Front Shock Install with Pics
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Front Shock Install with Pics
1999 Dodge Ram 4X4 360
So I have the clunking under the feet which is likely caused by loose shock bolts or a bad shock bushing.
Big thanks to dhvaughan and zman17 as they have always helped me troubleshoot my truck. I have had it for about 3 months and done the following projects:
Here are my tools.
The only socket you will need is a 5/8" for the shock lower stud bolt and a 15MM for the three nuts on each of the shock tower. You will need some extensions for both the tower bolts and lower shock bolt and also a decent cheater bar depending on chassis corrosion.
I went ahead and jacked up the passenger side a little though I am not sure if its neccessary for shock removal.
The passengers side was a piece of cake. Of course since the back of the lower shock bolt is a flag nut, you dont have to worry about getting a wrench on it and the lower stud bolts came out with little effort. You may have to take a long screwdriver or punch to knock the bolt out.
Once the lower stud bolt is out you will remove the three 15MM nuts on the shock tower from under the hood.
Now you have to seperate the shock tower from the shock. The tip of the shock is a hexagon and this best done by putting the tip of the shock in a vice, squirt it with some PB blaster and use an crescent wrench to remove the top nut. Now you have removed the shock.
The passenger side is a little more difficult cause you have to deal with the brake reservoir. What you will want to do is place a 1" wrench between the axle and the lower shock mount and press up to compress the shock. The shock sits in the crotch of the wrench. Push the shock to the side of the spring. This will allow you to remove the shock and shock tower without having to remove the brake reservoir.
My suspicions were correct. The bushings are pretty ragged out:
And would you expect anything else from a pair of 13 YEAR OLD SHOCKS!!! WOW
Sooooo What type of shock should I get?? What about the Monroes? They are pretty cheap?
So I have the clunking under the feet which is likely caused by loose shock bolts or a bad shock bushing.
Big thanks to dhvaughan and zman17 as they have always helped me troubleshoot my truck. I have had it for about 3 months and done the following projects:
- Hughes Plenun
- New Plugs, wires and distributor cap
- New fuseable link
- New starter contacts
- New shocks (in progress)
Here are my tools.
The only socket you will need is a 5/8" for the shock lower stud bolt and a 15MM for the three nuts on each of the shock tower. You will need some extensions for both the tower bolts and lower shock bolt and also a decent cheater bar depending on chassis corrosion.
I went ahead and jacked up the passenger side a little though I am not sure if its neccessary for shock removal.
The passengers side was a piece of cake. Of course since the back of the lower shock bolt is a flag nut, you dont have to worry about getting a wrench on it and the lower stud bolts came out with little effort. You may have to take a long screwdriver or punch to knock the bolt out.
Once the lower stud bolt is out you will remove the three 15MM nuts on the shock tower from under the hood.
Now you have to seperate the shock tower from the shock. The tip of the shock is a hexagon and this best done by putting the tip of the shock in a vice, squirt it with some PB blaster and use an crescent wrench to remove the top nut. Now you have removed the shock.
The passenger side is a little more difficult cause you have to deal with the brake reservoir. What you will want to do is place a 1" wrench between the axle and the lower shock mount and press up to compress the shock. The shock sits in the crotch of the wrench. Push the shock to the side of the spring. This will allow you to remove the shock and shock tower without having to remove the brake reservoir.
My suspicions were correct. The bushings are pretty ragged out:
And would you expect anything else from a pair of 13 YEAR OLD SHOCKS!!! WOW
Sooooo What type of shock should I get?? What about the Monroes? They are pretty cheap?
Last edited by littletunny; Dec 26, 2010 at 06:45 PM.
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,204
Likes: 10
From: Gainesville, Ga.
if money is no object, order a set of bilsteins on the internet. they're a little pricey, but with internet pricing and free shipping its not too bad.
if you only want to spend a modest amount of money, check rockauto, autozone, etc for your standard heavy duty shocks. monroe magnums or gabriels are pretty good. try not to pay over about $25-30 each for them. they are considerable less than bilsteins.
my rear shocks had a bad rattle. turned out the lower bolt was wallowed out from about 14mm (9/16), down to about 12mm. i had to replace the bolt to get it back up to a firm fit inside the shock bushing/pipe/tube thing.
if you only want to spend a modest amount of money, check rockauto, autozone, etc for your standard heavy duty shocks. monroe magnums or gabriels are pretty good. try not to pay over about $25-30 each for them. they are considerable less than bilsteins.
my rear shocks had a bad rattle. turned out the lower bolt was wallowed out from about 14mm (9/16), down to about 12mm. i had to replace the bolt to get it back up to a firm fit inside the shock bushing/pipe/tube thing.