The right way to install GEN 2 Shocks on a GEN 1!

[Doug Mikra]

Hey Everyone,

I have a 2012 SCREW and like many I've been seriously disappointed with the Factory 2.5" shocks. Even with reputable rebuilds the shocks would lose oil after only ~20K miles or so. I seriously considered doing a set of 3.0's from King or Fox last year, but I daily the truck 80% of the time and the bypass noise can be a bit much for every day use. OE Gen 2 shocks were appealing but the fronts wouldn't work for the 20% of the time I take my truck off-road. And the $6,000 price tag was a bit steep.

With that said I'm a machinist by trade and I worked with a shock engineer to develop a retrofit kit that adapts the Gen 2 OE style 3.0" front strut to properly fit the Gen 1 Raptor. We designed several all-new components that ultimately got us a set of 3.0" shocks that fit the Gen 1 platform, have a Mid-Perch height configuration, AND optimized the internal bypass port locations for the Gen 1. All-aluminum construction means zero corrosion as well.

I've run these shocks for 3 months now and the performance is truly night and day. All around, including hitting the trails and the starbucks drive through, I can honestly say it is the best Gen 1 I have been in to date. While the aftermarket kits are better in many areas, the bypass noise and short service intervals were a bit much for my daily driver. Best of all, I sourced brand-new donors from the dealer and have less than $2,000 into the full vehicle setup. With take-offs I bet you could make a bulletproof set of shocks for less than $1000.

I'm gonna do a run of parts to hopefully let others enjoy these as well. If you are interested a fully refundable pre-order is only $5 for each kit and can be placed on my website. Targeted ship date is Mid-May and I'm doing a special discount for forum + community members that pre-order. I've learned a lot here lurking over the years and would like to do what I can to give back.

Let me know what y'all think of the project as I'd love to get some feedback.
Thanks!


Doug

www.mikramfg.com
[email protected]

 

[B E N]

Would like to see some pics with the parts installed on the shocks and either measurements or a side by side to gen 1.

Looks like a nice solution. Must be quite the jigging challenge!

 

[Deleted member 12951]

How this different than the KHC solution?

 

[MrGable27]

How this different than the KHC solution?

+1. Are you modifying the coil buckets at all or just that leg on the coilover?

 

[Christyle]

What bypass noise are you talking about, assuming you're referring to the fronts? All of the front options you mentioned (OEM 2.5s, OEM 3.0, aftermarket 3.0) are internal bypass shocks, so there really isnt the type of "bypass noise" you'd associate with external bypass shocks.

 

[Doug Mikra]

+1. Are you modifying the coil buckets at all or just that leg on the coilover?

This is just a modification to the leg of the Coilover and Outer Body primarily. Tried to minimize new components to reduce cost as much as possible.

Versus the KHC or RPG bucket relocation kit solution, you do not have to cut and re-weld the frame. You simply assemble the shock with these components and bolt them into the truck!

 

[Doug Mikra]

What bypass noise are you talking about, assuming you're referring to the fronts? All of the front options you mentioned (OEM 2.5s, OEM 3.0, aftermarket 3.0) are internal bypass shocks, so there really isnt the type of "bypass noise" you'd associate with external bypass shocks.

I was referring to doing an entire 3.0 Race Kit with matched front and rears. You’re right that the aftermarket fronts are Internal Bypass but when matched with rears it can get a little annoying. No doubt that the race-oriented 3.0 kits will perform better off-road though.

Since the OE 3.0 rears fit the Gen 1’s, we would envision running both our front strut kit and a set of OE 3.0 rears for a mild build.

 

[Doug Mikra]

Would like to see some pics with the parts installed on the shocks and either measurements or a side by side to gen 1.

Looks like a nice solution. Must be quite the jigging challenge!

Right on. All the parts are on trucks at the moment but if you send me an e-mail I could get you a dimensioned drawing of the shock for comparison!

 

[Primez]

This looks awesome. I have Gen 2 shocks on my 2012 right now. While they do function, they also bind the CV axles at full lock.

Will this kit resolve that issue? How difficult is the swap to do? I assume the shocks must be disassembled to some degree. Any instructions or how-tos available?

 

[Doug Mikra]

This looks awesome. I have Gen 2 shocks on my 2012 right now. While they do function, they also bind the CV axles at full lock.

Will this kit resolve that issue? How difficult is the swap to do? I assume the shocks must be disassembled to some degree. Any instructions or how-tos available?

This kit gives the Gen 2 3.0 the same compressed and extended length as the factory 2.5” shock. There are zero binding issues on our trucks that we have installed them on. With that said, if the CV is damaged from years of binding they may need to be replaced.

In terms of installation it would be the same as any other shock rebuild. It shouldn’t be bad to do at home as long as you have basic tools (A vise, quality torque wrench, nitrogen fill kit) and pick up the tool kit we have on the website. If you do not have a hydraulic press, we can install brand-new bushings into the lower bodies, just add bushings to the order and make a note during checkout!

If the shocks have some time on them, we would recommend purchasing a rebuild kit from Fox and doing new oil+seals if they are taken apart. We could do an installation video in the next couple weeks if there is interest. Also, I think a shock service company would happily install these components as well.