01 Mitsubishi Fuso New Front Shocks--should i lift the front 2" to level ???

safariman

Observer
Hello all

I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Fuso that need new shocks up front. My rig also needs about 2 inches to level it out. Is there much more involved to do this upgrade.
Im on a tight budget, tight on time and potentially selling but i have a couple of short weekend trips before i do .

any links to anyone who did this or part numbers.

unfortunately with a new born i have ******k all time for research let alone wrenching. Just want to bang something in that stops me lashing my head of the roof of the truck at every pothole .
should i just throw in some OEM and drive it on.

appropriate any help .

also i need a new AC condenser is anyone has a line on that :ylsmoke:

Here a pic of my rig at Oregon Sand Dunes wishing i have 37" Super Singles
IMG_9037.jpg
IMG_9051.jpg
 
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pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
yeah it seems strange to me that you need a lift in the front. I would check the bushings - the stock rubber ones don't last. I replaced mine with the urethane/nolathane ones from bretts truck.

Also, far easier to lower the rear than raise the front if you really need to make it level! :)
 

safariman

Observer
This is what the front looks like . has about an 1" between bump shop to top of spring. with the new rubbers wouldn't it sit directly on it ?

What shocks you guys recommend ?

fuso front bump stop.jpg
 
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kerry

Expedition Leader
Pretty close but the Aeon Rubbers are not solid like the OE bump stop which might as well be made of metal. New shocks and the Aeon Rubbers improved the quality of the ride on my truck significantly. I also put the Aeon Rubbers on the rear axle.
 

skippythedog

Observer
Lol!....I'm in the same boat as you....just took a trip out to Ocean Shores and won't do that again till I have my singles and 37"s (which wheels I haven't determined)......I have done the Ranchos all around (posted about them w/ part numbers) and the Timbren Bump stops. That combo definitely improved the ride but it does nothing to raise (level) your truck. My rig has 60k miles; yours probably has more. Those front springs sit pretty damn flat and my weight on the front is 5500# (of 9200# total). I'm not going to spend $7k on a "parabolic" spring kit.......So the solution I have determined I will try is to let a local spring shop (Gitt Springs in Auburn, WA) add a leaf to get some arch back into that front spring back....Don't know if the current Ranchos will reach but will cross that bridge when I come to it by simply calling Rancho and finding a shock w/ same specs (eyes) and appropriate reach.

Update November 2017: Never did re-work the springs. I got 17" steel wheels from GoannaTracks w/ the 37x12.50 Hankooks. When I installed the tires, my front cab steps wouldn't clear the tires when raising the cab....So I picked up a set of new front springs from the same outfit. That raised my front about 2.5" inches. Now there is nearly 3 inches of clearance at the bump stop instead of 3/4". The tires raised it up another 2". The posture is perfect. The steps cleared the tires initially, but after about a month of settling, They rub a bit when I raise the cab. I'll probably mod the mounts for the lower steps...

In addition to the tires/wheels/springs, the front end, of course, has the Timbren bump stops and the Rancho shocks. I'm pretty happy with the entire setup and the stance of the truck is perfect.

The ride is interesting; as expected, a bit mushier in corners and a softening of the seams in the road due to the 7" of rubber between the rim and road. The slightly larger (but common) pavement imperfections are far more noticeable now but the really big holes are more pleasant as you're not slamming into the bump stop. The unsprung weight of the tire assembly (143#) is noticeable. The trucks acceleration and braking is more sluggish. The speedo/odo is reading 9.8% low. If I had to do it again, I'd prefer to have 17" alloy rims, which as far as I know, are not currently available.
I haven't really thrashed it offroad but a little snow, sand and mud have been no problem for this setup (vastly different than the duallies)....I've been running 8ozs of Dyna Beads per assembly to balance and they seem to be performing well with only a very moderate side to side (dynamic) balance detectable at low speeds till the beads are distributed.
 
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