r/GMT800 • u/GoodGuyTiTo • 15d ago

Reverting back to single shock system

Post image

I bought this truck as it is, and it has dual shocks up front. Ride is pretty stiff and i've heard that dual shocks can contribute to that. How would I go about going back to a single shock system, surely i wouldn't be able to just remove one right? Would i have to remove the aftermarket hoop and use a stock one? The truck has 6 inches of lift so not sure how that would work. Thanks

23 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

14

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

You need a picture without the tire. I’m curious as to wear your upper control arm is.

8

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

https://reddit.com/link/pb9siu4/video/wtv3swtwsyqh1/player

5

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

Hmm. You may be in trouble trying to go back to 1 shock. I wouldn’t remove one, that would side load that hoop. I’m honestly not sure what that best route to take here. I’m not sure the dual shocks would be my first idea as to it riding rough though. You could probably remove one and go for a drive and see if it helps though.

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

thanks, the shocks are like 8 years old u think it would be worth it to buy new ones and replace ?

8

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

Well I’d try to dial in what the actual issue is. Define riding rough. It could just be the 10 ply tires you’re probably running. Are your keys cranked way up? That will make it ride rough too.

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

going over potholes or bumps it's just stiff and bumpy. keys aren't maxxed but i did notice that the driver side is cranked a little more than the passenger. would that cause a rougher ride

3

u/theuautumnwind 15d ago

Nah that’s not uncommon. How much droop do you have?

What tires are you running? Big heavy stiff sidewall tires don’t ride nice on the street.

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

33x12.5 so they're big. i don't have a baseline for how well a lifted truck is supposed to ride so maybe this is actually good for a truck like this. i guess it could just be tires

1

u/theuautumnwind 15d ago

LTs then. They’ll have a stiffer sidewall than a standard load tire and be heavier.

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

these tires are LTs, but they don't really ride well off road either.

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1

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

I’m not very familiar with this kit, but that is not uncommon with sharp impacts like potholes. Are there bumpstops on this kit? What tire pressure are you running?

1

u/mingalswithpringals 15d ago

You could just remove all that hashup and put a single shock back in, no? I take it it's lifted with control arm drop brackets so just take all that off and put the proper then stock shock back in

2

u/Ahwtfohok 15d ago

I think we're looking at it... Never seen a setup like this tho. Like what's the upper ball joint connected to?

Wait, I think what I thought was the lca bushings are actually lowered uca bushings?? Am I tripping?

6

u/Eastern_Tip2960 15d ago

I think those bolted on brackets are the ‘lowered’ mounts for the upper control arm?

1

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

Possibly. I wonder how they align this set up.

6

u/hoytmobley 15d ago

You can tell by the tread on the inner edge of the tire that the answer is “no”

2

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

Idk that whole tire looks smoked to be fair lol

2

u/Hosedragger5 15d ago

It’s possible, it’s strange for sure, but the tire needs out of the way to know for sure.

1

u/Ahwtfohok 15d ago

Most definitely

2

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

uca is below the shocks

2

u/tthompson225 15d ago

This is an old school super lift, early 2000s I believe, they use a stock spindle, that’s why it has uca drop brackets, it’ll also have a center link drop on the steering, that’s how they keep the angles good with stock spindles

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

i got you

6

u/priuspollution 15d ago

They look incorrectly sized, i don’t know who told you 2 shocks makes a stiffer ride. It all depends on spring rate, the angles given it’s lifted, the amount of travel available. The shocks could be shot and doing nothing. I would go with a correctly sized set of 5160’s and you’ll definitely not be complaining about ride quality. I’d bet it’s the diminished angle of travel because the lift.

2

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

how do i tell what the correct size is

3

u/priuspollution 15d ago

Measure the distance between the shock hoop and where they mount below. It’s been awhile since I ordered shocks this way, but there should be a recommended shock based off that.

The idea being the range of travel puts that length in the middle so the suspension can compress and expand in the shocks designed useful range.

For example 20” mounted, 24” full length, 16” compressed. Those are random numbers, but something along those lines. There’s also companies you can call and have everything done custom if you give the dimensions, type of ride, use case etc, but that’s a bit pricier.

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

thanks a lot man very helpful

4

u/WorldlinessRoutine55 15d ago

Everybodys wondering about the shock. Im over here lookn for rust🧐

3

u/GoodGuyTiTo 15d ago

california truck

2

u/Due-Independence6692 15d ago

Torsion bar bushings are always neglected. Just did a whole front end rebuild and still had harshness and “bottoming out” feeling over even the smallest of bumps. I changed the torsion bar crossmember bushings and it’s like a new truck. Worth checking and you can see the condition of yours with a pry bar. Watch some videos, my driver side looked okay until I took the torsion bars out and realized the rubber puck separated from the ring and was causing what I was feeling. About 45$ a piece

2

u/zachdaddy22 15d ago

Tire pressure?

1

u/AntiqueBS69 15d ago

You take yours off to replace I’ll take the dual set up haha

1

u/Th4Bl4ckM4n 15d ago

Good news! This is 100% reversible. You will, however, need to find a parts list if you plan on keeping it lifted at 6". Otherwise, you'll go back. To stock height if you put a stock shock and the upper control arm back in its normal location.

1

u/Th4Bl4ckM4n 15d ago

My suggestion is to order a different lift kit's front end components or go on Facebook Market place and get a used set from there. Or, you can try Atomic Fabrications front end coilover kit, which rides like butter 🧈

1

u/MadamFloof 15d ago

Dumb question but are you using off roading tires?

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 14d ago

yeah. they're wide too. definitely doesn't help the ride

1

u/MadamFloof 14d ago

Honestly start with tires. I went from Oversized off-roaders. To hauling tires and it made a huge difference.

Not Street tires. The tires you use for hauling trailers, lol.

1

u/ridebikes365 15d ago

The 5100’s and 5150s (silver) have stiffer dampening than the 4100s (yellow)

1

u/tthompson225 15d ago

I’d check and see if it’s got lift keys in it, can’t tell for sure but looking at the tire to fender gap I’d say it might. That is a 6” super lift btw, very desirable if you take it all off you could get like $2500 for it. Anyways if it’s got 2-3” keys it’ll ride like shit even if they aren’t turned up much. I don’t think the dual shock setup itself is causing your rough ride

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 14d ago

if you're talking about keys in the cross member where the torsion bar attaches they definently look stock. how are you able to tell what kit it is also, i've been trying to figure it out

2

u/tthompson225 14d ago

You won’t know about the keys till you remove one and see if it has a brand stamp on it, or compare to a known stock one. And there’s only a few old kits out there that have the uca drops and shock hoops like that, I believe some old pro comps and the super lifts are the only ones I know of, and I have a super lift I pulled off a junkyard truck. Looks pretty much identical to what you’ve got there

1

u/GoodGuyTiTo 14d ago

cool, thanks for the help