A few things I learned. It is better to have a 1/2" drive on the bolts for the upper and lower bolts on the front, and the lower bolt on the rear. The top bolts on the rear do not need to be tightened very much, I think someone mentioned 17 pounds of torque. Since I do not have a 3/8 torque wrench, I had to guess. I used a floor jack to raise and lower the frame for the front shocks to get enough distance so that I did not have to compress the shocks to much. I was surprised when I opened the box that the front shocks were not compressed like the rear shocks were. That would have made the front install a lot easier.

I can tell a difference after my test drive. There is not as much bouncing and swaying as there was.

My truck has over 120,000 miles on it and it appeared to me that the shocks I replaced were the original Motorcraft shocks.

I am not a mechanic, so I did the best I could. Instead of paying $20 per shock to have them installed, I used the money to buy more tools!

I bought the shocks online from eShocks.com.

 

You cant uncompress the shocks by hand? Every shock I have ever installed I could compress and expand no problem by hand. You just pull on them and they move.

 

The rear shocks on the Excursion are not little wimpy shocks. They are truck shocks for sure. I have had the Motorcraft ones off, and even those soft ones were a bitch to compress by hand while laying under the truck. I just pushed on a Bilstein front shock that is waiting for me to install it, and it's a nasty one also, but not quite as bad as the rears.

 

yeah, i used recently put on bilsteins too. I had a 3/8" torque wrench though, so I was in good shape. I absolutely love the clicker-type torque wrenches, WAY better than the old style sith the pointer The rears were pretty easy because they were pre-compressed, except for the fact that (for me) they were too compressed, so I had to cut the strap and put in in the bolt as the shock de-compressed... That was scary because I knew as stiff as those shocks are, I had one shot at lining up the holes . I think for the rears, I used a 10mm for the top @ 17 ft/lbs, and a 18mm for the bottoms. (I couldn't find the correct socket for the 'bolt' side at the bottom, so I used a 18mm on the nut instead)

For the fronts, I used a 18mm for the top and an adjustable wrench for the bottom. For the life of me, I couldn't find the right socket. I read somewhere that it was a 19/32, but where the hell do you get a 19/32 socket? If i remember, it was between metric sizes, but I'm not positive. Whatever, I just tightened it best as i could and called it good... Those fronts were a pita to install though without being pre-compressed... I had to get my dad to help me to push up. I'm 17 so he's just glad that im spending time with him and using his help (and learning from him) instead of getting myself into trouble

I like 'em too though! My only gripe is the rubber boots up front, they should have been the tougher metal boots like the rears :/ whatever. Overall, they are stiffer and better...

Sorry for the long post

Isaac

 

I just put new springs on the front before Xmas and just last week put a new set of bilsteins on the front well i thought i was doing pretty good with just the springs then the shock, man this thing glides over bumps like nothing. But then the back end hits, ouch gotta do it next. I used an impact wrench to put mine on and off, i couldn't see doing it any other way, those bolts were so damn rusted on it was crazy, i even gave them a spray with liquid wrench in the morning and let them sit all day.