Replacing Shocks. Seeking Advice/tips.

[MinnesotaManche]

Hello all,

 

After numerous searches I am looking for some advice on replacing all 4 shocks.

 

I'm just replacing to restore ride quality.

 

Couple questions I have are:

 

Is there any thing to look for before starting other than how rusty they are(thanks to lovely Minnesota)?

 

Any procedures or certain ways to do things to save time and/or hassle?

 

What most commonly breaks while removing the old shocks?

 

What to do if I break a upper rear shock mount/stud?(looking pretty rusty have been soaking in JB-80)

 

Please link any other posts or diy's I may have missed.

 

Appreciate any help, and thanks in advance!

 

-Cody

[MancheKid86]

get bilstien 5100 series shocks,

worth the extra buck

 

the upper shock mount in the rear is the one that will break,

heat the nut, and freeze the stud, and tighten first then loosen, slowly loosen/tighten this will remove all debris off threads without binding and snapping the stud off

 

 

when you install the new ones, the metal crush sleeve is not installed on the rear shocks

it does not fit over the existing studs

[Bornindesert]

Agree, put heat to it before you start cranking the nut off. A propane plumbers torch may work or may not, just not as hot of a flame as it looks. If you have access to oxy-acetylene, just be very carful working around the fuel tank, garage, and yourself. A couple of different techniques, you can get the nut hot and let it cool completely. Sometimes that's good if you just need to crack the nut loose. For severely rusted threads, I use Mopar Rust Penetrent, and get the nut cherry before cranking it off hot.

 

The front's are bolted in at the bottom, so the hardware is replaceable and would be good to replace with some frest metric hardened bolts.

 

Other stuff you might want to mess with are the front sway bar bushings and links. Pretty relatively inexpensive to replace the rubber with new rubber or polyurethane, provided you don't have issues removing the bolts that hold the sway bar mounts to the frame.

[MinnesotaManche]

Appreciate the help thus far guys!

 

Now let's say I get working away....and the upper mount bolt/stud snaps while attempting to take the nut off...

This will be the last time the truck gets new shocks as I will be eventually selling it an year or two....what would be your remedy to get a shock back on there?

 

Just weld the correct size bolt/stud to whatever is left on the stock mount?

 

Front's aren't a worry as you said I can just replace with new hardware...I just have a feeling stuff is gonna break in the rear...

 

I should have access to most of everything you both stated....torches, mopar rust penetrant etc etc...the one thing I am unsure is if I'll have something that will be able to freeze the stud.

 

What do you use to "freeze" said stud?

 

I will also keep spraying with JB-80 daily until the replacement happens.

 

Lastly, are the front's easy enough to get out with just using a jack on the side you are replacing?

[Eagle]

The upper mount isn't any standard bolt or stud. The part that fits into the shock bushing is smooth, and larger in diameter than the threaded portion. That's so the nut and washer can seat against the shoulder of the shank to properly compress the shock bushing without over-compressing it.

 

If the nuts look badly rusted and don't seem to want to come off, don't even fool around. If you don't have a nut breaker, get out the Dremel and grind one flat of the nut until it cracks, and you can turn it. You do NOT want to think about replacing the shock stud.

[jeepsouth]

Listen to eagle on this. What he has suggested is the best method for removal of heavily rusted nuts.

[MinnesotaManche]

I'll snap some pictures tomorrow(hopefully) so you can see the extent of the rust.

 

Die grinder do justice or not precise enough? Hence the dremel.

 

I'll be doing this in a buddies shop so I'll check on the nut breaker first.

[jeepsouth]

If you can get in there with a die grinder ,and a thin cutting disk that should work. Go easy ,and take your time. 

[MinnesotaManche]

Nut breaker shouldn't be a problem to get. What size is that nut?

 

Just re-tap the shock mount stud if everything goes smooth?

 

Eagle as I know you are very knowledgeable, if the stud breaks... What would your solution be?

[ParadiseMJ]

Listen to eagle on this. What he has suggested is the best method for removal of heavily rusted nuts.

The man knows his nuts!!

[87mjdriver]

Personally I would stay with standard hydro shocks, gas charged shocks on these horrible MN roads is annoying.

[oldseddie]

I have run kyb monomax on the front and their gas-a-just on the rear two of my mj's. I live in the mountains so handling is at the top of my list of requirements. They are firm and really improve the stability along with a jks track bar.

[carnuck]

For basically a stock ride, I use the Napa Regal Ride commercial shocks and get a better ride than the more expensive ones

[reubj]

The upper mount isn't any standard bolt or stud. The part that fits into the shock bushing is smooth, and larger in diameter than the threaded portion. That's so the nut and washer can seat against the shoulder of the shank to properly compress the shock bushing without over-compressing it.

 

If the nuts look badly rusted and don't seem to want to come off, don't even fool around. If you don't have a nut breaker, get out the Dremel and grind one flat of the nut until it cracks, and you can turn it. You do NOT want to think about replacing the shock stud.

Do you know what the thread is on that stud so I can get a die to chase the threads?

Thanks.

[HOrnbrod]

M12X1.75.

[reubj]

M12X1.75

Thank you sir.

[Eagle]

Agree, put heat to it before you start cranking the nut off.

 

Or be safe and just use a nut buster.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nut-Splitter-Tools-2-Pc-Set/dp/B0000AX88Q%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0000AX88Q

 

Use anti-sieze when installing the new shocks.

 

Of course, I said all that three years ago ...

[Goose_XJ88]

Digging up this old thread because I did break off an upper stud. 

 

I'm a CA boy and not used to dealing with any rust so I only used on blaster which is usually enough.

 

How can I fix my mistake?

[HOrnbrod]

Easy way:

 

[Eagle]

On 11/14/2013 at 1:38 PM, MinnesotaManche said:

Now let's say I get working away....and the upper mount bolt/stud snaps while attempting to take the nut off...

This will be the last time the truck gets new shocks as I will be eventually selling it an year or two....what would be your remedy to get a shock back on there?

 

Just weld the correct size bolt/stud to whatever is left on the stock mount?

 

 

There is NO good fix for if you break off the upper rear shock mount -- so don't do it. If it looks rusty, use a nutbuster to break the nut. It will then come off cleanly and all you have to do is replace the nut. Same for the bottom. Use anti-sieze when you install the new nuts.

 

[DesertRat1991]

22 hours ago, Goose_XJ88 said:

Digging up this old thread because I did break off an upper stud. 

 

I'm a CA boy and not used to dealing with any rust so I only used on blaster which is usually enough.

 

How can I fix my mistake?

 

ahh..... welcome to the club.  It's a very exclusive club that requires just the right combination of bad luck and swear words to join... 

 

 

I guess I never posted the final solution in that thread.  I ended up ordering a long threaded rod from zoros.com and had a shop weld it on for me.  I did not grind off what was left of the broken stud.  The welder said that would have been a bad idea.  Instead, the guy welded up over what was left of the original stud and mated it with the new piece to ensure a solid bond.  Below is the only picture I could find at the moment.  The fix was still a work in process at this point.   After this photo,  we made sure the stud was straight and level, then did some shaping of the weld joint with a grinder to make sure the shock bushing could slide over it.   The fix has held rock solid for nearly a year now with several wheeling trips.  Good luck. 

 

[Rubikahn]

Reviving this thread as I replaced my rear springs last weekend. Today I’m trying to get my new shocks on. I can get the shocks onto the bottom stud no problem using a deep socket and hammer. The top mounts are fighting me to the point I can’t get them to seat enough to get thread. I worked some lithium grease inside all four bushings before attempting to push them on.  Is the top shock stud a different diameter than the lower shock stud? The shocks I bought are listed for an XJ if that matters? Any help would be appreciated! 

[velco]

Rear MJ shocks are different than XJ.

 

 

[Rubikahn]

1 hour ago, velco said:

Rear MJ shocks are different than XJ.

How so? Both sides of the shock use a bushing and the bottom fits no problem.
 

 So I just went and pulled the old shocks out of the trash. They don’t look wallowed out, but they are dry rotted. I measured both the top and bottom inside diameter of the bushings. I have 5/8” at the bottom and 3/4” at the top. Can anyone confirm this? I’d rather press out the top bushing on these new shocks and install the correct ones instead of buying new shocks 🤦‍♂️

[big66440]

Kroil is the bust rust penetrant, pricey but it was the ONLY penetrant to free up an old Hemi I had laying around,