I ask because I recently replaced the 30 year old stock rear ones that were worn out with an new pair of delco units. At first they were great and the car was like new again,now four months later the shocks are shot and the cars acting like it did with the 30’year old worn out originals.

Has anyone else here had this experience with the newer delco shocks? I was also wondering,Do new shocks go bad is sitting on the shelf for 6-10 years or so? I noticed when I was installing them the bag of washers and rubber bushings was dated 2009. I wouldn’t think they would go bad sitting in their box.

Anyway,should I try delco again if not what would you guys recommend for a factory reel ride for a 90 Camaro RS?

 

They are re-branded Monroe. So yea, they really don't last.

Just buy KYB Excel-G. They're the "OE" replacement shocks these days.

 

Except I was thinking they're rebranded Gabriels. 6 of 1, half dozen the other, both brands are entry level, one size fits all trash.

KYB has been the basic performance minded replacement for a few decades now. Personally I'd run Koni yellows on everything if I had the disposable income. For an RS you don't really need anything too high-end, usually a better shock/strut package is needed with stiffer springs (Z28/WS6 suspensions). With an RS base or F41 suspension, you can get away with a lesser damper.

 

Another vote here for KYB's, I have them in all 4 corners on my Camaro and my 97 C1500. Good ride quality and seem to last. Good value for the price, I won't buy anything but them.
They haven't been on my truck that long yet, but they've been on my Camaro for about 4-5 years now and are still just fine. Although I don't drive it much anymore..

 

Last I knew, Delphi was rebranding Gabriel shocks in their AC/Delco boxes.

IMO there are NO WORSE shocks than Gabriel. It is an insult to Monroe to call them "equivalent". (not that Monroe is any kind of paragon of excellence either)

People who want to keep their cars "original" - not that there's anything wrong with that, in and of itself - seem to be particularly likely to fall for the whole "brand name" thing. Oh, it's AC/Delco, it MUST BE as good as, the same as, equivalent to, whatever, the "original" part. WRONG. AC/Delco isn't a "manufacturer" in the traditional sense of the word anymore, wherein EVERY THING that carries that name, was made by them; IT'S NOT. It's just words on a box. They do in fact make some of the stuff in their boxes, but they buy ALOT more of it from wherever they can get it cheeeeeeepest, same as any other "brand name" these days. You're just as likely to open the box and find a Denso or Bosch or other manufacturer's part, which might have been "made" (stamped, assembled, components produced in, you name it) in some random 3rd party's plant in Mexico or Malaysia or Brazil. You have NO WAY of knowing that. I don't even trust what the box says about "country of origin"; for one thing, the box might have been made n yet a different country, and the part put in the box in still ANOTHER one. Or, the country on the box might be "Canada", but the wire and connector might have come from China, the metal shell from Thailand, and the guts of the part from India, they were all crimped together in a plant in Spain, and they just put it into the box in Canada, by a company that had AC/Delco, Bosch, Champion, Standard, B-W, Wells, and however many OTHER boxes, and were just filling orders. Who can know? In 1982, that wasn't so much the case; but in 2019, nearly 40 yrs later … it's a WHOLE DIFFERENT WORLD.

Worse yet, the OE parts on our cars were NOTORIOUSLY crappy in many areas, to begin with; shocks being one of the most extreme examples. I well recall my car, which by the time it had 40,000 miles on it, the shocks were NOTHING BUT DEAD WEIGHT, and served only as a restraint on the rear axle's outward motion. They had lost ALL SEMBLANCE of anything approximating the absorption of shocks. They were GARBAGE. I would never in a million years put that worthless crap back on my car; and Gabriel, no matter what warm fuzzy name is printed on the box, is no better. In point of fact, I put Monroe on the car, (keep in mind, this was in about 85 or 86) and they were VASTLY better than the trash I took off, or for that matter, than what was coming on BRAND NEW 86 model cars. I was ASTOUNDED at how pitiful the new shocks that came on new cars were, after that.

Pay less attention to the brand name and more to the part itself.

 

Thanks for the input here guys. Appreciate it.

“sofakingdom”,I realize you probably weren’t referring to me,but I didn’t buy delco shocks because they were what GM used. Nobody sees the shocks and I couldn’t care less what brand they are as long as they are going to fit correctly AND last. These didn’t. I bought delco shocks because I got them for $20 locally brand new in the box. I figured I couldn’t go wrong at that price. I was wrong. Lol.

anyway,since the concensus here seems to be kybs I guess I’ll give those a try.

One last question. I’ve read here on some other threads that installing shocks that are too stiff will break the metal in the shock mounting are. Is this true? I want a stock type ride

 

Never heard what you're referring to but the Excel G are stock ride

 

I run kyb excel g on all four corners of my GTA and have been happy with them and when you factor in price they are really good. If the car is going to be a cruiser they are a great choice.

 

This is true. The top of the shock goes through just a stamped sheet-metal feature that's part of the floor pan. Even just having functional normal shocks will, over time, literally PUNCH that place right out of the floor pan. No question, it's one of the strongest weaknesses of this chassis.

I found this out the hard way in my car... one side came completely apart and the shock was just flopping around under the seat; the other had broken out about halfway around the upper shock bushing. I realized something was wrong when the car suddenly began feeling like it had stock shocks on it again , and made this weird rattle/clank sound.

I had a shop weld 2 enormous washers back in there (I had no welding eqpt at the time), to replace the missing floor pan part. It's still holding, but when the next incremental section of metal around them breaks out, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do.

 

Geeze, you lucky to be alive Sofa! what shocks are too stiff for our cars?

 

Lots of guys running Koni Yellows and doing Auto X. Wonder if it's a rust/region issue, bad luck issue, or what.

 

Mostly just age, mileage, and rough roads. Stiff shocks would accelerate the process just from putting more force on the sheet metal but it wouldn't be instantaneous or anything.