Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Any hints and tips to make this job easier?

Do i need any special tools?

It looks as if its just a matter or undoing the bolts and sliding the thing off but should it be done with the suspension loaded or unloaded?

are you removing front or rear shocks?

usually i just undo the top and bottom mounts and slide the shocks off the mounts. this is with the car at normal rest, and on level flat ground.

the front shocks are a pin to eye configuration, and i can't remember if its a 17mm nut top and bottom or not. wither 17mm or 14mm.

anyway, for the front, undo the top nut, and push shock down, or compress it. if its a gas shock, or still good, it should want to extend out by itself. if its hammered, then it will stay at the position you put it in.

then undo the nut on the bottom mount, take the washer off and dont lose it. and the slide the shock off the mount. the should be 2 washes, one on each side of the shock rubber mount. one will have a bogger centre hole than the other. the one with the bogger hole goes on 1st, then the shock, then the washer with the smaller hole. then there should be a spring washer, and then the nut. pretty simple. just remember the way they came off and replace the same.

the rear shocks are eye to eye. so its almost the same as the front ones, but the upper mounts might be a bit harder to get to. also, you might have trouble actually pulling the shock off both mounts, this might be because of the hand brake lines. if it is, then chock the wheels, and let the hand brake down. you should find that the hand brake lines on the rear diff will go lose and you should have enough room to pull the shock off.

BTW, this is for a leaf sprung sierra. i'm not sure with coily's.

Do it at rest or if you want to take the wheels off jack under the diffs, don't jack off the body and let the springs hang as the shocks may be the limiting factor which will make them harder to remove and very dangerous as the diff will drop suddenly when either the thread lets go on the front shocks or you get the shock off the pins.

cheers guys

just the info I was after..