Doing my own shocks!

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C

coveboy

10 Year
Joined
Feb 1, 2011
Threads
28
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419
Location
Florida
Just ordered some OE spec Monroe Reflex shocks and I'm installing them next week (they were cheap, and had good reviews, and I'm on a college budget haha). But I was wondering, while I'm in the process of changing shocks, what else should I do? Should I do my rear springs? Anything else random? Any help/suggestions/tips would be great! Thanks!

EDIT
And oh! I have 184k miles, so my springs are probably pretty worn... Torsion bars wear out or should I just reindex them?
 
I would just change the shocks and leave the rest alone. Inspect all the bushings and ball joint for wear while you're in there.
 
I'm sorry I didn't see those, my bad? No need to get all offended, just simply asked for advice...
 
You're good. Just check other things if you're on a budget. When funds become available, there's a thread around here about a 200k makeover. But don't throw money around unless you have symptoms.
 
Coil springs last a very, very long time. My suburban (with ~250k on it now) still doesn't need new coils. Is your front end sagging? If not, leave the t-bars alone too.

Replace the shocks and inspect the bushings. Other than that, don't fix it if it ain't broke.
 
On the shocks, recommend you have a helper, shop, or cutting torch lined up as a backup. I removed my AHC for an OME suspension. All diss-assembly went great until the rear passenger top nut (if you search you'll read about smart people cutting holes in the body to access this nut, if that gives any indication of difficulty). There was a lot of rust, bc the truck is in the North a lot, but I used PB Blaster for a week before so I was confident.

I braced my wrench with no trouble, and proceeded to twist the shock. I escalated through strap wrenches, strap wrenches with cheater bars, strap wrenches with a screw driver punched through the old shock for leverage, and finally the outside of the shock broke free leaving the top nut in place but the rest of the shock free spinning.

I had no torch and was out of options, and finding an open shop was a beating on a Saturday night. Since I'm a genius and had no backup plan, and my truck is my dd, I had to rent a car while the shop I found worked on it. In TX, when you say you don't care what kind of car you get, you get a Fiat.

Moral of the story, have a backup plan or drive a Fiat for a week or two.
 
I will, I mean I only spent $150 on shocks, so I wasn't that far over and I have them sitting in the back waiting to be installed. And yes I already have a helper haha, thank you! Me and a buddy changed the shocks on his old Dodge 1500, so now he's returning the favor by helping me out. Also, I'm doing this at my family's business because my grandpa has every tool known to man (retired Mechanical engineer whose hobby is working on race boats), and our neighbor business is a tire shop, so if anything were to go wrong I have mechanics next door and my grandpa nearby for guidance.
And that's good to hear about the rear springs, I was hoping I didn't have to chuck out another $100 or so. My front sags slightly, but not to the extent of needing new t-bars
 
Nor being snarky about shocks. I was amazed that the OEM parts were so reasonably priced is all. Your front torsion bars should be fine. See the FAQ list for adjusting them to compensate for any sag. Cheers!
 
You guys really think the rear coils are fine at 180k plus miles? I must have the defective ones... I think they were shot in 2005. When the truck is empty they will suffice but I have to imagine that with some gear and a passenger or two they are pretty rough.
 
If someone can get an accurate free length for new OE spring I'll measure my well worn rears when replacing the rear shocks. If they are significantly shorter then there's a good case for replacement.
 
Last edited:
APKhaos said:
If someone can get an accurate free length for new OE spring I'll measure my well worn rears when replacing the rear shocks. If they are significantly shorter then there's a good case for replacement.
Click to expand...

Depends on year. Right vs left also different.

The epc has specs.
 
I would do my rear springs too, but I'd rather not chuck out the cash if I don't need to. I mean I guess if I swap out the shocks and my rear springs still suck, then maybe I'll do them one weekend too
 
If your truck seems to ride level, then leave the rear springs alone. The shocks will smooth it out more and you will definitely notice the better ride right away. But if your rear sags when you load it, then simply get some AirLift air bags. They are relatively cheap, easy to install and you can adjust for every load, which will add life to your front end and shocks.

You have to disconnect the lower shock mounts to do the airbags anyway, so you could combine these projects very easily.
 
EdsCruisin said:
If your truck seems to ride level, then leave the rear springs alone. The shocks will smooth it out more and you will definitely notice the better ride right away. But if your rear sags when you load it, then simply get some AirLift air bags. They are relatively cheap, easy to install and you can adjust for every load, which will add life to your front end and shocks.

You have to disconnect the lower shock mounts to do the airbags anyway, so you could combine these projects very easily.
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My plan exactly. Replaced the fronts earlier this week, and should get time to do the rears and airbags over the next few days. The new front shocks made a massive difference in steering and turning performance. The degradation over time is a bit like the frog being boiled, but there's no mistaking how bad they were after the new ones were installed. Should have done it 100K miles ago. ;)

FWIW, the upper nuts on the fronts were playing hard to get. Drilled a 1/2" hole through the upper housing, ran a 3/8 socket extension through that to prevent rotation, hit the nuts with a MAPP torch, and they came off nicely. Not looking forward to the rear upper nuts, but will try the same approach and we'll see how that goes. May need to get brutal if that fails.
 
APKhaos said:
FWIW, the upper nuts on the fronts were playing hard to get. Drilled a 1/2" hole through the upper housing, ran a 3/8 socket extension through that to prevent rotation, hit the nuts with a MAPP torch, and they came off nicely. Not looking forward to the rear upper nuts, but will try the same approach and we'll see how that goes. May need to get brutal if that fails.
Click to expand...

The front uppers were at least accessible through the engine bay. I was one of those folks who drilled holes in the rear to access those. First I found a couple floor drain grommets in a junk yard and then measured and drilled the appropriate size holes. Made the rear top nuts a breeze. When I was done I put the rubber grommets in and covered them with "real" foil duct tape - the kind with the peel off backing. :cheers:
 
Drilling holes in your LC should be an absolute last resort. My top rears were pretty stubborn, but I managed to get them with a copious amount of PB blaster, a flex head gearwrench (one of the greatest automotive tools ever btw), and a chain wrench to hold the old shock.

The chain wrench will likely gum up your old shocks, but if your new OE-spec shocks don't come with some flats like the OME's do (and toyotas don't), then you should be able to get enough torque with a rubber strap wrench putting them on.
 
Thanks yall for all the advice! Literally haven't had a sunny day in over a week, and I don't have a garage to do this work in, so still waiting for the weather to let me get to work...
 
coveboy said:
Thanks yall for all the advice! Literally haven't had a sunny day in over a week, and I don't have a garage to do this work in, so still waiting for the weather to let me get to work...
Click to expand...

....good luck on those rear shocks. BTW- If you play in the mud, you may want to spray a hose in the rear wheel well near the shock mounts and spray PB blaster up there. Mud+long time = impossible and nasty. I spray mine down every week with a hose, you can see the shock mount plate through the gap in the wheel well.
 
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