chevymike
Well-known member
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- San Diego, CA
Hi all,
Not sure if folks know but it seems the the rear mounting hardware on M1008/M1010/M1031 are using 9/16" bolt and the upper stud is 9/16" shaft even though the nut would have you think it was a 1/2" (1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks are 1/2" hardware). I found with Bilstein 5100/5160/5165 shocks, they are using a bushing that is for a 1/2" bolt, when you use the provided sleeve. If you are not using the sleeve, the hole is slightly larger than 9/16". Without the sleeve, you will crush the bottom mount as you have nothing to prevent that. Also not having a sleeve will allow the bolt to rotate due to friction from the rubber bushing, possibly loosing the nut and falling off.
I did find that Ballistic Fabrications makes a reducer mount that will allow you to reduce down from 9/16" to 1/2", I figured I would use that on the bottom. What I hadn't know at the time was the upper stud mount is 9/16" as well. This would fix the bottom mount but not the top mount. I looked at the sleeves in the old Monroe shocks I removed, which have the correct 9/16" ID but the OD was 3/4". Definitely wouldn't fit the stock Bilstein bushings. So I started searching for new bushings that would fit the loops on the Bilstein's and have a 3/4" ID. I found them.
Daystar makes bushing that fits the shock loops and has the 3/4" ID to reuse the old shock sleeves. Ordered them from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IARRGI
Got the order and proceeded to see if the worked. Well I can say they work perfectly. I was able to remove the original bushings, install the new Daystar ones and then put the sleeves in from the old shocks. This allows me to keep all of the original hardware but have much higher quality shocks then the typical stock replacements. Figured this might help others trying to do this.
Comparing the old Bilstein bushing with the Daystar. You can see the ID size difference.
Here are the Bilstein bushing and sleeve, the Daystar bushing and old shock sleeve and the Ballistic Fabrications reducer washers (which I am now not using)
Showing the old and new shocks and the upper look swapped over to the Daystar bushing and old sleeve. Still have to do the lower loop. You can see the sleeve removed from the old shock
Not sure if folks know but it seems the the rear mounting hardware on M1008/M1010/M1031 are using 9/16" bolt and the upper stud is 9/16" shaft even though the nut would have you think it was a 1/2" (1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks are 1/2" hardware). I found with Bilstein 5100/5160/5165 shocks, they are using a bushing that is for a 1/2" bolt, when you use the provided sleeve. If you are not using the sleeve, the hole is slightly larger than 9/16". Without the sleeve, you will crush the bottom mount as you have nothing to prevent that. Also not having a sleeve will allow the bolt to rotate due to friction from the rubber bushing, possibly loosing the nut and falling off.
I did find that Ballistic Fabrications makes a reducer mount that will allow you to reduce down from 9/16" to 1/2", I figured I would use that on the bottom. What I hadn't know at the time was the upper stud mount is 9/16" as well. This would fix the bottom mount but not the top mount. I looked at the sleeves in the old Monroe shocks I removed, which have the correct 9/16" ID but the OD was 3/4". Definitely wouldn't fit the stock Bilstein bushings. So I started searching for new bushings that would fit the loops on the Bilstein's and have a 3/4" ID. I found them.
Daystar makes bushing that fits the shock loops and has the 3/4" ID to reuse the old shock sleeves. Ordered them from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IARRGI
Got the order and proceeded to see if the worked. Well I can say they work perfectly. I was able to remove the original bushings, install the new Daystar ones and then put the sleeves in from the old shocks. This allows me to keep all of the original hardware but have much higher quality shocks then the typical stock replacements. Figured this might help others trying to do this.
Comparing the old Bilstein bushing with the Daystar. You can see the ID size difference.
Here are the Bilstein bushing and sleeve, the Daystar bushing and old shock sleeve and the Ballistic Fabrications reducer washers (which I am now not using)
Showing the old and new shocks and the upper look swapped over to the Daystar bushing and old sleeve. Still have to do the lower loop. You can see the sleeve removed from the old shock