Houpty GT

http://www.bilstein.com/services.php

$430 for new shocks or $280 to rebuild old shocks???

This post is sort of a service announcement to let others know about the rebuild service and partly to open discussion on the options.

I plan to do something about the original 178,000 mile Bilsteins on my 81 SC because it oscillates up and down on the highway and the steering wheel shakes during 80 mph turns.

84_Carrera

Well, if the housings are in good shape, then a replacement of the inserts / cartridges etc. makes sense. If you have corrosion, etc., then I'd be looking at new housings with the new shocks option.

Perhaps you can look into custom valving if they're rebuilding them?

Cory M

Bilstein Motorsports is a few miles away from my house. I have had shocks rebuilt and revalved there and they come back like new. One word of caution though, it often takes longer for them to do the work than the 2 weeks they quote you, so if you can't afford to have your car sitting on jackstands while you wait for parts you may just want to buy new ones...

Houpty GT

I had Koni rebuild some NOS shocks for my Bimmer because they were defective and they came back repainted and working perfectly. Look what I found about the Bilstein shocks on Simon's SC site;

A performance option for the 1978 SC Targa was Bilstein gas shock absorbers, but when these were fitted they tended to accentuate the fact that the Targa had a fairly flexible bodyshell. The following year, in markets where the Bilsteins had been offered as part of a performance package on the Targa, they were replaced by the Boge struts that had been fitted to earlier models. The 1981 model SCs had slightly stiffened rear suspension with torsion bar size increasing from 23min to 24mm.

What does this mean about my 81 Targa with Bilsteins? I wonder if this is a good reason to not go with sports or anything stiffer on the suspension?

Jay H

I'm having my '84 switched back from Bilstein's to Boges as I type (along with new torsion bars and bushings). I'll update you on the findings when I get the car back tomorrow night... The roads in my area are extremely poor, so any additional compliance may help me keep my teeth from rattling out and the car from rattling apart...

Houpty GT

I called Bilstein today and asked if there would was a difference between my original '81 bilsteins and a new pair of HD's and they said there should be no difference in valving. I also asked if there was a change made in the shocks, would they update them and the answer was yes.

Sounds like i am going with rebuilt units. $150 in my pocket to repair other stuff.