[HO455]

I replaced the front shocks on the WMB yesterday. Quite possibly it was the first time I made flat rate since I started the repairs to it.
New Bilstein shocks replaced the worn out Ranchos. The front end had developed a tendency to bounce after hitting bumps on the highway. Upon removal of the old ones i found the passenger side shock had amost zero resistance to movement.
As expected the Bilsteins made a huge difference in how the truck drives. It would be interesting to compare them against a new pair of Ranchos.

I had installed raised upper shock mounts in the truck back when it was bagged in the front. With the static spring set up the stock replacement shock is the closest shock Bilstein sells. They however come with the upper stud mount installed in the upper eye. I took a chance and ordered them hoping I could remove the stud and through bolt the top to the raised mount. As it turns out it was easy to remove the stud mount. The studs have a washer secured by punching and deforming the end tip on the stud. 30 seconds of grinding on the bench grinder removed the deformed tip and a couple taps with a hammer and the washer pops off. (Photo #3) I did half to come up with some 5/8" to 1/2" sleeves to put inside the rubber bushing of the upper eye. Fortunately I had a pair from some other shocks I installed in the past.
I noticed the rubber bushings on the uppers have a small lip on one side but it didn't cause any difficulty when installing the sleeves. (Photo #4)

Thanks to the folks who recommended Viking shocks but the price and the current lead time to get them made the decision for me. So I compromised and went with the Bilsteins.

Now that I have several hundred miles on the new shocks I will state. They work GREAT!
Better overspeed bumps, better on rough highway and much better over bad potholes. Now I want some for the rear axle.