S10 front suspension lowered shocks

[joedoh]

using an S10 frame is great for the wide availability of lowering parts available, but some guys work on a different budget. If you are cutting a coil to lower the truck 2" you might not want to spend $100-$120 a pair on some shorter gas charged shocks and wait for them to ship.

The 1972-1984 Mazda B2000 truck uses the same compressed and extended length as the commonly available S10 short drop shocks, and use the same top and bottom attachments. They are readily available at your local parts stores, just looking online at my local stores I have my choice of Monroe, Gabriel, KYB, standard or gas charged, twin tube or monotube, in stock at prices from $15ea to $45ea.

my recommendation is for a nice gas charged twin tube, usually $20ea. If you dont plan to run a sway bar or just have impossibly smooth roads, the monotube will be a better performance shock for canyon carving, but also more expensive at $45ea.

What about the rear? The rear is usually lowered with blocks, so the shock length does not change.

 

[Skip]

Thanks for the tip. I haven't swapped out my front springs... yet, but I have some so it may happen one day. I installed a heavy front sway bar, and a rear sway bar form a Olds "Blazer". It should handle.

 

[techinspector1]

What about the rear? The rear is usually lowered with blocks, so the shock length does not change.

Ummm, yeah it does. Anytime you move the differential up or down, or the lower control arm on the front end, you need to compensate for the increased or decreased travel of the shocks. If, for instance, you are lowering the rear of the vehicle by 2 inches, you will also need to extend the upper or lower shock mount by 2 inches to prevent bottoming the shock on bump. If you lower the front of a vehicle, then you will need to change the mounting point of the shocks on the front to prevent bottoming. THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH.

 

[MercuryMac]

I'm not sure about S-10s, but any cars that I have lowered with blocks, [this means that the rear axle is on top of the springs if blocks will lower it], then the spring does not move in relation to the frame, so the shock travel does not change. You only moved the rear end up when you put the blocks between the rear-end housing and the springs. The lower shock perch is below the spring and did not move.

I agree that in other applications, shock travel changes and the shocks should be checked and changed if necessary.

 

[Undercover Customs]

Ummm, yeah it does. Anytime you move the differential up or down, or the lower control arm on the front end, you need to compensate for the increased or decreased travel of the shocks. If, for instance, you are lowering the rear of the vehicle by 2 inches, you will also need to extend the upper or lower shock mount by 2 inches to prevent bottoming the shock on bump. If you lower the front of a vehicle, then you will need to change the mounting point of the shocks on the front to prevent bottoming. THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH.

Ummm, no! Exactly what Mercury Mac said for the rear, the shock mount is not affected by the lowering block.

If putting in shorter springs in, the easiest thing for shocks is to simply purchase shorter ones. If you are lowering using a dropped spindle then the stock style shock is the way to go as you still have the stock suspension travel. So if one lowers the front with dropped spindles and lowers the back with lowering blocks the shock travel is the same as stock so when it comes to the shocks in this case there does seem to be a free lunch. Ham sammy anyone?

 

[techinspector1]

Shame on me. My apologies. I had forgotten that the S10 shock attached to the spring and not the housing. And Undercover Customs, you are of course correct about the lowered spindles. Some days are diamonds and some days are stones. Mayonaise on your sammy??

I LOVE ANYTHING THAT TURNS MONEY INTO NOISE.

 

[bgbrktracer]

Shock length

Went to O'Reilly's, Autozone, and NAPA and had them pull the Mazda and S10 front shocks to compare them. Different part numbers but same length and attaching points.

 

[Old Iron]

I went thru the Monroe shock chart and there isn't a bolt in shock that is shorter than the S10.
I just installed a set of these this morning.
Monroe #32300
S4 (top stud)
Shock XP7 (bottom cross pin)
8.38" Compressed length
12.75" extended length
4.38" stroke
Here's the location for the chart
http://www.monroe.com/downloads/install-instructions-guides/MonroeMountingLengthSpecifications.pdf
If I have missed it, please post the result.

 

[joedoh]

could it be that aftermarket s10 shocks are shorter than factory s10 shocks? because I have bottomed out stock shocks on lowered applications but never bottomed out a "drop" shock.

this all came about while I was looking for some Nitro Drop Bell Techs, which I like except 4Xshocks= ~$230 plus shipping. I happened across an application guide for the short shock that came in the S10 5" drop (2" spindle 3" spring) and it listed the same shock as an application for a stock mazda. I reversed the logic and actually had some nitro drops to compare them to and they were the same.

 

[Old Iron]

Did the shocks have eye ends on both top and bottom?
I use shocks with eyes on both ends on my solid axle front ends that is really short.

 

[joedoh]

Did the shocks have eye ends on both top and bottom?
I use shocks with eyes on both ends on my solid axle front ends that is really short.

no, its a pin on top and an eye with the two bolt insert on the bottom. thats why its hard to find (I thought) short shocks for the s10, because you had to match the length and the unique mounts.

 

[joedoh]

just to update, gm a-body uses the same mount configuration and they are 1.5 inches shorter compressed length front and 2" shorter compressed length rear.

 

[sneakysnake]

What are ya'll doing for a shock if you put an air bag right in the middle where the shock used to mount?

 

[soltz]

This is what I did, worked fine.[S