no shocks
 

i am going to finish up the front end of my 72. i still have no shocls, and i want to know if i can take the truck off of the jack stands and see the ride height without any shocks? is it safe?

Re: no shocks
 

if you got springs in yeah its perfectly safe.

shocks are only there to stop spring oscilation (how ever you spell that).

Re: no shocks
 

Ok, i am not planning to drive it yet. i just need to get off the stands.

Re: no shocks
 

You can even drive it without shocks but it's not safe at high speeds (like say over 45mph). I wouldn't recomend doing too much of it but running to the auto parts store or something would be fine.

Re: no shocks
 

Yeah, the shocks do not hold the weight, they just slow/stop the natural bouncing of the springs.

Re: no shocks
 

Maybe it doesn't apply to these trucks, but on some cars the shocks are the only thing keeping the rearend from dropping low enough to let the springs out. My 75 Impala was like that.

Re: no shocks
 

That is a completely different issue. The front coils are completely trapped by the limited travel caused by the bumpstops/upper control arm. The front suspension can't droop far enough for the springs to fall out.

Re: no shocks
 

you are right fremont , but your suspension would need to be fully extended before that could happen. and we are speaking about only the rear of the car. our truck's springs are bolted to the suspension (bottom) and the frame (top). it really is'nt safe to drive without shocks no matter how fast. think pothole or dip and possible loss of control, but they do nothing to hold the truck up, just stabilize it as was mentioned in a earlier post.

Re: no shocks
 

Yeah, I see now that the OP was only talking about the front end. No chance of the front springs "falling" out.