Factory Replacement Shocks

[Firstgenfanantic]

I own a 1993 W250 club cab. I am looking for factory replacement shocks. I have a great "inside" source for getting Bilstein shocks. Can I still get the traditional Yellow/Blue shocks? I heard that they are no longer available for 1st gen pickups. Does anyone have part#'s to 1st gen 4x4 shocks? Thanks

 

[Makaio]

Try Geno's Garage. They carry Bilsteins, but I'm not sure which series.

 

[dpuckett]

As far as I know, you can still get the standard Bilsteins for our trucks. They may not be listed on every one's websites, though. AUtoZOne has them for ~$60, last I checked.



Daniel

 

[XCLR8N]

Geno's Garage only carries Bilstein for the 2wd model and he has a 4wd model so that is not going to work.

 

[PToombs]

I got a set for my 2wd from E-Shocks on the net. Looked like they had a decent selection, and the price was good too.

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Geno's Garage only carries Bilstein for the 2wd model and he has a 4wd model so that is not going to work.

Yup, Geno's is only showing the 2wd ones. Maybe they just don't have 4wd listed? I checked Autozone's website... ... ... . no luck! All they show is Gabriel products. Do I need to call them or go to the store in person to get a Bilstein price/model quote?

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Wondering............

Is anyone running Bilstein Shocks on their 4x4? (without a lift)?

 

[JLEONARD]

My son has them on his 94 and likes them a lot. The only thing that holds up with the weight of his plow.

 

[Flexiheep]

I am running Bilsteins on the front of my 4x4 (lifted 2" but with stock bumpstops) I just had to extend the shock mounts 1. 5" since they are a little longer. I used PN BE5-6253-H5 on my truck.



I think you could be ok with PN BE5-6253-H5 collapsed length 14. 06 extended is 22. 5"



Both of these are the generic 5100 series shocks in the heavy valving (they have light and heavy in this line). They ran right at $100 each at summit racing.



My understanding is that they do not make a yellow replacement shock for the front of the 4x4s.



You will have to enlarge the lower bushing to fit the stock lower shock mount, I just drilled it out with a hand drill.

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

More shock questions..........

It seems that I will have to measure and buy Bilsteins that are generic. So are shocks measured a certain way? (I figured a range between colapsed and extended)? Also, are all the "eyelet" mounts on the top and bottom the same for all pickups? I am interested in buying the "Silver" looking Bilsteins since they have a wider range of size selection. I just want to make sure I don't buy the wrong ones. I think I'll just forget about looking for the yellow/blue ones... ... ... (only the 2WD folks have it easy in that department). I see that Geno's Garage sells the Silver/Black ones for 94'-07' 4x4 Dodges. How different is the shock length on a 1st gen compared to a 2nd gen? I was wondering if these would work.

 

[Flexiheep]

upper shock mount

I had a question or two about the bilsteins I was using on my W250. They are a 10" travel shock with a 16" collapsed length. I measured my truck when it was stock and it had a 15" collapsed length when the truck was on the bumpstops. So I had to extend my upper shock mounts to make up the difference so I didn't kill my nice new shocks. I added 1. 5" to the upper mount right below the stock mounting stud. I will include a picture of it after it was extended.



#ad




For reference here is a link to a table with the different 5100 shock lengths and other data.

bilstein chart



I used the F4-BE5-A464-H5 shocks and extended my mounts, I think a stock truck could use the F4-BE5-6253-H5 without a problem with stock mounts. One note you will have to enlarge the bushing in the shocks as it is sized for a 1/2" mount not the 5/8" the diesel is.



I have not done any high speed offroad with these things yet, but on the road, and pulling my trailer they are a great match for the Skyjacker softride springs.

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Narrowing down my choices...........

Ok, I now have lifted my pickup 2" in the front. The old, clapped-out original shocks are still on there. I measured the length of the shocks with the truck parked on level ground... ... ... . they measure roughly 22" long where they sit. So, what Bilstein 5100 series shock should I ideally get? (part#)?

 

[Dieselman359]

Firstgenfanantic, any luck yet on finding the shocks you wanted? Have you looked into any other brands?

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

Which Bilstein shock should I get?

Firstgenfanantic, any luck yet on finding the shocks you wanted? Have you looked into any other brands?

Yes, I definitely want the Bilstein 5100 series. I have a super discounted hook-up on Bilsteins, but the person needs an exact part# to get them for me. As mentioned above, my current front shock length is just slightly over 22" as the pickup sits on flat ground. I am a little unsure of how to measure and choose the correct length of shock for my pickup. I am looking for suggestions on how to accurately measure and determine the colapsed length vs. fully extended length.

 

[Dieselman359]

How to measure

Now that I've got my new springs mounted and the truck on its wheels, does anyone know how to figure out which shocks I need? How much more travel do you need past where the truck sits?

 

[Dieselman359]

I finally got around to getting my shock situation figured out. A simple call to Rancho's tech line was all that it took. Turns out that I was able to use the same shocks that are for a regular W350. Rancho RS9000XL #999114