Delica L400 Shock Information

[Backdoor]

Hello All -

Can't thank you all enough for the time and effort spent here. Although it is mostly L300 information it has still been helpful. Maybe there should be a separate board specifically for the L400 group.

Anyways - I have been adventuring to find shocks for my 94 L400. It has the original Mitsubishi stock shocks on it and with 100k on them its time to replace. Most of the information that I have found on the web for the L400 is from overseas (I am in the USA) or for those with lift kits or the information was not quite correct. A lot of the information on this page here - https://www.delicausa.com/fullwidth-page-3-2/ was slightly helpful to start but many of the part numbers were mostly for parts out of Australia (For Shocks anyways) and the Rancho parts listed did not seem to size exactly the same with what I pulled off my vehicle.

So here are the Measurements and some other useful information I have put together the you may find helpful when you are looking to replace the shocks on your 1994-95 Delica L400 Spacegear -

Front Shocks - (This is from a SWB model with Non-ECS shocks, ECS is for Electronic control which was available on Higher End Exceeds)
The front shocks have an eyering with bushing and metal sleeve at the bottom and a stem on top.
The bottom eyering is 1.5" in diameter. The metal sleeve measures 12mm ID and 34mm long.
This sleeve is built into the bushing and is where your bolt slide through to mount the shock to the vehicle.
The top part of the shock is a stem and measures 10mm (or 3/8") and is about 38mm long to the top of the thread.
Full Compression is about 9" or 230mm, Full Extension is 13.5" or 345mm.

For the front it was easy to find part numbers but very hard to find parts in stock. The parts match up with the same shocks as a 1992-99 Mitsubishi Montero sport. Part Numbers I found were -
Gabriel 77782 Max Control - http://gabriel.com/product-search/light-vehicle-detailed-specs/?partnum=77782
KYB Monomax Shocks KY565024 - https://www.kyb.com/catalog/
There is also a Napa Part - NSA 94138 here - https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/NSA94138?keywordInput=rr+94138,

The part I ended up ordering was KYB Monomax Shocks. I'll post here after they come in and I fit them.

Rear Shocks -
The rear shocks have the same sized eyering on the top and bottom both measuring 1 and 3/4" with an internal bushing with a metal sleeve that is 16mm ID and 38mm long. The rear shocks fully compressed measure 360mm or 14" and fully extended measure 585mm or 23" long.

There is no exact KYB configured shock that I have found that fits the perfect measurement of the rear. They do have a shock that is close 344045 has the bushing without an internal sleeve that is close but I figured it would be better for longevity to have the metal sleeve.

The closest I could find is a Napa Part, Part #: NSA 37029,
Shock Absorber - OESpectrum - Rear. The Eyelets are measured as Monroe L1 Eyelets or 5/8" ID and 1 5/16" long for the metal sleeve. Full compression is listed as 14.375 inches and full expansion at 23 inches. Part Info Here - https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/NSA37029?keywordInput=37029

I have found it easier to do the research myself online than trying to figure it out in an auto parts store. When I go to the auto parts store I try to find other vehicles the parts fit first as its easier for them to look up parts that way.
For the front shocks any shock that fits on a 1992 - 99 Mitsubishi Montero Sport should fit on the front of a SWB 94/95 Delicas. For the rear the 95 Isuzu Pickup and 95 Nissan Pathfinder share shock parts with the 94/95 SWB L400 Delica.

Here are some references from KYB and Monroe on sizing shocks and part numbers -

https://www.shockwarehouse.com/news/pdf/kyb-shock-lengths.pdf

Great Shock Absorber Cross Reference

I've been looking for shorter front shocks for my Fairlane after lowering it and stumbled onto this great cross reference from Monroe. You pick the...

www.jalopyjournal.com

Good luck on All Your Adventures

-Sean

 

[Backdoor]

Thanks for the work on this! Does anyone know if the shocks are the same for the LWB? I want to replace mine as well (94 L400 LWB Super Exceed, gasoline) They are the ECS version, but don't know how reasonable that will be to find again, nor do I know if everything is still hooked up on mine to work.

By cross-referencing the part numbers at Part Souq and Mitsubishi EPC -Data it look s like the part numbers are the same. There are some caveats to this though, 5 different replacement parts listed for the LWB model under the Part Souq site. Also - some of the nicer models of LWB came with ECS shocks. Even if you did not want to use the ECS the mounts will be different.

You can double check the mounts just by looking at them. Best thing to do is pull them and measure them if your top bolts are not all rusted on. I think it took a little over an hour to get a shock off and measure it and less than 30 minutes to put it all back together.

The KYB Monomax shocks that I ordered are great but the rubber covers on the top part of the shock do rub up against the metal on the frame. Just a heads up. Won't affect the performance of the shock as they are just covers to keep dirt and water out.

 

[Backdoor]

So after all is said and done. Here is the outcome of the shock replacement therapy.

The rear shocks fit (Napa OE Spectrum) but they had a wider bore than the OEM shocks.

Because of this they just slightly touched the frame. I used a washer as a spacer and it ended up giving the shocks just enough room to clear.



I did have to grind one side of the washer to make it work (I could have gone back to town and bought the correct sized washer but that's a 45 minute drive for me and grinding worked)


The Front shocks (KYB Monomax) were a good fit as well. The only downside is that the rubber boot touches at the top part where the shock mounts to the frame. There is not enough of the boot touching to deform the boot but itll probably wear through at some point. I'll keep an eye on it. It doesnt affect the performance of the shock at all as it's just a dirt/dust cover.

The only pics I took of the KYBs were after they were installed. I was busy all weekend trying to rebuild the brakes and replace the damaged knuckle on the left side and never stopped to take pics of the shocks.

Here they are installed-

The ride is fantastic. Night and day compared to the old shocks. Nice cushy ride, not too firm. Doesnt feel like a utility pickup. More like an SUV. Van handles better as well.

 

[Crankshaft Culture]

So question: You mention the fronts are the same as the 1992-1999 Montero Sport. I assume you just mean the Montero not Montero Sport? (Montero Sport was from 1997 to 2004.) I just want to double-check as I research shocks, too. If the fronts are the same, then there should be other options available, too such as Rancho, Bilstein, and others.

 

[Backdoor]

So question: You mention the fronts are the same as the 1992-1999 Montero Sport. I assume you just mean the Montero not Montero Sport? (Montero Sport was from 1997 to 2004.) I just want to double-check as I research shocks, too. If the fronts are the same, then there should be other options available, too such as Rancho, Bilstein, and others.

Good question.
I may have meant the Montero, Not the sport but I believe the 1997 Montero Sport (When I looked up on Napaonline) had the same exact KYB shocks listed as the regular 1997 Montero. Here is the listing for the KYB fronts on the 1997 Montero Sport

When I looked up just the Montero on the NAPA site it also listed Rancho RS5000 and 9000 series shocks.

The best way to confirm is to take the measurements that I have from my original OEM shocks up in the 1st post and compare those measurements with the listings for Bilstein and Rancho shocks as well as others. The measurements for the front shocks up top were the OEMs off of my 94 L400.

Here is a link to the OEM Equipment (PE8W)
And here is a pic of the Model number from the OEM Front shocks on my van -