October 17, 2024
Ever since I relocated my rear shocks, or at least ever since I got it right the second time, I've been running 2.5" ADS Racing Shocks with a 10-inch stroke and resis. They have been performed fantastically and after rebuilding and revalving them after a couple years of use, they worked even better!
The first set of 10" smooth body shocks ADS made for the rear end of a 1st gen Tacoma, and the only trend I ever started.
Really, I had no desire to ever run a different shock, and I figured that the ADS would probably outlast me, though they probably wouldn't outlast the Tacoma - because we all know it's impossible to destroy a Toyota Pickup.
But then, I significantly modified the rear suspension by installing Chevy 63 leaf springs. Not only do these Chevy 63s have a much softer ride than my previous leaf springs, but they are also significantly longer, allowing the rear axle - and wheels - to travel further than they did before. And that meant I was bumping up on the limits of the 10-inch stroke of the ADS shocks.
Of course, bump stops protected the shocks from topping out when the leaf springs were fully compressed, but on the other end of travel - when the shocks were fully extended - there was nothing protecting the shocks from becoming the limiting factor in suspension travel. I'd considered installing some limit straps - similar to those I'd installed in the front - but I'd never gotten around to it.
And then, I got an inquiry about whether I'd be interested in selling the 10" ADS shocks. Viewing this as an opportunity to solve my problem by getting a shock that "fit" the travel profile of the Chevy 63s, I was definitely open to the idea, and a few days later we'd settled on a price.
We'd also settled on a date for the sale, and it happened to be one day after the new 2.5" ADS Racing Shocks with 12-inch stroke and piggyback reservoirs would arrive in a big brown truck. It was time to get to work.
I won't bore everyone with the details - especially since a read through my rear shock relocation quickly demonstrates that I have no idea what I'm doing - but sufficed to say, I needed to cut the existing lower shock mounts off of the rear axle and weld new ones in place that were positioned to take advantage of the longer stroke that my new shocks would provide.
Having done that many times in the past, it was a short - if tedious - process and soon the rear axle housing was devoid of shock mounts and I was waiting the final few hours for the new shocks to arrive.
Look at those beauties!
The new shocks were functionally similar to the originals - with a 2.5" body - but sported a 2-inch longer stroke and piggyback reservoirs that would allow for a cleaner installation, since I wouldn't have to position and strap the reservoirs to the rear shock mount under the bed. Plus, they were shiny!
A few minutes after they arrived, I was measuring and mathing in order to figure out positioning of the new mounts.
Reasonably certain that the new positioning would work - and aware that if it didn't, I had no extra parts to try again - I pulled out the Millermatic and cringed as I spattered little bits of melty metal in boogery beads that - while functional - not even a mother could love.
Then, it was time for a bit of grinding and painting, and soon I was mounting the shocks under the truck. I had less than 12 hours before my old 10-inch beauties would be gone, but I'd made it, and the results looked fantastic.
Now with two additional inches of down travel.
Fantastic, that is, as long as you are distracted by the shiny silver shocks, and don't look too closely at the mounts. 
For anyone curious, here are the build specs for these new shocks.
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