Nefarious Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Hey everyone, sorry if this has been covered. I found bits and pieces of information here and there but I am looking for a more information on this.. I am in dire need of replacing the shocks in my pathy. I am going to be in there doing all the ball joints and bushings and also installing a 3" front and rear suspension lift. I have read there are other shocks from other makes and models like the '1996 ford f150 shocks for the rear' but can I get some specific information. I have seen the longer shock options by rough country and rancho but they are quite expensive in comparison to what I can get with my discount at the local auto store. I phoned lordco and I can get monroes for MUCH cheaper at 30 and 35$ per shock for front and rear respectively. Are there shocks from another vehicles that are longer that I can use in the front that will fit to the pathfinder shock mounts to accomodate my front lift? Which rear shocks could I use for my 2-3" rear lift? How much lift do the 1996 f150 shocks support? Do i use the front f150 shocks on the rear of the pathy or the rear f150 shocks on the rear? I would much rather pay 160$ for all 4 shocks and call it a day if I can find longer options in the monroe shocks.. Edited December 10, 2011 by Nefarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismothunder Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 No idea, but ttb front coils provide greater lift then jgc coils in the rear. So, probly the front shocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 sorry what is ttb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd21overland Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) I've went down this path and looked into every shock length from any vehicle a nice thing to have is the shock length chart from monroe.com it list every shock they make its part number and its compressed and extended length along with what its mounting whole size is. But to help you out rear shock from a 1995 ford f350 are the perfect length for a 3" lift pathy. There extended length is exactly 3" longer then the paths stock shock and its compressed is only .25" shorter so you dont loose any compress length so you get the full 10" of travel now up from the 7.1" from the stock path. As for the front the stock shock extended length is 14.7" with my rough country control arms up front and ultra low upper bump stop it max's out at 15" on the do so if you have regular or lower profile bumpstop stock length might work for you if your like me i went with front shock from a 1986 ford bronco II there the same compressed length but there 15.2" extended to make use of the ultra low pro bump stop you wont need any longer then that since you cv's with be maxed. SO to wrap it up 1995 for f-350 rear shock (F150 rear shock from the same year might be the same length but i know the f-350 is the right length) And 1986 ford bronco II up front i went with bilstein shock all around and love them and have had no issues at all. Also i know some places already list 3" lift shock for are pathfinder put when you look at the extended length there only 1.5" more or else so i like the route i went better. Edited December 10, 2011 by wd21overland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 10, 2011 Author Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Man that is EXACTLY what I was looking for!! Thanks so much!!! Excellent information, and I can get the shocks for those vehicles I believe for even cheaper than the original pathfinder shocks, perfect. I would buy you a beer if I could man you just saved me a bunch of $$. I was planning on installing the ultra low profile bump stops to take advantage of the increased shock travel but you mention only the upper. Would I not benefit from using them on the lower bumps stops as well? Also just to be clear I use the front Bronco II shocks on the front of the pathy, and the rear f350 shocks on the rear of the pathy, correct? Edited December 10, 2011 by Nefarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd21overland Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Man that is EXACTLY what I was looking for!! Thanks so much!!! Excellent information, and I can get the shocks for those vehicles I believe for even cheaper than the original pathfinder shocks, perfect. I would buy you a beer if I could man you just saved me a bunch of $$. Also just to be clear I use the front Bronco II shocks on the front of the pathy, and the rear f350 shocks on the rear of the pathy, correct? Yep that will work perfect. And since there ford most of the local auto parts stores at least around me always have them in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 BTW stock pathy shocks never fully compress, it hits the bump stops first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismothunder Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 sorry what is ttb? TTB, Broncos, f150s and regular duty f250s built from 1980-1996 all have this front end. Its the swing axle front. The f250hd and F350 is a solid axle. I know the f350 shock mounts are longer then the f150 singal shock, the duel shock front maybe the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 So what year jeep grand cherokee should I look for when getting the rear coils off of it for my pathy any specific model/trim that has longer springs? I use the rear jeep coils right? or do i use the front coils in the rear of the pathy? Just need to find some rough country control arms now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 So what year jeep grand cherokee should I look for when getting the rear coils off of it for my pathy any specific model/trim that has longer springs? I use the rear jeep coils right? or do i use the front coils in the rear of the pathy? Just need to find some rough country control arms now..... FRONT, Front JGC coils go in the back of a pathfinder. Its stickied in one of the sections. You can also use Front coils from and XJ lift kit as they can be had new from rough country for $120 and provide the same spring rate as stock but at 3" taller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 I've went down this path and looked into every shock length from any vehicle a nice thing to have is the shock length chart from monroe.com it list every shock they make its part number and its compressed and extended length along with what its mounting whole size is. But to help you out rear shock from a 1995 ford f350 are the perfect length for a 3" lift pathy. There extended length is exactly 3" longer then the paths stock shock and its compressed is only .25" shorter so you dont loose any compress length so you get the full 10" of travel now up from the 7.1" from the stock path. As for the front the stock shock extended length is 14.7" with my rough country control arms up front and ultra low upper bump stop it max's out at 15" on the do so if you have regular or lower profile bumpstop stock length might work for you if your like me i went with front shock from a 1986 ford bronco II there the same compressed length but there 15.2" extended to make use of the ultra low pro bump stop you wont need any longer then that since you cv's with be maxed. SO to wrap it up 1995 for f-350 rear shock (F150 rear shock from the same year might be the same length but i know the f-350 is the right length) And 1986 ford bronco II up front i went with bilstein shock all around and love them and have had no issues at all. Also i know some places already list 3" lift shock for are pathfinder put when you look at the extended length there only 1.5" more or else so i like the route i went better. Do the F350 shocks bolt right on? I got some F150 shocks and had to push the bushing out the bottom and use the nissan bushings from my old shocks because the lower mount hole on the F150 shocks was too small. Also do you go with a heavy duty bronco II shock in the front? I would think that a shock in the front from a compact truck the size of ours and a shock for a 1 ton truck in the back would be quite unbalanced. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd21overland Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Do the F350 shocks bolt right on? I got some F150 shocks and had to push the bushing out the bottom and use the nissan bushings from my old shocks because the lower mount hole on the F150 shocks was too small. Also do you go with a heavy duty bronco II shock in the front? I would think that a shock in the front from a compact truck the size of ours and a shock for a 1 ton truck in the back would be quite unbalanced. James The rear shocks did need to have the bushings swapped out took me about 1 min with a vice. As for the shock don't look at what vehicle they go on these f-350 rear shocks cross refrences to 11 different vehicles most of them were suv's(example rancho list the same part# for a stock rear f-350 shock as it does for a 90's ford explorer with there 2" lift kit)same shock used for different applications) i used the f-350 as an example since thats the first one is cross refrenced with. As for the shock being balanced the shocks are great and wouldn't have it any other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 I was thinking the same thing... but does the f150 also have the 3" longer extended length like the f350 does? I personally would rather go for the softer dampers, although I will have quite a lot of weight on my rear with my steel bumper, tire carrier, and full size spare. The front JGC springs also offer the same said 3" of lift over stock for the pathy right? I do have a 12-ton press so bushings aren't an issue at all. Just wanted to clarify that the f150 shocks will be long enough like the f350!! Going to order these today.. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 Oh well that just answered one of my questions:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 okay got the 86 bronco ii front shocks and the 95 f350 rear shocks on the way. should be about 160 for all 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 What brand shocks? I paid 160 for all for rancho RS5000, was even better after the 50 dollar rebate. There is actually a stickied thread in the garage about shocks, actually the right ones for the truck so no messing around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 13, 2011 Author Share Posted December 13, 2011 (edited) i phoned anywhere locally they wanted 120 per shock or more for rancho for the 3" lift. i tried every single auto store. i got the monroe self adjusting. this is not something i can wait weeks for in shipping, i needed them today. the old ones are blown and completely non functional. i am not driving on icy streets with them. Edited December 13, 2011 by Nefarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Monroe self adjusting? you mean the sensatrac? I had those before they didn't last very long, just an FYI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 13, 2011 Author Share Posted December 13, 2011 You do realise that rancho and monroe are made by the same company in the same factory right?? they are essentially the same shock... I learned not to trust shock brands a long time ago with my 240sx and 300zx. Tenneco is the company that makes them all. Just FIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 They are owned by the same company but they are nowhere close to being the same shock. Monroe is a economical replacement while rancho are more for work/offroad vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 got the new shocks in the front, the lower mounts insert sleeve was slightly too long to fit in the slot so about 15 seconds later with a grinding wheel and it fit right in and can still use the new bushings. other than that they went right in. WOW my old shocks needed replacing more than I thought... one was completely blown, one was more than blown... it had blown and then seemed to have filled with sand and grit. I could barely get it out as it was so hard to compress!! Should be a huge difference im sure... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Just a quick update. I have the shocks installed now and they ride NICE. I am actually really impressed. At first I was a little leery to using different Ford models but the information made sense. I gotta say the pathy rides like a cadillac now!! It is so smooth and soaks up every little bump in the road. The bouncy front end is all but GONE. I thought all pathys just had a bumpy front end by nature! lol. Well these things smoothed it out anyways. Thanks wd21overland!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd21overland Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Just a quick update. I have the shocks installed now and they ride NICE. I am actually really impressed. At first I was a little leery to using different Ford models but the information made sense. I gotta say the pathy rides like a cadillac now!! It is so smooth and soaks up every little bump in the road. The bouncy front end is all but GONE. I thought all pathys just had a bumpy front end by nature! lol. Well these things smoothed it out anyways. Thanks wd21overland!!! Glad to hear it sounds like your shocks really needed replaced. I was second guessing also back when i replaced mine but i have about 18k on the setup now and no complaints. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhettoPathy91 Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Hi there, Old thread, but I thought I'd reply here since the topic is already started. I am looking to lift the rear end and am wondering if the F-350 4X4 shocks are needed or is it the 2WD shocks? Does it matter? the 2wd ones are half the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warrensk Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I just got Gabriel Ultras all around for rear 1995 f350 shocks and front 1986 ford bronco II shocks for my 1990 pathfinder with a calmini 3" lift. The calmini shocks are totally shot, and are on back order for 2 weeks...I should have the shocks by tomorrow and will see how they fit....My bushings on the lower end are totally done for too, so im hoping I can make the new bushings work just fine. Thanks for the info guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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