need new shocks on the band van - '86 E-150

Hi all,
I know this is truck forum but you guys have been so helpful with the dual fuel tank issues I had with the van I'd rather come back here than go to some of the others out there (btw, a new wire connecting block on the rear rank and an OEM fuel selector valve seems to have solved those fuel tank problems).

I read over the couple of discussions here on shocks and a few others articles/discussions, but I still have a few questions because I'm dealing with more of a work van type situation, not so much off-road.  The '86 E-150's primary duty is to haul the band around -  4 guys and gear (roughly 2000 lbs.) - on highways and crappy city streets.  It might occasionally go off road on camping trips but we're talking bad dirt roads at worst, and way less load.  Over the past few months I've started to realize that that extra bounciness in the ride most likely means it's about time to replace the shocks.

Current Mileage - 223K
Mileage when I bought it in 1998 - 163K
Current Shocks - Bilstein 4600 on the front.  Rears look like Bilsteins but with an additional red support spring.  These were installed by previous owner, though I don't know when, to tow his boat (tow bar is still installed).
Tires - Michelin XLT A/S 235/75R15 (best tires I've ever had on this van).

I've always liked the way the van has handled, especially fully loaded, and would consider shelling out the money for new Bilsteins.  But their website does not list a shock for the '86 E-150, though they do list them for the E-250.   Is the E-250 really that different that these couldn't fit?  Even so, I have not yet been able to find a coil-over Bilstein for any 80's era Ford van/truck.  I'm concerned that I will need this extra support to prevent rear end sag when fully loaded.

I understand a good (and cheaper) alternative is the Monroe Sensatrac Load Adjust, which also comes with the extra support spring.  If I went with the Sensatracs on the rear, should I go with Monroe Gas-Matics on the front, or try to find Bilstein's that will fit?

I appreciate any thoughts you have on the matter.  Thanks!

I'm glad you got the help you needed here, and that the wire and selector valve fixed the problem.

On the shocks, I like my Bilsteins on Big Blue, but also like the Sensatracs I put on Dad's truck.  So if they have the Load Assist option for them, that's what I'd do on the rear.  And I'd probably just go with Sensatracs on the front.

But you can call Monroe and ask.  That's what I did when shopping for shocks on Dad's truck and the guy was very helpful and gave good advice.

I have Monore shocks on Darth, partially because I own stock in the parent company from when my employer was part of Tenneco. The other reason is they offer an excellent product and warranty. They warrantied my Monroe front shocks I had on Darth for roughly 20 years.

Sears shocks were made by Monroe and Sears no longer sells Sears branded shocks and had to replace them with Monroe Load Handlers from Advance Auto.

I have KYBs on my Bronco. At first I liked them as the previous shocks were done, but they have not aged well and he Bronco crashes around/bounces a lot now. I will prob look at the Bilsteins next go around.

I use Monroe Gas Magnums. I like them.

Gsmblue, I don’t think any shocks will help your Bronco from bouncing around, that’s what mine does.

As I’ve said, the Bronco is aptly named!

Spoke to a tech at Monroe and he said that the Gas Magnums and the Load Adjusting shocks (with coil spring assembly) are valved similarly so running the Gas Magnums on the front and the Load Adjusting ones on the rear would work well.  Monroe's may not be as good as Bilsteins but at 1/4 the price with a lifetime warranty, and the low annual mileage I put on the van, I figure they'll be fine for the remaining life of this van.

thanks for your feedback

I think you'll be happy with that combination,  

grumpin wrote

I use Monroe Gas Magnums. I like them.

Gsmblue, I don’t think any shocks will help your Bronco from bouncing around, that’s what mine does.

As I’ve said, the Bronco is aptly named!

🤣🤣🤣

I'm finally getting a chance to get to this shock job on the van.  I soaked the nuts in PB and all seem to bebreaking free, except the top ones on the front.  The shock tube turns and I can't hold it with my hand well enough to keep it from spinning.  Has anyone got any tips/tricks?   I've tried vise grips but can't get a good lock on them.

Also, taking a closer look at the rear shocks, I'm curious about the coilovers. They don't look like something that came with the shocks, which I think are Bilstein's like the front.  Looks to me like an add-on spring that clamps to the shock.  Is anyone familiar with such a thing?

Thanks

I've seen add-on springs like that, and they usually fit about any shock.  But I can't say that those will fit whatever you buy as they have to go over the outside of the shock.  

On the nut, I've used a strap wrench to keep the shock from turning.  But some shocks have a flat cut into the very end of the shaft on which you can put a wrench.

I found this at  O'reilly for $14.  The inner shaft fits the top of the shock stud, and the outer one slides down onto the nut.  Pretty nifty, so long as it fits.

So, did it work?

Been meaning to respond but keep forgetting.  This tool kinda works, but it would be more useful if it were an inch shorter. Only on the passenger front did I have enough clearance.  But still, the front's were Bilstein's which used an 11/16" nut, and the outer, black sheath only has two sizes - 9/16" and 5/8".   So, really all I was able to use was the inner silver shaft to hold the stud in place while I wrenched on the nut.  It was really difficult to keep it on the stud while turning the wrench, so I eventually just put vise grips on the top of the stud and let them stop against the fender well while working the wrench.

and wtf, Bilstein?  there were two nuts on the stud but they were not as tall as a normal nut so there was no way to put a wrench on each.  Fortunately, on the passenger side it wasn't too hard to remove both nuts together but the driver side was impossible.  It took 30 minutes to get the top nut off, and I busted the stud trying to remove the lower nut.  but hey, problem solved.

The new Monroe Gasmatics feel real nice on the front.  Installing the load adjusting shocks on the rear required getting full extension of the axle from the frame (I had to add wooden blocks to my small jack) because in their uninstalled state, they are longer than a standard shock.  The body sits 1" higher than it did before, and the rear rides a little hard when the van is empty but its real nice when fully loaded (which is 90% of the time I'm driving it).