NussBus
Member
Used KYB Gas Adjust KB5494 shock absorbers. Found on amazon for $37 each
My rear driver side upper stud for the shock mount had sheared off so I had a new one welded on. After that was taken care of, it was just a matter of installing the new shock absorbers. Removal of the passenger side shock was a bit of a challenge. I have a auxiliary fuel tank I need place of my spare tire (veggie power!) and the clearance between the shock and the tank is almost nonexistent. I also had trouble getting the shock out since it couldn't get the suspension to fully articulate down - I had my jack stand on a cinder block and STILL had travel. So I used a ratchet strap to compress the shock absorber for removal. Worked great! Threw on the new bushings/hardware and good to go. Also, I had a bit of trouble torquing the bottom nut. The bottom cylinder of the shock kept spinning. I ended up clamping it with a vice grip but padded the teeth with an old bike tire to get more of a bite on the smooth metal surface. Not the best option, as I risked denting/scraping the shock, but it worked and I clamped at the base where the weld was, not in the middle of the cylinder. Specs say 14-21 ft-lb on the bottom nut and that was it! Much smoother ride. I was only operating with 3 shocks! Speed bumps were always quite the event. Stopping feels better to - it would really nose dive when I had to hit the brakes hard. Probably ought to do the fronts sometime soon - still seem a bit squishy up there.
New stud welded to frame:
Ratchet strap to compress shock absorber for removal:
Narrow clearance on passenger side due to aux fuel tank.
Another angle of how tight it is between the shock and the aux fuel tank. Hope it doesn't rub!
My rear driver side upper stud for the shock mount had sheared off so I had a new one welded on. After that was taken care of, it was just a matter of installing the new shock absorbers. Removal of the passenger side shock was a bit of a challenge. I have a auxiliary fuel tank I need place of my spare tire (veggie power!) and the clearance between the shock and the tank is almost nonexistent. I also had trouble getting the shock out since it couldn't get the suspension to fully articulate down - I had my jack stand on a cinder block and STILL had travel. So I used a ratchet strap to compress the shock absorber for removal. Worked great! Threw on the new bushings/hardware and good to go. Also, I had a bit of trouble torquing the bottom nut. The bottom cylinder of the shock kept spinning. I ended up clamping it with a vice grip but padded the teeth with an old bike tire to get more of a bite on the smooth metal surface. Not the best option, as I risked denting/scraping the shock, but it worked and I clamped at the base where the weld was, not in the middle of the cylinder. Specs say 14-21 ft-lb on the bottom nut and that was it! Much smoother ride. I was only operating with 3 shocks! Speed bumps were always quite the event. Stopping feels better to - it would really nose dive when I had to hit the brakes hard. Probably ought to do the fronts sometime soon - still seem a bit squishy up there.
New stud welded to frame:
Ratchet strap to compress shock absorber for removal:
Narrow clearance on passenger side due to aux fuel tank.
Another angle of how tight it is between the shock and the aux fuel tank. Hope it doesn't rub!
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