Those with bilstines

[bull]

are they worth it?..how much if any did it improve front end road manners, feel..trying to justify the price..may end up with gabriels or the gas matic monroes..what i have now is still factory shocks that came with the rig so they are more then useless..thanks..god speed

[76 xlc]

I have Bilstein shocks on my Scout II (with stock springs), and they're a vast improvement over whatever the PO had on it. And a big improvement in longevity and performance over Monroe or other low cost shocks.

I once saw a guy run them so hard on an F250 diesel that the boots melted, but the shocks survived. Of course, they've proved their mettle for over 30 years in off road racing.

That said, they do offer a firmer ride than some would prefer.

A friend of mine with a Bilstein dealer/distributorship set me up and is interested in the IHC/Scout scene since I bought mine (he calls it "Cyrus" ). I've raced off road with him for years, and he knows shocks. lee@raceshock.com or give him a call at (602)493-3700.

Good luck and have fun!

[R290]

Any gas shock is going to cost ruffly the same. Bilstein has a couple different models to pick from.

I have some nice Ranchos on the front of my Scout when they were buy one get one free. I could hardly belive it when a check should up a few months later, as normally I get burned on rebates.

You want a gas charged shock, but the next question is the use. If it was a desert racer then you would need those with the remote reservoir.
I like having the knob so you can adjust them to your truck.

My question is your trying to control road manners with a shock?
I take it your IH is not cutting the conners like a sports car

I would look at your springs first. Are they sagging or do they seem to be holding the IH up and not bottoming out. I added a rear leaf to mine and that help a ton on road manners. Before those 45MPH curves ment 45 max! I thought it was my front end that was the issue, but it really was the rear. later I added some nice rear shocks and that help a bit more. But then I added a rear sway bar and wow, what a differance!
I went for super stiff as IH are heavy pigs at best. That made the biggest differance.

Without more info and pic's its hard to say. But shock are not a cure all for bad road manners thats all.

[IH64Scout]

I attemped to run them on my terra. I heard a lot of people with f250s like them, they help control a heavy truck better than most brands. Only problem is their tech support stinks. Unless you tell them the exact make and model they can't help you. With the terra it was all "custom" from eyelets to length. I called and told them the specs and they were clueless, now if there is an engineer designing them shouldn't there be some form of spec sheet available??? I was told to call several "tech" guys with no luck. In the end I opened the skyjacker book at the local auto store and it listed the top and bottom eyelet/stud, tube and shaft dimensions, expanded and compressed lenths of all the shocks they offer.

-Jon

[Ronmc1954]

I have them on my 74 and IMHO I would recommend them. I have stock springs with add-a-leafs. My front end has been completely rebuilt so steering is tight. It is the best handling scout I have driven.
I did get mine through IHON and Jeff has them specificly valved for a ScoutII.
I would go that route again even though they are more expensive.

Ron

[Doc Stewart]

Never used them on any of my IH vehicles but always have used them on my several Mercedes turbo diesels. They are far better than the KYBs I took off the latest one. I drive the old beast [1984] hard but the Bilsteins keep it in place without jarring your teeth loose.

[76 xlc]

Originally Posted by Doc Stewart

KYBs

K-ill Y-our B-acks

[Tom Mandera]

I have run a few on my Scout with good results.

Both the 5125 2" diameter non-reservoir shocks, and the 7100 2" remote reservoir's.

If you really want to adjust the ride and tune it, you either get the 7100 series and a stack of shims, or you can go modify the 5125 to be tear-down and re-valveable (after carefully drilling a small hole to release the 200psi of nitrogen, you can tear the 5125 apart just like the 7100, install a schrader valve, and rebuild/recharge).

The valve shim stacks are sold as sets, or you can mix and match.

In this manner, you can tune the shocks to your Scout, your driving style, and your terrain.

I've had my shocks hotter than you want to touch them, and they still worked well.

That said, if Jeff has a stock valving setup that works well with a Scout II, that's a good place to start!

When I was buying 5125s, they were only about double the low-cost options, running $60-ish instead of $30. The 7100s were about $150 each.

Still a lot cheaper than the 2.5" Sway-a-way shocks I have now..

[R290]

Tom your going to have to post a pic of the added valve. Not sure where you installed it. I like your thinking.
I searched the www and got the specs that way. Only small companies can have somebody answer the ph and know something about what they sell.

[Tom Mandera]

Originally Posted by R290

Tom your going to have to post a pic of the added valve. Not sure where you installed it. I like your thinking.
I searched the www and got the specs that way. Only small companies can have somebody answer the ph and know something about what they sell.

No pictures here, since I haven't actually performed the mod. It's what the low-buck desert racers used to do, though, and I've come close - I have a 5125 with a bent shaft (or something else I did to it) and have thought to tear it apart.

I believe you just drill a bleed hole at the top of the shock, near the fixed eye (same place the schrader 7100 has it), and then install a schrader when you're done to recharge it.

The other way to think of it, is drill a hole where the reservoir would attach.

I don't know if you can get way with just threading the new schrader into place, or if you should weld a bung to the side of the shock (which seems a much better plan, but adds a little expense)

"Converting" a 5125 shock can be done.Although it's really not recomended and there is some work involved.The most difficult part that you will encounter is that the rod guide is not made to be readily removed.The 7100 rod guide is,as it has a groove cut into it. That way you can use two flat blade screwdrivers and pry up on it,removing it.Some simple calculations also need to be done to determine the oil volume.The 5125 rod guide can be grooved to aid in removel in the future once you have removed it.In my opinion,I would buy new 7100's with Res. and that way you can revalve and rebuild them youreslf.

The rod-guide is the "cap" on the bottom of the shock, where the wiper seal is that the shaft passes through.

It's a pain to remove on my 7100s, but looking at a 7100 and 5125 side by side, I don't see any difference myself.

Here's another racer trick that was shared with me by a Class 8 team.

Go to a shock replacement outfit (Midas, Monroe, whatever) and take all of the worn-out factory installed Bilstein shocks you can.

The OEM shocks on many vehicles are Bilsteins... and they're all the ~2" diameter (or metric equivalent) shocks, same as the 5100/5125/5150/7100 series.

No, you don't need a 3" stroke shock on your 4x4.. but the valve shim stacks don't care how long the shock's shaft is.

So those take-off factory Bilsteins are a good source for valve shims to mix and match your own custom valving.

Just need to bleed off the N2 and then take 'em apart and you'll have more shims than you know what to do with.