Hartman
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- October 16, 2001
- Messages
- 8,315
- Reaction score
- 13
- City, State
- Indianapolis, IN
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1996 5.0
I've had a number of people e-mailing me and PMing me asking questions about how to change shocks. I've also witnessed a few members on this board pay outrageous amounts of money to get 4 shocks installed. For that reason, I am writing this to help those that want to save a bit of money. Here we go...
Installation is on a 1995 XLT 4WD.
REAR:
Removing Old Shocks
Swapping out the shocks in the rear does not require you to lift the truck off the ground. It DOES require you to lower the spare. After the spare is lowered, you are ready to begin.
1. Remove two shock bolts on the top of the shock.
The nuts of the bolts are on the top of the reinforcement plate, so you have to reach up and over the plates to gain access to the bolts. This is why the spare is lowered. You should have plenty of room on one side, the other side is a bit trickier because you have to reach over farther. The bolts are 13MM. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BUST ANY OF THE MOUNTING PLATES, or else you're up a creek.
2. Once you have the top bolts removed, it is time to remove the bottom shock bolt. This bolt may be a little tough to break loose because it may be rusted. I had to spray the heck out of mine with PB Blaster.
The larger bolt is 18MM and the smaller bolt is 15MM. If you are using hand tools, use a crescent wrench on the 18MM bolt with a rachet on the 15MM bolt. I used a piece of 1/2 inch of steel pipe slipped over the rachet handle for leverage. After you break the bolt loose and remove it, the shock will extend to full length, so make sure you have your body parts out of the way so they don't get crushed. Discard the shock and repeat the process on the other side.
Putting in new shocks
Most shocks come with a string or zip tie on them to keep them compressed for easy installation. If yours don't, compress them and put your own string on them. First secure them with the bottom bolt, then cut the string and guide the top of the shock into position while it is expanding. Secure the top bolts.
FRONT:
Removing Old Shocks
The front is just a tad more difficult than the rear. It can be done with the tires kept on, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you jack the front of the truck up, secure it on jackstands, and remove the front tires. It will make things a whole lot easier.
1. Remove the shroud that covers the top shock bolt. Some brisk pulling on this should pop out the clips that hold it in. Lay it aside.
2. Remove the first bolt on the top. It should be fairly easy to remove. Then, with a crescent wrench, remove the bolt after the initial one. Spray this bolt with PB Blaster or a penetrant of your choice and let it sit for a while. This bolt can be extremely tough to break loose. On one side of my truck, it was very hard to make a turn on the bolt, it took a lot of force. Just keep at it.
When the bolts are off, remove the bushing if it is still attached and move to the bottom.
3. The bottom bolts for the front are fairly simple, but you have to be careful. Depending on how old your truck is, this area can be very weak. If this area snaps, again you are pretty much screwed.
The nuts are 13MM, similar to the rear top bolts. Again, take care when removing these so you don't break the mounts. When those are removed, shimme the shock out the bottom and discard it. Put the shroud back on. Repeat the process on the other side.
Putting in new shocks
Secure the bottom bolts, cut the string and guide the top of the shock through the hole in the mount and bolt the the top down.
I hope this helps some people save some money.
Hartman
Installation is on a 1995 XLT 4WD.
REAR:
Removing Old Shocks
Swapping out the shocks in the rear does not require you to lift the truck off the ground. It DOES require you to lower the spare. After the spare is lowered, you are ready to begin.
1. Remove two shock bolts on the top of the shock.
The nuts of the bolts are on the top of the reinforcement plate, so you have to reach up and over the plates to gain access to the bolts. This is why the spare is lowered. You should have plenty of room on one side, the other side is a bit trickier because you have to reach over farther. The bolts are 13MM. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BUST ANY OF THE MOUNTING PLATES, or else you're up a creek.
2. Once you have the top bolts removed, it is time to remove the bottom shock bolt. This bolt may be a little tough to break loose because it may be rusted. I had to spray the heck out of mine with PB Blaster.
The larger bolt is 18MM and the smaller bolt is 15MM. If you are using hand tools, use a crescent wrench on the 18MM bolt with a rachet on the 15MM bolt. I used a piece of 1/2 inch of steel pipe slipped over the rachet handle for leverage. After you break the bolt loose and remove it, the shock will extend to full length, so make sure you have your body parts out of the way so they don't get crushed. Discard the shock and repeat the process on the other side.
Putting in new shocks
Most shocks come with a string or zip tie on them to keep them compressed for easy installation. If yours don't, compress them and put your own string on them. First secure them with the bottom bolt, then cut the string and guide the top of the shock into position while it is expanding. Secure the top bolts.
FRONT:
Removing Old Shocks
The front is just a tad more difficult than the rear. It can be done with the tires kept on, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you jack the front of the truck up, secure it on jackstands, and remove the front tires. It will make things a whole lot easier.
1. Remove the shroud that covers the top shock bolt. Some brisk pulling on this should pop out the clips that hold it in. Lay it aside.
2. Remove the first bolt on the top. It should be fairly easy to remove. Then, with a crescent wrench, remove the bolt after the initial one. Spray this bolt with PB Blaster or a penetrant of your choice and let it sit for a while. This bolt can be extremely tough to break loose. On one side of my truck, it was very hard to make a turn on the bolt, it took a lot of force. Just keep at it.
When the bolts are off, remove the bushing if it is still attached and move to the bottom.
3. The bottom bolts for the front are fairly simple, but you have to be careful. Depending on how old your truck is, this area can be very weak. If this area snaps, again you are pretty much screwed.
The nuts are 13MM, similar to the rear top bolts. Again, take care when removing these so you don't break the mounts. When those are removed, shimme the shock out the bottom and discard it. Put the shroud back on. Repeat the process on the other side.
Putting in new shocks
Secure the bottom bolts, cut the string and guide the top of the shock through the hole in the mount and bolt the the top down.
I hope this helps some people save some money.
Hartman