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Long time ago I bought a set of Bilstein shocks for my MII front suspension... just getting around to installing them (yea, I know) I slid the shock up thru the spring and put the cross bolt thru the lower control arm
and my shaft of the shock doesn't come up thru the top hat. It't right underneath it (maybe 1/8")
Now my wheels are off and the truck is on jackstands ... The suspension is stretched out as far as the spindles will allow, so I know that if I put the wheels back on and lower the truck the engine weight will compress the springs and the shaft will come up and I can bolt everything back up. (now the questioning part) BUT if I raise the truck with a jack or lift the shaft will bottom out (or top out) in the cylinder before the suspension hits it's limit at the spindle length. Isn't a 500 # spring gonna put a little strain on that shaft and shock housing ?? I don't think normal suspension travel is gonna cause this to happen but I'm concerned with lifting the truck and the springs pulling that shaft up against the cylinder top... couldn't be good for it. Those shocks are expensive and I'm concerned about damage, danger and $$$$
opinions ??
You are right to be concerned...most Bilsteins that I have installed come with a wire holding the shock collapsed, snip that wire and the piston releases. If you don't have the shock positioned correctly then you have a bear of a time getting it compressed again. I would double-check the part number and the fully extended/fully collapsed measurements for that shock.
Its completely fine for the shock to hold the coil spring slightly compressed when lifted off the ground. Every strut, solid front 4x4 axle and rear trailing axles use the shocks to hold the suspension together when the vehicle is lifted off the ground.
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