[Guest]

Just got my bilstein 1104/0929's in today and i have NO idea where to start right now but i am sure i'm gonna be able to figure it out.

I have the wheels off and the car is on jack stands...

where do i go from there

 

[Guest]

Please help me out quick.. if i need a spring compressor, i need to get there within the next 45 mins to do it tonight!!!

 

[Guest]

Well i found out that i dont need a spring compressor to do just shocks so i went to the hardware store to get the shock removal tool and the first thing that popped into my mind after i figured out how it worked was.. damn this thing should be mandatory...

then i tried to take the shock off and the damn stud broke! aint that a B1TCH! LOL.. there goes the idea of giving a damn about the old shocks

 

[Guest]

Shock removal tool? Thats new to me..... Didn't need any special tools when I did mine.....And no, spring compressor is not necessary at all.

Shock installation is a breeze, did mine in about 30 min (on lift)

 

[Guest]

front shocks should be held in with two bolts in the bottom and one bolt on the top which should be accessable from under the hood, if not try to get it from above the upper control arm.

rear should be two bolts one on the top and one on the bottom

 

[Guest]

Just got back from the garage and the fronts are a pain to do.

I wanna know though, how i'm supposed to torque the shocks and how much because turning them right now with a ratchet allows the shock shaft to spin, so i had to put an allen wrench on it and use an open ended wrench.

Is there any better way to do the fronts if you can't use the tool because on the second shock the same stud broke when the bolt was about half way up and its such a pain to remove i barely feel like trying. Once it's off though, the rest of the install is a joke. I tried the extention on the socket and everything else but i cant seem to get the passenger side off. Is there a way i can remove the rod from the shock and pull the rod up?

LMK. thanks for the help guys

 

[Guest]

you can start with air tools

impact wrench or an air ratchet will tighten them right up.

Is there a way i can remove the rod from the shock and pull the rod up?

well you can break it off but it would be much easier to loosen the bolt

 

[Guest]

Well Man, Step 1 would be asking these questions BEFORE the car is sitting disabled in the garage

On the fronts : use the shock tool. When you tighten them down, tighten the top until the bushing squishes out to approx the same diameter as the washer above it.

On the rears : get some LONG socket extensions, and someone to help you. The rears are easier if you have one person holding the backing wrench on the top side of the frame while the other person turns the ratchet (connected to those long extensions) down below.

 

[Guest]

Front Bilsteins take a metric hex wrench (Allen) in the top to keep the shaft from spinning. One will need a box or open wrench to get the nut tightened, since most sockets do not have a through hole for the hex wrench.
If you want to have a collection of tools, Sears (and probably other sources) sell a set of sockets and ratchet with an opening through the middle. Called (ready Bevis?): The O-Wrench. It works like a champ. A slightly less expensive option is a ratcheting box wrench, sometimes called a gear wrench.
For the rears. It is actually easier to get at the top fasteners if you remove the spring. Sounds hard, but once the bottom of the shock is loose, the spring comes out easily if the car is supported with the jack stand on the frame, the tire is off, and the axle is hanging. Remember remove only one spring at a time, and put the springs back in the correct orientation. Top pigtail faces left (driver’s side). I hope I got that right? Ed and Bill help.

 

[Guest]

Ed, you should know by now that that's not my style. LOL

actually i was just kidding when i first posted about the car being apart but i took a look under there and i was desperate to find out if i needed a spring compressor or not and a couple other things becuase i talked to a bunch of ignorant people that told me a bunch of wrong things. I found out now that it was exactly what everyone had posted before. I'm finishing drilling the bolt on the passenger side and i'm gonna put the front back together and start on the backs. Damn top bolt. I'll let everyone know how it goes once everything is done and i HOPE the back doesn't have any free spinning studs like the front does. Thanks again for the help guys. Can't wait to get it started!

 

[Guest]

I tightened my fonts with the allen head on the shock shaft....ie, holding the nut still from the wheel well(tire removed) and turning the hex to tighten it....everything tightened fine......and there won't be any spinning shafts on the rear, only pain is going to be the 2 nuts and bolts on the top of the shocks.

 

[Guest]

Well tonite i got everything finished up and took it for a ride and man do you feel like you're on the road with the new shocks. i didnt really know what to expect but i could definitely tell the difference in ride and stiffness. I love the way it feels. Cant wait to keep riding around with em and hitting some tighter corners. thanks again for the help guys

 

[Guest]

What is this shock removal tool? Where did you get it?

I'm replacing much of the front end (ball joints, tie rod ends, center link, shocks, etc) and I'm currently working on taking the control arms out.

Anyway, I've got to go to Sears today and get some 1/2" drive extensions and 1/2-3/8 and 3/8-1/2 drive converters anyway so I'll probably look for an O-wrench while I'm there.

<DEL>Does anyone have a link handy for a thread that discusses the procedure I've embarked on? I seem to remember seeing someing long ago but my search skills are failing me.

</DEL> EDIT: Heh, it seems that not only have I asked this question before (months ago when I was ordering parts for this job), but I got some good information in that thread and saved it as a favorite. Feel free to ignore me. LOOK! What's that over there?

 

[Guest]

Paul, I sent you an email concerning the shock tool. I just did the same thing that you are going through about 6 months ago.
BTW, NAPA sells a shock removal tool.

 

[Guest]

I read somewhere on the forum to go in from the top where the plastic flap is and use a long extension and just rock it back and forth until the stud breaks. It worked great for me, just took a few minutes. Just get some new flaps and fasteners from Dal or take them off carefully if possible.

 

[Guest]

Man do i wish it was that easy for me to do. The install woulda been a breeze if the top bolt on the front wasnt so difficult. What size socket were you guys using? i think i was using a 15mm. Oh well. its done now and i'm happy

 

[Guest]

I picked up that shock tool from NAPA the other day and that thing makes it exceedingly easy to pull the shocks off without having to tear up those fender shields. The tool cost me about $12 which is worth it just for the money and headache saved on replacing the fender shields.

The way it worked is that it has a hex shaped hollow tube that fits over the nut and then it has a semi-oval shaped 1/4" drive ratchet socket that fits the center 'bolt' and an L-shaped handle to hold the ratchet socket. You just put all that on the top of the shock and turn the L-shaped handle and the tube (using a standard wrench) in opposite directions. If you have a 1/4" drive extension, it would be even easier.

How are you guys installing the new shock without this tool? Does the 'bolt' not turn when you put the nut on? Not that it matters for me since I have the tool, I'm just curious how you'd install the new shocks without it.

 

[Guest]

I just put the bilsteins on the front of mine today and they have a hole in the top of the shaft that makes it easy to turn with an allen wrench, after you lock some pliers on the nut.

 

[Guest]

Small crescent or open end wrench for the shock shaft, and a larger open end for the nut.

New shocks are cake to get the nuts on w/o the shaft trying to turn. It's trying to get them loose after they've corroded themselves onto the shaft that's the real PITA.

 

[Guest]

What do you guys think of this tool? I'm going to tackle new shocks for the first time.
http://www.shockbuster.net/launchvideo.html?vidnum=1#