Old Man Emu Shocks

[JohnnyPopper]

Has anyone heard of/used them?

Interesting features.

[bd]

OME is very popular in the off-road world.

[JohnnyPopper]

Thanks bd, seems like it.

The impression I get from their write up is that they feel they're good for both Street and O.R.. I don't off road so would hate to find out the hard way.

BTW, I know there are Bruce Willis fans of Bilstein. I have them on Cherry Bomb (wife named her  ) an I'm not impressed, so looking elsewhere.

[Captkaos]

OME as stated by bd is popular in offroad and is Australian based and owned by ARB.
I have never used them on any 73-87 truck, so I cannot comment on that.  I have used Fox and Rancho for 4x4 vehicles, Fox being what I used on my Jeep LJ.
Which Bilsteins do you have and what issues are you experiencing?  I have used these in the past and didn't have issues so curious.

[bd]

The primary purpose of shock absorbers is to dampen spring oscillations.  Don't expect them to do more than they can.  A particular ride 'feel' is very personal.  The only way to ensure it, especially at a lower price point, is trial and error.  That said, with proper tuning by an expert, high-end shocks can do a remarkable job of smoothing and stabilizing chassis motions, but you will pay a hefty price and still risk disappointment if you expect more from the shocks than they can deliver.

The best warehouse shocks I found for our trucks were Edelbrock IAS, but they have been obsolete for decades.

[VileZambonie]

Definitely tune your suspension in before expecting a miracle from a shock absorber. Springs, bushings, shackles on a 4x4 need to be right and good quality.

[Captkaos]

The best warehouse shocks I found for our trucks were Edelbrock IAS, but they have been obsolete for decades.

Those were awesome.  The IAS is Ricor Inertia Active System Patented by Ricor/Edelbrock from what I remember.
They sold the suspension line to QA1 in 2011 which would have included the IAS shocks.

[JohnnyPopper]

So finally got the Skyjacker springs installed, 2.5 inches, she looks good.

Have to say, the truck rides very nice, my wife agrees. I went with the shocks they recommended, still have the Bilsteins just in case. Will need shock extenders to try them against the new ones.

Had it aligned before a trip last week, drove nice.

New twist: seem like my steering gearbox has a major issue. Besides a lot of play, it has a clunk when turning left, and my steering wheel shifts 45 degrees to the left while going straight.

I realize it is serious, so was glad to get her home from about 50 miles away.

Hard to believe that that much play internally is possible but I guess it is. Proof is there.

Any recommendations on stock or aftermarket products?

BTW, I tried to ask this in suspension/steering but the website seems challenged at the moment.

[Captkaos]

Check the frame area where the steering box it mounted for cracks!

[VileZambonie]

Sounds like something isn't right ... Definitely have a assistant rock the steering while you inspect.

[JohnnyPopper]

Thanks Guys.

Frame is sound, bolts tight.

Had my wife move the wheel, there is noise coming from the gearbox as best I can tell.

I theorize that the worm gear and it's intersecting drive gear have worn to where the worm gear jumps a tooth, and then back into it correct position. During this activity there are pronounced "clunks" from the front end, which is essentially new, with the exception of the drivers side lower ball joint being worn.

It will literally jump from flat spokes to 45 degrees left and then back, this of course while turning heavily in both directions.

What blows my mind, if this is correct, is 'where' the metal material went, why hasn't the pump bound up, or the gearbox bearings acted up?