[joedoh]

hey here is a front shock tip for all the S10 frame guys. I was looking online at S10 specific drop shocks and one major site had an application guide showing they could be used on S10s dropped 3-5" (3" coil and 2 inch spindle), a dodge dakota dropped 3" (coils) and a 72-84 Mazda B2000 as OEM replacement. working backwards, that means that the stock shock for a 72-84 mazda truck is the right length for a 3" coil dropped S10.

I looked up shocks for the 79-84 mazda and Monroe, Gabriel, and KYB all make twin tube large bore gas charged shocks ranging in price from $20 each to $45 ea, which even the most expensive is $10 cheaper per shock than the more common brand name and they are almost all available in town (my town is medium size). I looked at two, a twin tube gabriel pro for $24ea and a monotube gabriel for $45ea. monotubes are lightyears better for handling on relatively smooth surfaces, twin tubes make more sense if the ride can get rougher, because monotubes have a separate gas chamber and dont fade, but twin tubes mix the gas and oil and on a particularly rough road will "skip" some of the bumps, saving you from constant rebound chatter.

anyway, I picked up a set of the pro Gabriels (part number 61504, reg $25ea and on sale $20ea) and installed them on my S10 framed truck with 3" coils, they fit well, and have excellent damping. I pulled them out to make sure they werent bottoming out and the dirt wipe mark on the shock shaft was still a couple inches shy of bottom.

the other ones I looked at were gabriel maxcontrol 77421 which are the monotube.