Z71 Suburban Shock/Strut Replacement - Stock Height

[NOSOK]

View attachment 347122

Of course, you'll have to decide what is necessary now to replace and what brands to use. For the most part, these are all GM Original Equipment and some ACDelco Professional.

The part numbers for the struts and shocks include both GM and ACDelco part numbers, they are the same with both numbers listed on the box. The rear springs I could not get in OE anymore, had to settle for ACDelco professional but the list shows both part numbers.

You can read about our experiences doing all of this inlcluding the tools we used and torque specs over at my build page, "Useless Information".

I do not recommend buying a ready to install strut assembly, they are not tailored to your specific vehicle and do not last long. Replacing only the strut without changing the other parts does little for ride quality, don't skimp.

You can in the interest of economy and half the life, substitute the control arms with ACDelco Professional or Moog's CK series, they are identical and I have the part numbers for both if interested.

Most of the items were purchased at Rock Auto with the remainder coming from a few dealerships selling their wares on Ebay. There is a 5% coupon code on this forum for Rock Auto.

It's been two months since we finished the front and about 2 weeks since we completed the rear and will be taking new ride height measurements soon. The rear shocks and springs and jounce bumpers made a huge difference in ride quality, more so than the front on ours.

Awesome, thanks for the detailed list, that'll make shopping much easier.

I wouldn't mind a prebuilt strut assembly but from what I've seen there are no decent shocks available in those kits. And I have no doubts about the longevity of them either - my folks have an early 2000s Volvo that sees very light duty as a grocery getter. My father installed prebuilt strut assemblies maybe 5k miles ago and last time I saw the car it drives like the shocks are completely blown.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

Awesome, thanks for the detailed list, that'll make shopping much easier.

I wouldn't mind a prebuilt strut assembly but from what I've seen there are no decent shocks available in those kits. And I have no doubts about the longevity of them either - my folks have an early 2000s Volvo that sees very light duty as a grocery getter. My father installed prebuilt strut assemblies maybe 5k miles ago and last time I saw the car it drives like the shocks are completely blown.

@NOSOK My experience installing the MOOG 81244 spring onto the Bilstein 5100 was stressful to say the least but go slow and it can be done without much drama. I used 2 sets of springs compressors, I used the kind that are 2 threaded rods and each rod has 2 clamps that grab the spring. So in total I had 4 of these rods compressing the spring when I installed the spring onto the 5100. The one tool that would make this job easier is a tool to tighten the top nut of the strut while holding the shaft still so that you could tighten it. I am not sure of what to correct tool is called but I am sure there is one out there.

 

[NOSOK]

@NOSOK My experience installing the MOOG 81244 spring onto the Bilstein 5100 was stressful to say the least but go slow and it can be done without much drama. I used 2 sets of springs compressors, I used the kind that are 2 threaded rods and each rod has 2 clamps that grab the spring. So in total I had 4 of these rods compressing the spring when I installed the spring onto the 5100. The one tool that would make this job easier is a tool to tighten the top nut of the strut while holding the shaft still so that you could tighten it. I am not sure of what to correct tool is called but I am sure there is one out there.

Was the shaft spinning when you tried to tighten the nut? I installed Bilstein B8s (I think the same as 5100s) on a sedan several years back and had that same problem. IIRC I had to clamp the shaft in a bench vise to hold it.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

Was the shaft spinning when you tried to tighten the nut? I installed Bilstein B8s (I think the same as 5100s) on a sedan several years back and had that same problem. IIRC I had to clamp the shaft in a bench vise to hold it.

@NOSOK Exactly, I think I grabbed the shaft with vise grips and reached around the vide grips with a wrench. It wasn't confidence inspiring.

 

[swathdiver]

Was the shaft spinning when you tried to tighten the nut? I installed Bilstein B8s (I think the same as 5100s) on a sedan several years back and had that same problem. IIRC I had to clamp the shaft in a bench vise to hold it.

I used the vise grips to help remove the old one but the new insulator was in the way during assembly. Used the spring compressor again to get them to 37 foot pounds if memory serves.

 

[NOSOK]

Looks like CarID has pre-built ACDelco strut assemblies. I wonder if these are worth a shot. I.e if the quality is decent enough they won't have to be replaced in 10k miles. Tempting to minimize install time but I absolutely do not want to do a suspension job twice in a year.

ACDelco® - Professional™ Premium Gas Charged Complete Strut Assembly

Professional™ Premium Gas Charged Complete Strut Assembly by ACDelco®. This trustworthy and highly reliable ACDelco product ensures top quality and provides efficient and long lasting operation without any loss of performance.

www.carid.com

 

[NOSOK]

Well I had to look through about 6 pages of ACDelco struts, but 540-624 seems to be the OEM front strut for the Z71.

 

[NOSOK]

View attachment 347122

Of course, you'll have to decide what is necessary now to replace and what brands to use. For the most part, these are all GM Original Equipment and some ACDelco Professional.

Did your truck have a significant change in ride height with the new suspension? I'm wondering if I can reuse the springs to save a couple hundred bucks. Also are any of the bolts torque to yield (i.e. can they be safely reused)?

That p/n chart is very helpful btw, I've probably referenced it 10x so far while building my CarID cart (would've gone with rockauto but I learned CarID has a 10% military discount).

 

[swathdiver]

Well I had to look through about 6 pages of ACDelco struts, but 540-624 seems to be the OEM front strut for the Z71.

Did you come to this number based on your 6XX and 7XX RPO codes?

Did your truck have a significant change in ride height with the new suspension? I'm wondering if I can reuse the springs to save a couple hundred bucks. Also are any of the bolts torque to yield (i.e. can they be safely reused)?

That p/n chart is very helpful btw, I've probably referenced it 10x so far while building my CarID cart (would've gone with rockauto but I learned CarID has a 10% military discount).

I have not come across long term happy customers with the pre-assembled struts. They're very generic, not specific to a particular vehicle and use inferior parts.

Yes, the ride height was restored and she sits higher now, especially in the rear. I will do ride height measurements as soon as I refuel, in another day or so. Then compare with the measurements taken right before we did the work. Visually there's a difference and the ride is much improved.

There's a 5% off discount for Rock Auto on this website, might make a difference. It is SOP to replace the top nut on the strut. You could probably re-use the upper control arms nuts and bolts and cams if they are not rusty, same for the lower control arms.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@swathdiver I am interested in seeing your hub to fender measurements. Between the MOOG springs and 2 inch spacers I am not sure how much my Tahoe is actually lifted.

Actually after reading my own signature it looks like I am running 2.5 inch spacers.