Best place to buy new shocks for older cars

[Kira]

I helped install adjustable Rancheros on a pal's '89 K1500. They were bull-O-knee. The knob had no effect.

Perhaps the better names like Bilstein are produced on a schedule which allows for stock depletion, but there might not be a way to know the age of a particular source's stock.

Try communicating your concerns to the companies you'd do business with. They might surprise you.

 

[johnmyster]

Most of the performance-ish aftermarket shocks aren't vehicle specific. They have proper attachments to cover a wide range of applications, with dampening that is good enough and lengths appropriate for travel.

I don't think you need to worry about getting old shocks.

 

[DuckRyder]

I am pretty sure my Bilstein have the date on both the box and the shock, assuming I can manage after the doc gets trough with my I will try to look tomorrow.

I feel like Jegs or Summit should have a pretty high turnover rate for a Square Body. You should get reasonably fresh stuff.

 

[crashz]

I had some Rancho's (5000's maybe?) on my 83 with a 6 inch Superlift kit. The ride was horrible. As an experiment, I took the shocks off and drove it a little. No change. No difference at all. I'm not sure if that's a statement about the Ranchos or the lift kit or both.

If the truck is a prime showpiece or something that you with really appreciate an upgraded ride quality, I agree with the Bilsteins. If not, good old Monroes work too. Also agree that Summit, Jegs and RA should still turn these around pretty regularly.

 

[zzyzzx]

Anything that's not new old stock, since those are frequently bad out of the box.