4x4Review Off Road Magazine
I sat down and considered what upgrade could I do that would be functional and have a positive affect on the looks of my truck as well. I’ve seen dual shocks on trucks forever, but didn’t want to try it because I thought I would lose ride comfort. Well, after long consideration, I decided to bite the bullet and bolt them on. I headed into Dick Cepek of Tucson and bought a kit. I spoke to Ray Sommer and he set me up with Cepek’s Race Series 77 shocks, part #77001, and Rancho’s dual shock bracket kit, part#6703. The shocks were the equivalent to Rancho’s RS5000’s
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First things first, after we received our kit form Dick Cepek, we checked the kit to ensure accountability of all components. As usual, every thing was there! |
 The install went fairly quick. First step was to take off the single shock and set it aside. After the top and bottom bolts were removed, the next step was to install the long sleeve supplied in the kit into the lower shock mount. This step is very important. The sleeve needs to be placed into the tabs where the shock bolted in. Next was to take the longer of the two bolts supplied in the kit and put it through the bottom shock “eyes”. The critical step here is to make sure that there is a shock located on both sides of the lower original mount, not both shocks on one side of the lower mount. This will put excessive pressure on the lower mount causing it to break off of the differential tube.  |
 Next was to take the remaining bolt and install it through the new upper mount, through a smaller sleeve and then through the upper shock “eyes”. The bolt then gets entered through the upper hole in the frame, and install the supplied locking nut. Proceed by tightening the bolt enough to hold the bracket from being loose. Once this is all accomplished, swing the bracket up to the frame and carefully mark the frame where the holes will be drilled. Start off with a 15/64 drill bit and follow it with the ½ drill bit needed for the final size.  |
 Now is the home stretch, install the remaining bolts, washers, and locking nuts through the bracket and into the frame and tighten as necessary. Remember to go back and tighten the upper and lower shock bolts. You’re now ready for the most important part of the whole install and that is the product test. I headed up to Chiva Falls with Jody and Rick to do some rock crawlin’. The dual shock kit performed perfect. It made a huge difference going up the dirt road . The ride was surprisingly smooth for such a rough road, and a full size truck. I think you’ll agree too, with the addition of this suspension upgrade, you will enjoy your rig that much more.  |
| Description | Notes | Rating |
| Ease of Install | Not bad- took about 2 hours for one person. |  |
| Ease of Use | Super!! Sit back and enjoy |  |
| Performance | Awesome. As stated above, made a huge difference for the full size truck |  |
| Durability | So far so good | |
| Appearance | You be the judge!! | |
| Drivability | A huge improvement | |
| Comfort | You really can’t tell there are two shocks up front | |
| Price in comparison to related products | Comparable to other products. | |
| Was it worth it??? | Definately! | |
| Tools Required | 3/4 inch wrench and sockets. 15/64 and ½ inch drill bits. Center punch(optional) | |
| Editors Notes | Again, this is a suspension upgrade that performs. It did not hurt the truck as far as axle travel or driveability, nor did it hurt its looks. TS | |
