Shock Question...????

[trucku]

I have a 2002 xls, 4.0 4x4

I want to buy shocks..and I actually did recently to find out that they won't fit.(Gabriel shocks).The shocks I ordered were supposed to be the right ones for my truck.The problem is that the shock had no seat for the spring to sit on. I have the stock coil over shocks now and they have a spring seat as part of the shock that holds the bottom half of the spring I went to the Fords service center and they want $80 each shock that has that seat that is part of the shock to hold bottom part of the spring. Anyways..does anyone know if there is any hardware that I can buy to mount over shocks of my choice to seat the bottom end of the spring. I asked the Ford center and they just wanted me to buy their shocks. If somoene knows the right shock to buy, It would be a great help. I have been online, but no pics are available for shocks specified for my truck, so I wont know if its the right ones.
Thanks
V

 

[jimbo74]

stock coilovers? sounds more like struts than shocks... the 2002 4 doors i beleive have struts and the sports still actually use shocks, someone correct me if i am wrong....

 

[rookieshooter]

Yea, it sounds like struts to me also. Surly where you live there must be an automotive store where you can walk in and say " hay man, I want this kind of shock and I want to take it out of the box first before I buy it to make sure its the right one" Don't like the hardware idea.

 

[gijoecam]

Indeed, all the 4-doors went to struts all the way around in '92. All Sports and SportTracs have shocks (so far). The next generation ST will have struts all the way around a-la the 4-door. I believe they will be doing away with the sport at the same time.

-Joe

 

[trucku]

My manual says its a shock with coil over it. Page 10-4 of Chilton 26280. Thanks guys..was just following what the book said. Its funny though I ordered my shocks from Autozone with my truck specs and it never suggested I was supposed to get struts.I have gone to other web sites and they listed as shocks. Anyways..when I talked to the damn ford service guys 2 days ago you think anyone gave me any useful information....NO!!!. Here I am looking for the wrong thing..
Thanks again.
V

 

[trucku]

All About Shocks..
http://www.monroe.com/tech_support/tec_shockabsorbers.asp

All About Struts.
http://www.monroe.com/tech_support/tec_struts.asp

 

[gijoecam]

I guess technically what you have would be called coil-overs. The spindle/knuckle pivots on the ball joints, not on the damper body itself.

The Sport Trac and Sport for '02 had plain shocks with a torsion bar front suspension. The 4-doors went to the coilovers. You could probably use the plain shocks, but the suspension would be resting on the bump stops, thereby rendering the shock useless.

-Joe

 

[trucku]

Yeah its definately not a Strut. I read my manual and it states they are shocks with coil over it. its not a standard shock though. It does hold the spring like a strut, but it does not act as a structural part of the suspension. The shocks do the "shock work" and the spring maintains the vehicle height.
Now if I can just find a decent pair of these shocks and a spring compressor and I am good.