How to replace front shocks...

gomopar89

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I have a '89 Chrysler Fifth Avenue and I was wondering the best way to replace my front shocks. I have basic tools, floor jack and jack stands. Thanks
 

Master M

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Check to see if you have rusted bolts or nuts and get some Liquid Wrench on them if needed a day before you start.
 

BudW

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There is no official procedures to replace the front shocks.
The way to do it is easy enough. Remove the nut on top and bottom, push shock up past the lower control arm, tilt to rear enough to clear the control arm, and pull down then out of car.
Reverse to install.
Shock 1.JPG


There are two problems on installing front shocks on FMJ body cars.

The first is the nuts are a royal bear to get off because of rust.
Using a liberal amount of penetrating oil a few times (day/days in advance) helps a lot. Using heat (be careful of the bushings) or using a nut cracker also helps a lot. There is a small hex on the shaft you can get a Closed End end wrench on (or socket) which is another aid. Large vice grips sometimes helps – but generally not so much.

Using a saw to cut the shaft can also be a means of removing them (I recommend cutting through the bushing) – but not room to do so in all cases. Keep in mind the shafts use hardened steel

The second problem is gas filled shocks. You need to have the shock in a compressed state to install – but being gas filled (if applicable) wants to extend itself so you are fighting it on both ends installing them. Most gas filled shocks have a plastic or metal strap to keep them in a compressed state out of the box. Keep the strap on as long as possible, then remove when ready for shock studs to go into respective holes/bushings.


Three tips I can recommend.
- Use quality shocks.
- Keep an eye on bushing washers. They typically go one way and sometimes are not the same top and bottom.
- The last tip I hadn’t tried yet – but should help on future repairs. Find a plastic sleeve the same diameter as the shock studs. I see them as screw protectors or other names, and typically are color coded.
Add some wheel bearing grease to shock studs, then slip the screw protector over that. That way rust should all but be eliminated.
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siliconecaps_lg.jpg

BudW
 

gomopar89

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BudW, Thanks for you information. I bought KYB Excel shocks from rockauto. One more question, what is the best way to access the shocks? How should I jack up the car?
 

BudW

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Yes,
Jack vehicle up and place on jack stands.
Remove both front wheels (helps greatly to access the upper nuts).

NEVER get under a (any) car without jack stands!
BudW
 

BudW

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Thinking of this post,
When I got my ’86 5th Ave, the previous owner put new tires on it and replaced three shocks, leaving the L/F alone (not sure why, but would guess couldn’t get the nuts loose). The 4th new shock was in the trunk.

Kinda odd driving the car for I can give car a little gas and L/F fender goes up quite easily.
Also, hit a bump and the other 3 shocks work overtime to compensate for the weak L/F one.

Now the other kicker, is why I hadn’t gotten around to fixing that shock yet.
I may need to create a committee to look into that issue . . .
BudW
 

F body Deconstructor Jim

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Remove the two panels on the inner fenders for clear access to the top shock nut with a socket and extension.
Wire brush the exposed threads before trying to remove the nut.
There may be a small tin jam/locking nut on top of the regular nut. Remove it first.
 

volare 77

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Try to get as much of the rust off as possible if not the shaft may spin along with the nut. They make a tool to hold the shaft while removing the nut.
 

jasperjacko

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Kinda odd driving the car for I can give car a little gas and L/F fender goes up quite easily. thats from all that massive torque!hehe
 

BudW

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It looks quite impressive, until the light turns green. Then car slowly departs from the line while all you see is tail lights.
 

Leizurtime

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Just tried to install some KYB gas adjusts on the front of my Volare today. Luckily the old shock was so spent, it compressed easily for removal. The new KYB came fully extended out of the box and seems impossible to compress to try and fit it in. I didn't want to fight it and risk damaging it, so I gave up in hopes that when I have the front end rebuilt, they can just install them then.
 

lowbudget

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Get some bailing wire, go around shock end to end, compress shock on the ground, tighten up bailing wire, insert shock, cut bailing wire and remove. I had to do this with some rear overloads. On my KYB's I just inserted the top, compressed from underneath and inserted the bottom.
 

Monkeyed

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The new KYB came fully extended out of the box and seems impossible to compress to try and fit it in. I didn't want to fight it and risk damaging it,
Some shocks will lock closed with a quarter turn, but you should really make sure you can compress it. You won't damage it, it is literally it's only purpose. If it won't compress return it. I had a shock that just didn't extend smoothly, Rockauto sent me a new one, wrote it up as "catastrophic valving defect" didn't even make me send it back.
 
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