# Bilstein Shocks



## joelau27 (Sep 22, 2018)

Has anyone using Bilstein rear shocks gotten some lift from these?


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## Captainfish#1 (Dec 31, 2017)

joelau27 said:


> joelau27 said:
> 
> 
> > Has anyone using Bilstein rear shocks gotten some lift from these?
> ...





joelau27 said:


> Has anyone using Bilstein rear shocks gotten some lift from these?


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## Captainfish#1 (Dec 31, 2017)

I do not know about lift but I can tell you they are very firm. They do not " give " much at all. I could see however that if your springs are weak they may provide some lift.


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## joelau27 (Sep 22, 2018)

What would you recommend for a 1-2 lift in the rear?


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## Jetzster (Jan 18, 2020)

Best way is get higher springs like the GM station wagon springs , next is use inflatable inner spring bags, last is use air shocks on medium air only
So they don’t screw up the frame top shock mountings With too much upward pressure


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

you can also instal spring spacers under the rear coils. they come in increments of lift. 






Global West 1620: Rear Spring Spacer 1967-76 GS, Chevelle/El Camino/Cutlass/Lemans/GTO - JEGS High Performance


Buy Global West 1620 at JEGS: Global West Rear Spring Spacer 1967-76 GS, Chevelle/El Camino/Cutlass/Lemans/GTO. Guaranteed lowest price!




www.jegs.com





@army has these in his car I think (or something similar) to get the back up.


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## Lemans guy (Oct 14, 2014)

I use Station wagon spring and KYB mono tube shocks in rear


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## Atarchus (Aug 4, 2020)

I have Bilstein shocks and I love them. The stock shocks were far too soft and gave "boat" like handling in my opinion. The Bilstein shocks feel like sport shocks, they are stiffer, but no stiffer than regular stock sports car shocks in factory cars today. My last car was a C6 Corvette that also had Bilstein shocks, those were MUCH stiffer than these, I would equate them to stock Mustang GT firmness if that gives a better idea.

They did not provide any lift, the car will still sit where the springs settle under the weight of the car. I have 2.5" spacers under my rear springs from Amazon that I used to lift up the back. I also have a set of wagon springs in my garage that I intend to install eventually. The spacers work, but I dislike how the factory springs sit a good 1/2" lower when the gas tank is full. I'm hoping the wagon springs will provide a more consistent height.

Also, DO NOT run Bilstein shocks only in the rear. This will throw off your suspension and handling characteristics in unpredictable ways. They are intended to be run in all 4 corners or not at all.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

As mentioned, shocks won't give lift, unless theyre defective. If you want lift and your springs are good, add spacers. If you want lift and springs are bad, get new springs (or both). If you put Bilsteins are and your car got lifted, it means theyre holding pressure or are the wrong shocks and too long. I can't imagine them both being defective and holding pressure, so I'd verify part numbers if it happened to you.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

joelau27 said:


> What would you recommend for a 1-2 lift in the rear?


Ah... I shouldve read ahead.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

BTW... For all of you shock fanatics... These dramatically improve your rear shock geometry and theyre cheap and easy to install.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Before









After


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## Atarchus (Aug 4, 2020)

That's interesting, was there any noticeable change? Or is it just peace of mind?


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

armyadarkness said:


> Before
> View attachment 144829
> 
> 
> ...



interesting. so changing the direction of the lower shock pivot to be in parallel with the control arm pivots makes a noticeable difference?


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

joelau27 said:


> Has anyone using Bilstein rear shocks gotten some lift from these?


FWIW, I went with Hotchkis (Fox tuned) shocks on all 4 corners and the ride quality is amazing. Same price as Bilstein. May not work well with a planned lift in the rear though...my car has a 1" drop all around from UMI springs.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

I can't speak for your cars but my 67's lower shock mount was at a terrible angle. The shock itself comes down from the top at compound angles, and there's no way that the lower OEM mount could ever articulate to accommodate free movement.

If you look at those pics, it's simplicity, yet genius. You rotate the lower shock body 90 degrees, install the Spohn pivot, rotate it to match the shocks side to side angle, and the new pivot point automatically adjusts to the front to back angle. Like I said, if you just look at the pics you can envision it. Zero wheel hop now!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Here is my prehistoric rendition of it


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

My rear shocks were as dramatic as the one I drew!


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## coyote595 (Dec 4, 2019)

Hey Army, I just received new rear Bilstein shocks, and they have a preinstalled lower mounting stud. Were yours like that? To use the no bind mounts, that stud will not work. Did you remove the preinstalled lower studs from the Bilsteins and replace them with something? Mine is a 69 vs your 67. Maybe your shocks didn't come pre-studded? If you had to work around this, please let me know what you did?


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## goat671 (Apr 13, 2019)

I wanted to use this also but my Koni shocks also had the mounting stud as part of the shock I was worried about trying to remove the stud.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

coyote595 said:


> Hey Army, I just received new rear Bilstein shocks, and they have a preinstalled lower mounting stud. Were yours like that? To use the no bind mounts, that stud will not work. Did you remove the preinstalled lower studs from the Bilsteins and replace them with something? Mine is a 69 vs your 67. Maybe your shocks didn't come pre-studded? If you had to work around this, please let me know what you did?


Yes, my 67 had the stud in it. I used a cutoff wheel to remove it (by grinding off the peened over rivet part). Then I may or may not have gotten some universal grommets from Napa... I forget. I do recall having to make a grommet press out off a bolt and washer.

But to answer your question, yes I dealt with that. I called Sphon and told them that it wouldve been nice to mention this potential issue. They said there were too many different shocks to know. Well, I guess that the two most popular ones have the stud! Glad you're both moving on this. It's a big improvement. Lots-O-Burnouts! No more wheel hop!


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