts store and bought some inexpensive boots so the rods are covered. I do a fair amount of driving on gravely fire roads and wanted to be sure the rods are protected from stone damage. As I remember it, I paid about $20 for all four. Cheap insurance.

 

[fltplan]

Those would work on the front but they're too short for the back. Here's the specs for the shocks I have that are specifically made for a squarebody with a 4" lift. We have the same vehicle so these would work.

Front: Gabriel G63437
23.33" extended
14.05" collapsed
9.28" stroke

Rear: Gabriel G63438
29.33" extended
17.30" collapsed
12.30" stroke

This is exactly the specs I was looking for. Does anyone know which Bilstein 5100 part number these would equate to? I suppose I could call Bilstein with these and they could match them up as well.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

This is exactly the specs I was looking for. Does anyone know which Bilstein 5100 part number these would equate to? I suppose I could call Bilstein with these and they could match them up as well.

I dont know about the 5100's but I have ran the 5125 off road series , maybe try these ones

33-185606 , 14.06 to 22.5 , or 33-186542 , 15.11 to 24.35
and

33-230382 , 17.9 to 29.7

I think they come with sleeves and such , (been a while) , for different bolt sizing but you may want to call them still.

 

[kickdeez]

I dont know about the 5100's but I have ran the 5125 off road series , maybe try these ones

33-185606 , 14.06 to 22.5 , or 33-186542 , 15.11 to 24.35
and

33-230382 , 17.9 to 29.7

I think they come with sleeves and such , (been a while) , for different bolt sizing but you may want to call them still.

Same boat as you...I've run 5125s on my rock crawler, and they work well. I am going to be picking up a set of 5100s today for the front of my burb. The specs on the 33-185552 are:

Collapsed = 15.91"
Extended = 25.93"
Travel = 10.02"