Shock mounts, Bilstein HDs, wheels & tires for 4" lift?

[rvflyfish]

I'll second that emotion, very sloppy indeed. Thanks for the tip, PhotoVan. I'll try the latter.

[rvflyfish]

Photo_Van, when you drilled and cut the shock mounts, what did you do with the brake line that's bolted to the back of the passenger side mount? Did you cut it off just below the bolt, leaving about 1/2" of the tab hanging below the axle? Or did you remount the brake line elsewhere?

[photo_van]

It's always a surprise the little changes GM made between years. My '98 doesn't have that bracket. I'd cut it just below.

[Stroverlander]

Yeah, that's the setup for the '03-'05 with rear discs.

I cut them off and left a tab for the bolts.

[rvflyfish]

Thanks PV, thanks Strover. BTW Strover, I went with the Ranchos. An awesome shop in Santa Rosa called Yodaman agreed with your recommendation. Said they were much better than Bilsteins. And he sells both.

[Stroverlander]

You're welcome. I've been happy with the overall performance of the Rancho RS9000XL shocks, I prefer a firm ride for everyday driving and seem to have settled on around 7 clicks in the front and 6 or 7 clicks in the rear depending on load (no rear seats in van usually). I'll go all the way up to 9 clicks for heavy loads or towing duty. The van had a real wallowy feel when I tested them on the first click!

Compared side by side with Bilstein, the Rancho are not of the same quality but they get the job done performance wise.

[photo_van]

Photo_van, when you do your upper ball joint relocation, will you take before and after measurements at full extension? Thanks!

I did the flip yesterday and put in new Rancho 999123 shocks. These shocks have 3/4" more travel than stock which gave me very close to an inch more travel out at the wheel.

Measurement from fender to hub/axle center

Before L 22 1/2 R 22 5/8
After L 23 3/8 R 23 1/2

This causes the upper control arm to bottom out before the shock which may not be a good thing if one is a hard driver (I added a padded stop here like the trucks have). It also puts a lot of angulation on the tierod ends which someday I hope to flip with a 3/4 ton upgrade.

[WERDI Recreation]

Hello all,

Sorry to bring this back, I have the same setup(year, AWD, and as soon as I get a couple parts I will install - 4" lift) as photo_van and have always like the Strover setup.
Can Stroverland or Photo_van let me know which part number Rancho you used for front and rear?

Thank you fellas.