john m. wright

I recently aquired a F-150 4X4 truck, 300ci 6cyl, 4spd. The front shocks (
quad shock system ) on the pass side were literaly pulled apart. So I
replaced them with a set from the local Napa store. Looking at the shocks
installed, they are fully extended, with the truck sitting still. The ride
over pot holed roads is almost unbearable and there is no downward travel to
the suspension. Jacking the chasis up less than an inch, lifts the wheel off
the ground. Anybody know of a location where shock specifications ( length
and such ) can be looked up. I checked several local parts houses and they
all listed the same basic shock ( different brands but all the same
length ). I am no expert, in fact quite the oppisite, but shouldnt the
shocks and the suspension bottom at the same time ?. Rather than having most
of the shock travel left when the axle has hit the frame and no downward
travel ?. Any ideas or suggestion would be welcome. Thanks

John

r&b

Sounds like a confusing situation. You say the new shocks are fully
extended, so you would have plenty of shock travel with the springs
compressed. The fact that you can only raise the truck an inch before the
tire comes of the ground, confirms the extended shock theory. Sounds like
you have a suspension lift kit with a dump truck like ride. You can buy
special longer shocks that are made to install on trucks with a lift kit. It
doesn't sound like your shocks are bottoming out. That is, if they are fully
extended when setting still. Finally, in the compression mode, shocks should
always have more travel than the suspension. In the extended mode, the shock
normally limits the distance the tire will hang when the vehicle is jacked
up; but the travel should be much greater than an inch.

Ron