Replacing front shock questions

[BKahler]

Getting ready to make a long round trip from Arkansas to New York. The front shocks on my 88 F250 4x4 are way past shot. I don't have the manual that deals with replacing shocks and I haven't had time yet to go out and look to see how easy or difficult the job is.

Anyone have any quick pointers that I should watch for while replacing them?

Thanks,

Brad

 

[towcat]

don't sweat it...
its an easy job. depending on your area, dealing with rusty bolts is the biggest issue you will encounter.

 

[BKahler]

Towcat, just got back from looking at the truck. You're right, looks like one of the easiest to do shock changes that I've done before. Lots of room in there. Bolts didn't look rusty at all.

Thanks!

Brad

 

[Diesel JD]

Just get a jack to take the weight off the shocks and be ready to persuade them to go in. Also make sure you assemble the washers on the new shock right, I'm not being a smart aleck with you, I did it wrong on mine the first time and as a result bent the drivers side shock, haha.

 

[stiesel]

did mine last weekend. it's too easy a job to need tips. just don't tell the wife it's easy. just lay under the truck and enjoy a beer.

 

[bikepilot]

You don't even have to jack up the truck if you don't want to - the shocks don't hold the truck up, they just damp the suspension movement. I replaced the front shocks on my truck with it on the ground in my drive way, two bolts per shock and your done.

Its generally easiest to leave the loop (that holds the shock in the compressed position) on the shock till you have it in place, then cut it to allow the shock to expand into its mounts etc. If the shocks don't come compressed, don't worry, you can probably compress them by hand and put them in place - I did on my truck (bilstines) and I'm not all that strong.

 

[NapaBavarian]

Are you using gas charged shocks?

 

[Boobylinks]

Shock mounting difficulties

I just replaced the passenger side front shock yesterday on my '88 F250 7.3L 4X4, and will do the driver side today. Here's what I went through:

Placed jack under front axle and jacked up the passenger wheel to get tire off. No problem.
Noticed they were original Motorcraft shocks. Bottom bracket bolt out. No problem.
Off came the top bracket bolt nut. Minor struggle. I couldn't extract the bolt. After placing the nut back on to hit nut to drive out bolt with a ball peen hammer, still nothing. Shock mount tower simply vibrated as I swung at the nut in an attempt to drive out the bolt. Hmmm...

So....I ended up having to remove the two bolts fastening the shock support tower to the frame rail and removing both tower and shock as one unit. Not too bad, but inconvenient as there was nobody there to keep the nut on the other side from rolling. Placed the tower in a vise and used a drift pin to drive the bolt out. Turns out shock bushing sleeve had rusted to bolt. Replaced bolt with an M12 x 80 1.75 pitch Class 10.9 metric bolt for proper shank length from Ace Hardware and re-used the nut because locking nuts were unavailable for that size. Parts explosion drawing did not indicate a washer was called for.

After I bolted the tower back on, I found that I didn't have the strength to compress the nitrogen gas shocks by hand and mount the shock, so I left the plastic rentention strap on the shock and wedged in a rubber mallet to keep the shock sufficiently compressed. The top bolt was inserted first, and with a prybar worked in the bottom bolt. You can then cut the rentention strap, but I snaked it off before installing the bottom bolt. It might come in handy one day. I also coated the bolts shanks with anti-sieze compound to help mitigate against the bolt from being bound in rust the next time shock needs replacement.

So what should have took me less than an hour might require additional steps. Hopes this helps someone else in a similar situation. I know now why the shops estimates can vary greatly depending on how badly a bolt can be rusted!

 

[bikepilot]

Are you using gas charged shocks?

Yep, purddy blue and yellow ones :Sly

 

[towcat]

I just replaced the passenger side front shock yesterday on my '88 F250 7.3L 4X4, and will do the driver side today. Here's what I went through:

Placed jack under front axle and jacked up the passenger wheel to get tire off. No problem.
Noticed they were original Motorcraft shocks. Bottom bracket bolt out. No problem.
Off came the top bracket bolt nut. Minor struggle. I couldn't extract the bolt. After placing the nut back on to hit nut to drive out bolt with a ball peen hammer, still nothing. Shock mount tower simply vibrated as I swung at the nut in an attempt to drive out the bolt. Hmmm...

So....I ended up having to remove the two bolts fastening the shock support tower to the frame rail and removing both tower and shock as one unit. Not too bad, but inconvenient as there was nobody there to keep the nut on the other side from rolling. Placed the tower in a vise and used a drift pin to drive the bolt out. Turns out shock bushing sleeve had rusted to bolt. Replaced bolt with an M12 x 80 1.75 pitch Class 10.9 metric bolt for proper shank length from Ace Hardware and re-used the nut because locking nuts were unavailable for that size. Parts explosion drawing did not indicate a washer was called for.

After I bolted the tower back on, I found that I didn't have the strength to compress the nitrogen gas shocks by hand and mount the shock, so I left the plastic rentention strap on the shock and wedged in a rubber mallet to keep the shock sufficiently compressed. The top bolt was inserted first, and with a prybar worked in the bottom bolt. You can then cut the rentention strap, but I snaked it off before installing the bottom bolt. It might come in handy one day. I also coated the bolts shanks with anti-sieze compound to help mitigate against the bolt from being bound in rust the next time shock needs replacement.

So what should have took me less than an hour might require additional steps. Hopes this helps someone else in a similar situation. I know now why the shops estimates can vary greatly depending on how badly a bolt can be rusted!

Do a google on Lisle "20400" shock tool. When I worked for GM, shock jobs were my favorite with this tool. You thread it on and snap off the shock stud sticking out. Shock is getting thrown away so who cares what violence you will be comitting?

 

[Boobylinks]

Rusted shock mount bolts

I looked at the product description for the Lisle 2400 at
http://www.lislecorp.com/tool_detail.cfm?detail=200

The tool appears to be for a different type of shock mount design than that found on my '88 F250 4X4 judging by the illustration of how it's to be used.

The front shocks on my truck (they're Monroe's) have rubber bushing pressed into both ends, with a rolled steel tube bonded to the inside of those bushing that accepts the mounting bolt. In my situation, it was this metal tube on the upper shock bushing that had corroded itself to the bolt and both the tube and bolt where rotating inside the rubber bushing. This bolt could only be dislodged from the tube/bushing by persuasion of a hammer and drift pin, but only if the shock mounting arm (tower?) were removed from the vehicle and held fixed in a vise. The metal tube itself couldn't be driven out the bolt hole in the arm becuse only the bolt alone could pass through that hole. I could have used a sawzall to cut the bolt in place on either side of the bushing to let the shock simply fall out, but initially I didn't want to damage the bolt in case I were to use the bolt again.

 

[towcat]

Just went outside and looked at at 4X4. You're right. the tool won't work on your app. oops
2wd has the eyelet on the bottom and the stud on top. the tool works excellent on 2wd's.
I'm also spoiled. Been able to avoid rustbelt vehicles for many years. usually on a frozen bolt, Kroil and a BFH with a drift punch has knocked every bolt out.

 

[82F100SWB]

That tool will also work very nicely on 86 and older trucks, they too have a stud at the top.