Help, how do I buy new shocks

[Vexarana]

I have a 1991 TTB Ranger with a 4" Rancho lift. It also has a steering stabilizer. The shocks are well worn out on it, and I am wanting to replace. It has the 4.0 in front which is heavy, but the ride is still rough. From what I understand, the lift springs in a lot of these kits are rough. But I can deal with that later.

What I'm not sure about is how to pick out the right length / capacity shocks to replace them, since they aren't stock anymore. I can get under the truck and take any measurements I need to.

Also, what brands / types should I be looking for?

The truck is a 4x4 and I use it for snow and minor off-roading but for most of the time it's a mall crawler, so I am not needing super heavy duty stuff.

I have never bought shocks or any sort of suspension parts before so I don't want to be buying and then returning a whole bunch of parts. Sorry if this is a little dumb.

Edit: Also I have a popping noise that sometimes occurs when I go NEAR full lock to the left, and sometimes when I turn back from full lock (from left to center or right). Sounds hollow, and somewhat twang-y. By "full lock" I mean "just before my tires start rubbing" since I don't have enough offset on my rims. What should I start looking for to figure this out?

 

[4x4junkie]

Something you may want to do is figure out for sure if you actually have a Rancho lift on your truck, as Rancho never made a 4" lift for our trucks (only a 2.5" lift), or if it's actually a 2.5" lift that you have. Posting up some pics of the axle brackets (and extended radius arms, if it has them) someone here should be able to tell you who's kit it is (or maybe it is Rancho, but someone added spacers to the front coils to boost it to 4"?)

Anyway, the best way I've found for figuring shocks for a non-stock application is to simply pull one of the existing ones off and measure it's fully-extended length and try to match it up in a catalog. You could also look up shock specs (lengths) for the shocks that go with various suspension lifts the same height as yours. Most companies are pretty good about listing such specs in their catalogs.
IIRC, 4" lift front shocks should be in the neighborhood of 19" long, measured from the eye to the base of the stud, the rears I think are 26-27", eye-eye.

Nitrogen gas pressurized shocks I've found deliver the best ride and handling, where non-pressurized shocks seem a lot harsher over bumps.

Diagnosing noises over the internet is extremely tough.. Best i can tell you is to make sure all the bolts are tight (axle pivot bolts, bracket-to-frame bolts, radius arm bolts, etc., also the bolts holding your steering box to the frame and all your tie rod end nuts), and that your ball joints and wheel bearings don't have any looseness in them.

Hope that helps

 

[rfl]

Get the front wheel off the ground, grab it at the top and try to rock it in and out (push and pull on the top). If the wheel has play on the axle or knocks, check your wheel bearings. If it moves, have someone watch the upper and lower ball joints to see if they have any slop. If it all seems good, you can also use a 2x4 as a lever to lift the tire up and down - it may cause the ball joint to move.

Get both front wheels off the ground and rock the front axle u-joints. They need to be replaced if they have slop. Unfortunately they can also be bad but not have slop - you really need to pull the axles and tilt them to see if the bind.

Also grab your stabilizer links and tie rod ends and give them a twist. If they are lose then they are worn.

Regarding the shocks, all shocks have a part number stamped on them, usually toward the bottom of the cylinder. If you can find the number, you can cross reference them to whatever brand you want. I agree that nitrogen is the better way to go. You can get Skyjacker nitrogen shocks for about $50 each.