Bilstein Replacement Stocks 1973 Sport

[Jimmymac46]

Back in 1996 I installed Duff's 3.5 inch complete suspension front and rear using his 70/30 shocks dual front, single rear. Now that it is semi retired from the off road adventures, I would like to change to Bilstein's, single front and rear........hopefully to soften it up considerably. Will just the Bilstein install do that? Where and how do I measure to obtain the proper shock with my current lift. Should the single front be mounted in front or rear of the axle. Where can I get the Bilsteins. Opinion and advice appreciated.

 

[Dannyboy71]

Can't answer to the mounting location question, but you will love your new bilstiens. Wild Horses could set you up with the right shocks (length and valving). Just supply them with the info you gave here.

 

[bronconut73]

Back in 1996 I installed Duff's 3.5 inch complete suspension front and rear using his 70/30 shocks dual front, single rear. Now that it is semi retired from the off road adventures, I would like to change to Bilstein's, single front and rear........hopefully to soften it up considerably. Will just the Bilstein install do that? Where and how do I measure to obtain the proper shock with my current lift. Should the single front be mounted in front or rear of the axle. Where can I get the Bilsteins. Opinion and advice appreciated.

Call Duff's.
Their coils have changed. Quite different side by side. More tight coils and much longer unloaded.

You would likely put that single Bilstein in the OEM location behind the axle.


http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=269837

 

[badandy73]

Installed a set of singles (factory mounts/ location) on my 73 a few years back and they improved the ride considerably. Rides more like a new truck where you're not chattering your teeth over every bump in the road.

WH can get you setup, they fit 2"-4" of lift if I remember correctly. They won't like me saying this, but shop them on 4wheelparts to get competitive pricing.

 

[DirtDonk]

Well that kicks it. You're on double secret probation until tomorrow badandy!;D

With 3.5" of lift and stock mounts, our standard BIL88001 will have all four shocks that should complement the Duff stuff pretty well I would say.
If you have non-stock mounts (such as front hoops or similar) then you'd want to measure the distance from eye-to-eye with the vehicle on the ground to see if we can find just the right one.

The ultimate method of course, is to measure with the suspension fully compressed and fully extended, to find out where your maximums are so the shocks don't become the limiting factor.
But this really isn't what most will do, as not only is it much more involved than just pulling out a tape measure for a quickie, but is also not guaranteed to get you the right shock because your existing mounts might not even allow the right size shock in the first place.

Or of course, you could call 4wpw for that application...%)

Paul