Changed shocks, glad that's over...

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Jan 4, 2013 | 01:48 PM

MC5C

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Changed shocks, glad that's over...

What a 5 hour pain, literally... Front shock upper mounts had corrosion and were each a 45 minute struggle to fight the upper nut off. If I had one available I would have cut them under the mount with a sawzall and saved myself a half hour on each one. I installed Bilstein HD's (4700's) and the next pain was getting them collapsed enough to lever them into the lower mounts. I used a floor jack and a screwdriver as a lever. Steering damper was easy, took about 15 minutes, just undoing the nuts, popping the joint and putting the new one in. Driver's side rear was equally easy, but the passenger side rear was another pain until I dug out my 12" extension and blasted the upper nut off with the rattle gun. Hard to wiggle around past the drive shaft and the exhaust pipe.

Would have been a ton easier if I had put it up in the air and taken the wheels off, but I did it with the truck sitting on the floor of my garage. I just moved, and my big jack is buried out in the barn so I couldn't even jack the truck up. Truck rides and steers like new now, which is nice!

Brian

Jan 4, 2013 | 06:18 PM

PowerItUp

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I feel ya. Like the Bilsteins though. Got the same on my f250 and like the ride. I'll tell you though, I just replaced a set on my f150 and I will say that I'll take changing the f250 anyday over the 150.

Jan 4, 2013 | 11:34 PM

Ian123

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I feel your pain on the front shocks, same exact thing happened to me.

Jan 5, 2013 | 08:22 AM

F-250HD

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From: Deerfield, VA

Touch the upper nut with a propane torch to break the locktite on the threads. Keep a water soaked rag handy for the obvious threat of fire.

Jan 5, 2013 | 08:37 AM

MC5C

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Normally I would have done that, but there are a couple of wiring harnesses that are way too close to do that, not to mention the plastic fender liner. I was really tempted, mind you...

Brian