1994 -K1500- Z71 Shocks

I've got a 94 K1500 w/ the Z71 offroad package. I was interesting if anyone had any pointers regarding putting some new shocks on. The last load I took was a little over a ton, and it was far too low in the back. And whoever had this thing before me did almost NO maintanance. So i'm sure the shocks/struts are past due. So here's the q's - Is there a specific shock I need to get for my model, considering I do a little bit of load carrying. If I go to say, napa and give em the truck info, will they give me the proper part? (gas, air, load adj...etc) Also can I put different types or manufactures struts on the back than the front? It doesn't make sense to me to put load adjusting shocks or something on the front of it.

Go to

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and use their look-up feature to find the shock suitable for your truck. I highly reccomend Bilstein, they lasted

75,000 miles leak-free on my old truck before I replaced them for general maintenence reasons, the second set (yes, I used the same brand) lasted till I traded the truck at 115,000 miles. My current truck, an S-10 ZR2, also has Bilsteins, they're factory-issue and still holing up well at 64,000 miles.

If you frequently carry loads that big you may want to consider a heavier-duty truck such as a 2500 or 3500. Not only is your suspension not designed for those loads, but the brakes are a little underpowered for your truck even when it's not loaded. If you MUST use this truck for loads of that size, I suggest a brake upgrade all around and air assist springs for the rear. If you instal air assist springs, they'll help compensate for a large load when you inflate them, but when they're totally deflated it'll be like they're not there...