I'm about to throw a 2" torsion key/shackle lift on my truck. I have the tools, pinion shims, the actual kit, and everything else ready to go. However, I've seen that adding longer front shocks is recommended. I've also heard that the SLA suspension has a weird lower mount that makes finding longer shocks for the truck quite hard.
So, two things:
1. What are some good options? My truck has KYB monomax shocks right now from the PO.
2. Are their adapters or something similar to get around the mounting problem?
I'd like a set of bilsteins, but their corporate website only lists the b6 4600's (stock ride height) as options for my trucks. I have no idea if the longer shocks they offer, including the 5126 which comes in a wide range of length options, will even bolt to the truck. What can be done about this issue? Advice is welcomed and appreciated.
Seeing as you have an 02, I doubt that the lift keys will get you much that you couldn't achieve with the stock keys. Generally lift keys are used on the '08 and later trucks because they were indexed for a lower factory ride height than the earlier trucks. From what I remember the 98-07 factory keys will go about as high as you can reliably take the factory suspension components without having other issues.
At one point I had the factory keys on my '99 cranked up to run 32x11.5. Can't tell you lift a number, I didn't do before and after measurements. They fit fine and truck rode and handled fine, went back smaller when they wore out in an effort to regain some power and gas mileage (still had the 4.0L OHV V6 then). Anyhow, while I was at that height I was running stock length Bilstein shocks with spacers on the stud as
@Uncle Gump mentioned, as well as some between the bottom mount and the control arm. Still running the same shocks in "mildly lowered" stance with the spacers removed.
One misconception is that because the lift kit is listed as 2", that you need a 2" longer shock. Due to the shock being mounted inboard of the tire, that actually isn;t the case. You might need half that (or less) length at the shock to match the suspension changes. Just how a lever works. I'm not going to try to guess at the math to give an accurate number. Also the shocks on these generally have more travel range than what the truck can achieve, so it doesn't take a lot of spacer to keep it in it's happy range.
On my 99 I used nuts for my spacers. For the top I selected a nut that was a slip fit over the stud and probably 3/4" - 1" thick, then dropped it on the stud before installing at the top. At the bottom I grabbed longer grade 8 mounting hardware from ace, I sandwiched the mounting bar between the bolt and a nut, dropped that through the mounting holes, and installed a lock nut from the bottom. Guestimating I had 1" to 1.25" worth of spacer. I ran that for years and 10s of thousands of miles with no problems, and no premature wear on the shocks.
FWIW, when it was raised I was running Explorer leafs, lift block deleted, and with lift shackles. That would be about the same as your stock springs with factory lift blocks and a lift shackle. I was still running stock shocks in the rear, no spacers or anything rquired and no issues. They weren't Bilsteins, never got around to ordering a set for the rear, but no premature wear from running with the lift.
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