Gen 2 Front and rear shocks on Gen 1 Raptor DIY

I made a DIY on installing Gen 2 shocks on my 2011 Gen 1 Raptor..

Its good to see people that clearly normally don't turn wrenches getting out there and doing something on there vehicles. Although you got it done I was nervous for you the entire time.

A couple notes for the next time you do front end suspension work. I was glad to see you finally disconnected the sway bar end link to allow the LCA to droop more. Disconnecting the ABS/Brake Line bracket from the frame and the spindle as well as disconnecting the vacuum line from the IWE would have allowed you to lower the LCA without stretching the crap out of those lines.

The spring compressor you used is called a widow maker for a reason. Seeing how you only used one and then stood in front of the hat when loosing the nut had me on the edge of my seat. Always use to and put them as close to 180* from each other as possible and never stand in front of the hat when removing it.

Just a FYI when you measured the Gen1 shock and got 14.5" and then measure the Gen2 shock and got 19". The new one had a spring on it which insured it was fully extended. Did you make sure the shock shaft from the Gen1 shock was fully extended before measuring because I seriously doubt its 4.5" longer. Did you compare the length of the Gen1 and Gen2 springs themselves when removed from the shock? Also curious if the coil diameter is the same between the two, which would allow you to also use the Gen2 spring.

The over all length of the Gen2 Coilover/Spring Preload is what gave you the lift. Replacing a blown shock with a new shock wont gain you lift because shocks don't work like that. The spring, spring preload and over all length gives you lift, the shock just controls it.

It might sound like I'm picking on you but I'm not. Its good to see people getting out there and working on there vehicles. Just wanted to give you some tips and safety precautions for the next time you do work like this.



PS. Don't forget to replace the sway bar end links and get a front end alignment!

Wayne

I did end up disconnecting the brake lines from the frame i just did it off camera.
As for the spring size. The Gen 2 is way too wide it hits the strut tower frame on both sides.
When it came to the safety stuff like removing the spring from the shock, i did it previously with the other side that’s why i knew it wouldn’t fly out at me.
Thank you for the constructive criticism. I am a car guy. Not so much into trucks.
However i will kindly take your concerns into consideration for any of my future builds
Thank you!

Great video... with your old blown shocks its not easy to compare to new ones because any shock will feel better but I'm curious how the OEM 3.0's will do off-road vs a aftermarket Fox 3.0 (which I have on mine and are adjustable.)


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Trick.Raptor said:

Great video... with your old blown shocks its not easy to compare to new ones because any shock will feel better but I'm curious how the OEM 3.0's will do off-road vs a aftermarket Fox 3.0 (which I have on mine and are adjustable.)


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No idea.. to be honest i got the truck with blown suspension so i don’t know what to compare it to

This is the set up I’m using on my truck. Works perfect to me.

Bumping this thread up, thinking about doing this but curious if this version of gen 2 shocks work as well? Different colors need to research the difference

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It's a terrible idea. You LOSE wheel travel due to the longer length of the gen2 shocks. You can run on the street OK with them, but you should avoid anything off-road more severe than a flower bed. There are also binding issues with the front shocks and the springs and the upper control arm where the shock becomes the bump stop.

You'll also notice that the OP on this thread is long gone, not seen in over a year. Probably he took the truck out and tried to wheel it and ended up with a wrecked suspension. These Gen2 into Gen1 threads all died out for a good reason. It doesn't work.

It would seem like a good cheap way to go, but in this case, cheap=bad.

Jonny V said:

It's a terrible idea. You LOSE wheel travel due to the longer length of the gen2 shocks. You can run on the street OK with them, but you should avoid anything off-road more severe than a flower bed. There are also binding issues with the front shocks and the springs and the upper control arm where the shock becomes the bump stop.

You'll also notice that the OP on this thread is long gone, not seen in over a year. Probably he took the truck out and tried to wheel it and ended up with a wrecked suspension. These Gen2 into Gen1 threads all died out for a good reason. It doesn't work.

It would seem like a good cheap way to go, but in this case, cheap=bad.

Click to expand...

I love when an expert in suspension tech comes to our rescue and tries to saves us from trying something outside the box. The reason those threads went away is because none of the catastrophic failures that were predicted ever materialized. A giant nothing burger.

Is this mod for everyone? No but if you don't have access to lots of cash and want to upgrade to FOX 3.0's this is a way to do it for about a tenth of the cost.

The verdict is still not clear on the electrified version of these shocks but it looks promising.