Folks, I've owned my Blazer now for about 3 years, bought it with ~150K & now i'm up to ~185K. The thing runs like a champ, Tranny is getting a little sluggish but that's to be expected @ the milage it has.

I'm looking to pro-long the life of this vehicle & one thing I've noticed lately is the suspension has become very poor, not responsive, sways in and out of corners & squeaks like something i've never heard before.

I'm far from a mechanic but so far have done everything to the vehicle which was necessary. I have the facillities to do any major repairs, but I wouldn't call upgrading the suspension major.

My question to you blazer pro's is should I be looking for new shocks, leaf springs or both at this stage of the vehicles life? I would imagine shocks are in order but are leaf springs necessary?

If shocks or leaf springs are the ticket what brand would you prescibe? i'm not looking for top notch, remember the vehicle has nearly 200K on it but I want something that works well on & off road.

Also, is it possible to put a cheap 1 or 2 inch body lift on it? nothing crazy just to give it a little aggresive edge, although maybe adding new shocks will get it off the ground a bit more as well?

for the record, the model is a 2 door 4x4, tire's in the cabin & 4 wheel drive engage is on the floor.

Any input will be greatly apreciated.

Thanks,
Dustin

 

sup dustin.

I'm sure alot of people on bf would recommend monroe shocks. I know alot of people on here have monroe magnums or reflexes. When I removed the shocks on my 95, I could compress the shocks with my hands and they would stay there...lol. I installed some magnums and it was a night and day difference, especially when going over speed bumps.

Chances are you don't need new leaf springs...unless ithey're starting to bend the other way. But if you're looking for a little lift in the rear you could get an add-a -leaf kit.

Another thing you might want to think about is replacing the bushings on the control arm and sway bars...if they are anything like mine, they're probably cracking and corroding.

I bought my body lift from jcwhitney for under $100, but it looks like they dont even sell them any more. Just gotta check around I guess....

 

Thanks, I'll take a look around for a set of shocks. As for the sway bars, I replaced the bushings & bolts last year after on pulled completely through & the other was about to do the same. I'll take a look at the control arm bushing to see if it's worn. Sounds like a lot of work to rip all that apart to replace if wear isn't evident. Either way I have to get rid of the squeaks, they're driving me crazy & I just can not seem to pin point them. I had it up on a lift last year and greased EVERYTHING used lithium grease on parts that didn't have a grease point. Squeaks still didn't disapear.

Will a new set of shocks give the vehicle a minor lift or are they not the main support of the vehicle?

Thanks again.