I installed Gen 2 shocks in my Gen 1. . Had to use Gen 1 springs and top hats.This was a experiment for me . I have always had a small thumping noise when going over small bumps, almost like bad sway bar links. Tried lower shock mount tightening. Re torque tie rods,upper and lower ball joints. Disconnect sway bar. Checked upper and lower control arm bushings. 55,000 miles and 2 sets of Fox 2.5's (my truck does not see off road) first time its never sounded rattly up front over small bumps. Finally doesn't sound like the front end is lose. Not sure what my next move is, but not in a hurry to remove them. Now I know for sure it was the shocks making the noise.
Note :
These shocks will limit travel(up and down) due to extra length of shock body's. They are also difficult to get in due to the added length. Also it will raise the nose of the truck around a 1 1/2, very similar to the mid perch.
I will be looking into finding a reasonable priced replacement shock that is properly sized for this truck. Not interested in Fox's 2.5 rattle stock shocks. Maybe a good re builders can fix the problem during a refresh?
