Front Shocks for my '54 Suburban

[Faulkner]

For 17 bucks apiece, I can get Gabriel shocks (P/N 81469) for the rear of my Suburban.  But Gabriel does not offer front shocks; Monroe offers neither front, nor rear.  Mother MoPar's P/N for the front is 1450 629.

 

For ~55 bucks apiece, I can get front shocks from Bernbaum, Roberts and the like.  Before I go that route:  Has anyone found an acceptable substitute, that's more on the order of 17 bucks?

 

-Dan

Edited December 2, 2021 by Faulkner
update with Chrysler P/N

[Sniper]

When I was looking for a similar solution for my 51 Cambridge I measured the collapsed and extended eye to eye distance of my stock shocks.  I came up with these int he link below.  I do have to drill out the bushing to fit the 1/16" stud on my Cambridge though.

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/chevrolet,1960,c10+pickup,4.6l+283cid+v8,1489473,suspension,shock+absorber,7556

 

Now I don't know if they will fit your Suburban though, but a tape measure will tell you.

[Bryan]

I tried on my Hollander to trace it and find the part #s.  None exist. But I got a part number from some idiot on Ebay trying to sell a pair for $209.  He exposed the part # for magnification.  Maybe try this from Amazon. If not the right part you can send it back.

[Bryan]

Pictures in reverse order but you get the idea.

[Bryan]

And verified by Rock Auto site.. last pic..that last number has to be a 1.

[Sniper]

Those Monroe 5752's will not fit my 51, extended length is about .75" too short.

[Bryan]

21 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Those Monroe 5752's will not fit my 51, extended length is about .75" too short.

Sorry, if the Ebay ad is right they should fit his 54 Plaza.  Maybe you can find an Ebay guy dumb enough to show the part #.

[Faulkner]

Here's what Amazon reports, Bryan...  Sniper, did you compare the extended length of your old shock with these?  Is that how you know they're short?

[Sniper]

If the Ebay ad is right..... think about that, lol.

 

Went to Monroe's site.  It matches my recollection that the 5752 specs are pre 1951 with a shorter collapsed and extended length than the 51 and up shocks.  Now my measurements were taken off the factory shocks on my 51. 

 

A shorter collapsed length isn't an issue, a taller one though risks damaging the shock if it bottoms out on the shock and not the bump stops.

 

A shorter extended length (the issue here) risks having the shock be the stop in full extension rather than the bump stops.  Now if you don't catch air it's probably not an issue, but it is something to be aware of.

 

Now the Monroe 37187 is a bit less collapsed length than my measurements ( this is ok) and about .75" more extended length than my measurements, which is also ok.  However, the ID of the shock mount bushings are 5/8", with the sleeve removed, and it needs to be 11/16", but if you read the specs on the 5752 it also has 5/8" bushing id.

 

5752 specs from Monroe

 

https://drivcat.com/overlays/part-detail.aspx?brandId=MS&pNum=5752&partType=Shock Absorber

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by Sniper
added link

[Faulkner]

That eBay ad shows the part number as 5752ST.  FWIW, Summit identifies it as the same part as 5752.  So eBay says it fits, but Amazon says it doesn't.  My suspicion is that Amazon is correct, with Sniper's info corroborating.  Rock Auto does not indicate that a 5752 is the correct P/N either; in fact, they have no part available for the front shock.

[Faulkner]

Newbie alert:  I've never replaced shocks.  But I need help understanding something...

 

It appears that the 37187 comes with a bolt that fits the ID of the sleeve.  So why does the ID of the sleeve - or, bushing - matter?  Isn't it the dimension of (both ends of) the bolt that matters, where I presume it fits into the frame of the car?  Oh wait...  Is it because you need two bolts?

 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by Faulkner
I'm missing something...

[Plymouthy Adams]

the shock ends should meet the specification of the body mounting of your car...these can be straps, threaded studs of loops of various sizes.  You can look at say the Monroe shock site and they list their sock by mounting methods and shock lengths (open and closed)

[Bryan]

Yeah, even the Amazon site says it doesn't fit a 1954 Plymouth Plaza..but they are not always right.  Good thing with them they always take it back for return. Just trying to be helpful.  

[Sniper]

Because that stud does NOT fit our rides.  37187 wasn't specifically designed to work in my application so I have to make it work.  The only thing in that mounting kit that fits is the nut.  The rubber bushings can be forced on with a lot of effort and some soapy water.  Or you can run an 11/16" drill but thru them and make them fit easier.

[Faulkner]

Just now, Bryan said:

Yeah, even the Amazon site says it doesn't fit a 1954 Plymouth Plaza..but they are not always right.  Good thing with them they always take it back for return. Just trying to be helpful.  

...and I appreciate the help, Bryan!  When it's up on the lift, though, I don't want to deal with returns (or, modifications), so unless I can be convinced something will fit beforehand, I'll probably end up going with Andy Bernbaum (i.e., Chris Paquin).  Twenty bucks more per shock, but I'm playing it safe.

[Plymouthy Adams]

a search here will net the right shock part numbers....

[Faulkner]

2 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Because that stud does NOT fit our rides.  37187 wasn't specifically designed to work in my application so I have to make it work.  The only thing in that mounting kit that fits is the nut.  The rubber bushings can be forced on with a lot of effort and some soapy water.  Or you can run an 11/16" drill but thru them and make them fit easier.

Did you use 37187, then?  Drilling rubber is easy - so, you recycled your old sleeves after you reamed the rubber bushings, along with the hardware?  And the rubber bushing length matched that of the old, so there was no play (or tightness)?

[Faulkner]

2 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

a search here will net the right shock part numbers....

Did you intend to post a link?

[Plymouthy Adams]

No   the internet is so easy to use I did not feel it necessary

[Sniper]

19 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Did you use 37187, then?  Drilling rubber is easy - so, you recycled your old sleeves after you reamed the rubber bushings, along with the hardware?  And the rubber bushing length matched that of the old, so there was no play (or tightness)?

There are no sleeves in the original shock, you will need to reuse your original washers, at least the inner one anyway.  New inner ones are available from Mopar, at about $15 each, used to be under a dollar not so long ago.

[Faulkner]

OK, just one more question, then:

 

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

 The rubber bushings can be forced on with a lot of effort and some soapy water.  Or you can run an 11/16" drill but thru them and make them fit easier.

 

This pertains to both ends, correct?  Both bushings on each shock should be reamed to 11/16"?

[Sniper]

Correct, both ends.  I just finished installing them.  Clean the old rubber off the mounting studs, mine left bits behind.  Torque the nut down till it bottoms. 

 

 

[JBNeal]

I went through the detective work with truck shock absorbers awhile back because of the lack of options available, and those all had the ridiculously exorbitant prices.  I used dimensions for collapsed and extended lengths + mounting conditions to find the truck shocks I was looking for in manufacturers' online resources, which were not listed as applications on several manufacturers' websites.  I was also able to determine what are acceptable options as there are different sizes of shock absorbers that can fit in a range of suspensions articulations; in other words, a shock that fits the suspension does not have to be perfectly matched to articulation as the extreme conditions are rarely seen in operation as mentioned.  My experience working with OEMs is that someone with little knowledge of the subject matter is tasked with digitizing records for low volume products and they make errors and omissions that no one catches, so there are gaps in product applications.

 

additional information - shock absorber replacement

[oldodge41]

Here are a couple references I copied over on the HAMB.

Monroe shock dimensions.pdf Monroe_Shocks_Chart.pdf