Parts stores list two different shock absorbers for my truck, depending on its GVWR, with the options being "8510 and up GVWR" and "except 8510 and up GVWR." My truck is in the 8510 and up GVWR category, according to the door post sticker. Is there a length/travel/mounting difference between them, or are they physically the same? My gut says they're probably dimensionally the same, but the lighter ones might wear out faster, under fully-loaded conditions. There's about a $15/each difference in price at O'Reilly, so if I can use the cheaper, lighter-duty shocks, I'd prefer that.

 

2" difference. the except are 2" shorter which would likely be found on the 2wd trucks. you likely need the 8510 and up for 4x4

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Well I found some inexpensive shocks on Rock Auto, and I'm planning to install them this weekend. It's 27 years old, but only has about 68,000 miles on the chassis, so I'd imagine the existing shocks are factory. My truck has lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin its entire life, so I'm pretty concerned about rust. I'm not worried about getting things apart, but doing so without breaking things is the trick. Are lower shock mounting bolts replaceable? I'm willing to use plenty of penetrant and heat, if necessary, but there's always the chance the lower bolts will break. If the lower bolts break, what options do I have? Does anyone here have part numbers for such things? I'm having some trouble finding them.