BDS/FOX racing rear shocks 98224619

[Trail X]

Should be two of the smaller sleeves per box, and they are supposed to press on over the bushing insert.

[v7guy]

both boxes had the same hardware package and neither were ripped. the little spacer might have been long enough had there been two and I used one washer... may have taken two washers, I can go out and take some pics if it would help anyone.

When I went to the hardware store I looked for a spacer. I couldn't find anything appropriate so the stack of washers was the next best solution.

[Kuchar09]

When I put my Skyjacker Shocks 8030's in I needed washers so I just cut the bushing out of my old shock then cut all the rubber off of it so I just had the sleeve left. Then you could just slide that into your new bushings. Worked great for me!
I even did that for both the top and bottom since the sleeves that came with the skyjackers were too big around.

[Gordinho80]

I'm not so sure the bushing/spacers are really any better then washers... to be honest.

I've got the bushings/spacers on my 5500's and I hate them... see why...

[chevycrew]

I had that happen before, washers are actually the best solution in my opinion...

I just put new shocks on the rear of the tb too, 32" long extended doetsch tech 8000 series...

[v7guy]

with the fox/bds shocks I don't think you could afford to have them pushed over to one side or the other because the shock bodies are rather close to the mounts. it pretty much has to be almost perfectly centered.

oh yeah, btw, you suck chevycrew lol

[fishsticks]

with the fox/bds shocks I don't think you could afford to have them pushed over to one side or the other because the shock bodies are rather close to the mounts. it pretty much has to be almost perfectly centered.

oh yeah, btw, you suck chevycrew lol

Flip em upside down...

[v7guy]

I had seriously considered it (it's common to do so in road racing circles) but the directions indicated that the rod should be up and the body should be towards the ground. If BDS or Fox stated it was okay I'd go that route. I've emailed them, but got nothing yet.

[fishsticks]

I PMed the BDS guys once about flipping my 5500's upside down for panhard mount clearance. He said it may accelerate wear on the seals in the hydraulic models, but the 9500's would be OK. Since the Fox shocks are the new 9500s, it stands to reason that they would be the same, since they're gas charged as well.

[v7guy]

I've put a few hundred miles on these now. I have to say that there is really no down side to em, they work great, are comfortable and the rear just performs better (less bouncy, better traction etc). Obviously they accentuate how worn the front shocks are. I'd buy em again with no hesitation. BDS has never gotten back to me about the spacers, but I can't honestly say I expected them to either.

Got the front springs in yesterday so I'll start working on tossing the lift on tomorrow. Can't say I expect them to operate any different when the resting height is extended and I have some decent shocls on the front.

[BDS Suspension]

I've put a few hundred miles on these now. I have to say that there is really no down side to em, they work great, are comfortable and the rear just performs better (less bouncy, better traction etc). Obviously they accentuate how worn the front shocks are. I'd buy em again with no hesitation. BDS has never gotten back to me about the spacers, but I can't honestly say I expected them to either.

Got the front springs in yesterday so I'll start working on tossing the lift on tomorrow. Can't say I expect them to operate any different when the resting height is extended and I have some decent shocls on the front.

Ok guys, bear with me as I try to address everybodies questions. Sorry for the delay in responding but I honestly don't check in here very often. James kindly sent me a link to the thread. First, v7guy send me your contact info and we will get the spacers you need. Even if you decide not to use them, you will still have them if you change your mind. Not sure how you tried getting ahold of us but our tech email is one of the best ways. That will go to my tech support guy Ted as well as to me. I scanned back through and didn't see anything on there but forgive us if we missed it.

To be 100% honest your shocks were misboxed (missing the 2nd spacer). Not sure how my warehouse managed to do that on a brand new part but they got to hear about it this afternoon after I found out what this issue was. The unfortunate thing about a misbox is that we general don't find out about one unless someone calls in about it. They rarely happen, but it is just part of handling the huge qty of parts that we do in a years time.

[BDS Suspension]

On another topic, there seems to be a little confusion on the mounting hardware placement and cylinder positioning. For the 5500 series the body always needs to be down. For the old 9500 series and new Fox series the body can be positioned either way, with the body up being the common method. As far as the spacer placement, I took the easy route and just took a picture for your reference. We supply an extra washer to compensate for any variances that wouldn't allow the assembly to seat the bushing properly. The lower mount in question should be assembled as shown. An additional washer can be added if necessary. The main thing to note is that the washers are located on each side of the bushing, keeping it in place. Without the washers the bushing can work side to side as shown in Gordinho80's pic.

[Gordinho80]

I admit, it was my mistake during installation. I have since added the washers. I have not driven much, so I can't say if any noticeable difference.

Thanks for the clarification.

[v7guy]

I believe I had only tried to contact bds through the thread where they let us know the shock was available and I'm pretty used to having to source spacers and shims when I've bought items from other companies. I didn't expect bds to really spend the time to make everything perfect for us. We are a really small market afterall.
Pretty cool to hear it was a miss box and that guys won't have to run around finding the washers, mistakes happen.
I sent a PM to bds, if I don't hear anything in a couple days I'll email em.

edit... Matt at BDS contacted me and is getting the spacers out today. Pretty surprised at the customer service to be honest. He also encouraged us to email BDS directly with any questions or issues. Or at a minimum contact through a PM on the board.
Turns out the slow response was due to me being dense and only posting to the threads in the forum.
Between water in the tires and this I'm batting a solid zero lol

[The Rock Crawler]

So will the shock length at 26" I should be able to have Z71's and 3 in suspension lift right without the shocks topping out?

[djthumper]

So will the shock length at 26" I should be able to have Z71's and 3 in suspension lift right without the shocks topping out?

Have you read his build thread? We all have what we used in our threads.

I think you need to take some time and do some searching and reading. Maybe live up to your chosen nick. If you are honestly just getting started into off-roading then maybe you learn more by reading through things and learning. It is rather odd to see the nick "the Rock Crawler" asking newbie questions. Maybe you should ask to have your nick changed.

[v7guy]

So will the shock length at 26" I should be able to have Z71's and 3 in suspension lift right without the shocks topping out?

A few learned this stuff by buying stuff, trying it, and seeing if it could work (or breaking it). Then they took the time to post their experiences after spending money and time to try the mod.
Others (like myself) spend more hours than we can count reading about their experiences. Then we research further and attempt more new stuff, or copy, or slightly modify the approach. We show our thanks, appreciation and respect for what others have done by searching for the info they have already laid out for us.

[Wyle]

I'm not so sure the bushing/spacers are really any better then washers... to be honest.

I've got the bushings/spacers on my 5500's and I hate them... see why...

Oops. I screwed up too.
Based on the OEM shock setup and one of the 5 setup pictures in the BDS instructions, I ended up installing them without any spacers or washers.


After reading this thread, I went and checked my shocks and found ... which has been fixed.
Actually, I ended up fitting two sets of washers on each lower shock mount. It ended up compressing the bushing a little bit which should help keep the shock centered.


Afterward, I went back and beat on the OEM sleeve. No need for spacers there because it doesn't budge.

[Mooseknuckle]

awesome i have been using the 9500's for over a year and a half and i love them,never had a problem. Does the new version of these have any upgrades or just a "newer" model?

[Philberto]

Just bought a lightly used set off of mesaboogie, looking forward to trying them out after I fix my disconnect woes.