Hey guys, looking for some help. I have a gen 1 and it’s time to replace suspsension. 55000 miles on the truck. I live in Massachusetts, truck is my daily driver, with slight off-roading. Should I rebuild the OEM suspension, or upgrade to a set of 3.0? I wanna keep it comfortable on the street, and level it out like perch mod would do. Also is there anything else I should replace when doing the shocks over while it’s all apart?
Big price difference there. I beat mine up pretty good and I still go with rebuilds - though I do frequently consider the 3.0s. You'll notice a big difference with a fresh rebuild. Other to dos I'd recommend (since I've done this way too many times).
Check your brakes
Pressure test and possibly replace IWEs - you can test them ahead of time, but replacing them is super simple when doing the shocks
Inspect/replace Wheel bearings
Replace axle seals if leaking - you are RIGHT there
At 55K miles your bearings are likely fine, but IWEs are a crap shoot.
Also, make sure to disconnect your sway bar link. It makes thinks way easier getting the front shocks out/in.
On the rear end I'd simply check brakes. You don't HAVE to pull your tire to replace the shocks, but it's much easier if you do. Ask me how I know.
Make sure you put locktite on your front axle nuts when you reassemble. Also make sure you have a very big torque wrench to hit that 406 ft/lbs on the front lower shock bolt. It's best practice to replace that bolt rather than reuse.
