Considering Rough Country Springs and Shocks

[rumblecloud]

Been reading thru the posts in this section to familiarize myself with my next project. Also looked at the Lift references in the Tech Section.
That led me to the Rough Country Leveling Springs and these Front and Rear shocks.

The Leveling Springs suggest it will achieve a 1.5-inch lift. I've replaced the rear springs and 1.5 up front would help a lot -- it currently sits like a rake job from the 60s -- not that there's anything wrong with that. The front and rear shocks match that lift.

I know a lot of you like Bilsteins. Rock auto has Adjustable Ranchos that I really like but I'm not sure if they will work with the Rough Country Leveling Springs.

I'm not going off-roading. Mostly two-lane blacktop and gravel roads. I just want to give it a nice stance with 31s on it and not make a mistake by buying the wrong components.
Does what I have listed make sense? Will the Ranchos work/fit?

Thanks in advance,
r

 

[4x4junkie]

Stay away from Rancho (been there, done that). 70-80% of everything Rancho I've ever owned failed in some way or another.

If Bilstein is too $$$, maybe look at KYB. Their "Gas-A-Just" shocks are quite good and are about the same cost as the bottom rung of Rancho's offerings. Only thing is they don't list shocks by lift height, so you may need to do some cross-referencing of their lengths and mounting styles in the Rancho & KYB shock catalogs to find the ones you need.

 

[rumblecloud]

Revisiting this to give an update. Have another string going on replacing the steering gear and one thing has led to another. I mean it's all right there so I might as well do the springs and shocks too. I hadda cut the shocks out and since the steering linkage is just hanging there, the only thing left to do is pull out the springs.
Checked out the KYB Gas-a-just shocks, now just looking at springs. Looks like it will in the $400-$500 range for front and rear shocks and front springs...ouch.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

If you're tight for money and your present springs are fine, you can look up the washer lift in the tech library. It gives about 1.5" lift.

 

[rumblecloud]

If you're tight for money and your present springs are fine, you can look up the washer lift in the tech library. It gives about 1.5" lift.

Thanks. I read that awhile ago, but forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder.
There's a couple of ways to go - like just worrying about the front for now and not buy rear shocks till next month.
I wouldn't know a good spring from a bad one, so the fronts maybe okay, but just "okay." With 214 thousand miles on a 26 year old, they should be replaced regardless. I'll try to get them off in one piece and go from there.
Thanks again.

 

[bobbywalter]

Hmmmm.


Yeah...ok. rust belt ...but not horrible


Wire wheel the stud threads for the spring seats.

Me... I would pull it all. Buckets too.

Fix all of the rot on the frame if any is bad behind buckets.....and totally disassemble and blast everything.

Taking care with the pinch bolts.

If you whoop on it with the wrong shocks. ..that stud in the radius arm can't wait to fail. Might want to keep a repair stud handy.

 

[rumblecloud]

Hmmmm.
...Me... I would pull it all...

Geez. Yeah I know. Laying underneath it and looking at all the stuff that should be done gets discouraging at times. But hey, gotta start somewhere.
The long term goal is to restore it doing a lot of the work myself. I'm learning as I go and this site and you gentlemen have been extremely helpful.
While I don't think I can afford to pull everything at this time. but I do take your advice to heart.
Now, what's a pinch bolt and buckets?

 

[bobbywalter]

Where do you live?

 

[bobbywalter]

The pinch bolt is the upper ball joint and camber caster eccentric squeezer.

The buckets are spring and shock mount that is rivoted to the frame.

I won't get another winter out of my cab....so it's going to be a busy time in my garage.....addressing that. Your front situation reminds me of my cab.

It's easier to just pull it all apart and clean it up.

 

[rumblecloud]

I'm up in Emmett. 48022. I have friends in the Woodhaven, Brown City area. Being here, you're all to familiar with the road conditions and salt use so you have to deal with the same issues.

I have no problem pulling it all and cleaning it up. I love takin sh*t apart. I have to be careful cause I'll end up with everything laying everywhere and I won't remember how to put it all back together

I'm going to put the steering gear back in today but leave the steering compnents hanging till I figure out which way to go with the springs and shocks. Gonna try to pull the springs next. I've read a lot of the threads on it. If I have to I'll just cut em out. seats and insulators will get replaced too.

The upper and lower ball joints were replaced at 125,000 - I realize that was a long time ago but I get to those maybe in the summer.
Thanks for the definitions - more research to do now - keeps me up at night.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I hit that crossroad with my 94 a few years ago... I ultimately deemed it unworthy of the repairs due to rust issue.

Your coil buckets looked way better then mine. I really wish I had the room to keep it... the new to me Bronco II would have benefitted with it's 4.0L/M5OD.

I had bought new Moog coils and some 1-2 inch lift Rough Country shocks to put on it but it just never happened. I have them for sale in the classifieds. My plan was to do a washer lift with the heavy duty Moog coils... just never happened. If you could use the parts... I would make you a good deal on them. I even have a set of urethane isolators that go with.

 

[rumblecloud]

Curses.
As a Forum Moderator you shouldn't be confusing me with a great offer like this - especially when I'm having a hard time making up my mind in the first place.
I'm looking at your post in the classifieds now. Give me a bit to look at it in more detail -- wife has some honey-do stuff I have to take care of first. I will message you in a bit. I was looking at the Moog springs on Rock Auto and of course the Rough Country shocks. 4x4Junnkie doesn't care for them and I do respect his opinion, but money is an issue right now, so I can't rule them out.
Thanks.
r

 

[Uncle Gump]

I will just go wait in the Moderator time out corner... and think about what I've done.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I installed the leveling kit from Superlift and love it. Running 31" x 10.50" Falken Wildpeak AT L/T's no problem.
I was gonna tear it apart further while under there with the kit, but put it off. Still gotta swap out a bunch of steering and suspension parts, and while down there this time, do the die grind job around the axle u joints to eliminate the binding up when steering in 4wd.

 

[rumblecloud]

... do the die grind job around the axle u joints to eliminate the binding up when steering in 4wd.

Is that fixable? I just thought it was the nature of the beast and you had to live with it.