Hey all,

I'm trying to determine what Bilstein coilovers (model and length) will fit a 1993 Toyota 2WD pickup with a Total Chaos long travel suspension. I also have Allpro shock hoops to go with the setup. Any advice?

Thanks! Mortis

 

Usually 8'' or 10'' stroke and 2.5'' diameter shocks are used. Any shorter and you don't get full travel from the suspension, any longer and the shock will either bottom out before reaching full compression of the kit or they end up mounted too high and they have interference problems on the brake master/booster.
On my truck, I used 8'' 2.5s with custom hoops so with you using the Allpro hoops, I cant tell you exactly where it will all end up. When you mount those hoops, you will also want to have a crossover tube made to tie the hoops together to help minimize side to side flex which over time will fatigue the hoops.

 

Ok those are the dimensions I was looking for. Good idea about those Allpro hoops. Thanks for the info!

 

You are going to want to take measurements of your particular configuration. Measure from the upper to lower shock mounting points with the suspension at full droop and with it bottomed out. Then take those measurements and match them to the shock specifications for extended and collapsed. You also need to measure the tab width and bolt size. For example, a King 10" travel shock will be about 1" longer than a Sway-a Way 10" travel. The collapsed vs extended spec will not match up and it could be enough different to cause issues.

 

T.C. specs an 8''-10'' shock for this kit. From there website: "System is designed to incorporate a coil over shock conversion and uses 8" or 10" travel 2.5" coil over shocks." So getting either length from any of the big names in shocks will work.
The difference in overall length can be taken up by the final mounting point of the shock hoop on the frame.
If all else fails, longer or shorter mounting tabs on the hoops can be welded on or the shock ends can be swapped out for longer or shorter too. I would hope a tape measure would come out while doing fab work but premeasuring shock length probably isn't necessary in this application.

 

I was reading about that measurement. Good info, thanks!

 

This is true. I can always mount the hoop to fit the shock. I know what I need now. Great info, I appreciate it!