So I had to replace my front shocks and I did not want to pay the $24 for a Chilton manual. So me being the typical DIY destroyer-of-anything-mechanical, I just jumped right in. I am also the person that when I get to a part that needs to have a real mechanic, I call the people who have the tools, with some supper thrown in, and get her done.

Now, that being said, SAFTEY FIRST! This is not a guide on how to kill yourself but without any sort of safe guards, you can SERIOUSLY hurt yourself.

This is also not a definitive HOW-TO guide! Someone with torque numbers, PLEASE POST!

Needed parts:

1 shock set per side



Tools, bare minimum:

9/16" open/boxed end combination wrench
1/2" socket
1/2" drive ratchet wrench
3 ton hydraulic jack
2 ton jack stands (2 needed)
Lug nut wrench
Something to cut the top mount off (I used a angle grinder)

Tools, ones that help and I used:

Air ratchet
Impact Wrench
Any other sockets

Now first things first.

If you have to use a lug nut WRENCH, break all the lug nuts loose while it still is ON THE GROUND. That way, you use the weight of the truck and the parking brake to give you some force. If not, you will be chasing the wheel around.

Block the rear wheels.

Stick your jack under the frame on the side you are going to do first, right where the frame comes down to its lowest under the door. Jack it up and put a jack stand to secure it. Now A) Finish taking off you lug nuts or B) Use your impact wrench to take off the wheel. Set wheel off to the side and it should look like this:



Now is a good time to do anything brake related like brake lines, caliper clips, brakes, steering box, ball joints, etc.

Another thing to note, I found my front end rattling and lack of shock problem:





Now, while examining the good side, the one that didn't break off, you need to take the top nut off FIRST!!! Reason being is the shock actually compresses the springs a bit. Unless they are really bad, it should not spring up. Now use your 9/16" combo and get it off, if you are lucky enough to not have it rusted. Be like me, grind the sucker off. Careful. The rubber (if any) will be HOT! I have little black specks on my arm from the rubber burning into me.

Now take the bottom 2 screws out. The truck should be high enough the wiggle it out of the bottom. If not, jack it up higher.

Now here is the tricky parts....

Step 1) Install 1 washer and rubber disk on the shock like this:



Step 2) Put it up through the bottom.....

DOH! Not tall enough?



Pull it out and do step 3.

Step 3) With the help of another person and your 2nd jack stand, you will do this. Jack the truck up and put your jack stand at its lowest setting. Have person number 2 or you take the 2nd one and place it under the rotor like so:



SLOWLY lower your truck until it compresses the spring about 2". Put the shock back in, guide it through the top mount. Should only stick through about 1/2" to 1". Put the bottom bolts back in to hold it there. Now lowering slowly, let it down till the top of the shock rubber disk is in contact with bottom of the top shock mount. Place the rubber disk, washer and nut on top and torque it down. Verify that all bolts and nuts are snug and won't move. Jack the truck up, pull the jack out from under the rotor, set the truck back down to desired height on jack stand under truck. Everything look good? Now place to wheel back on. Now is my favorite part. Since I never knew this truck with shocks so, me being the DIY test-it-to-the-max, I cranked the jack up, removed jack stand, and let'er rip on her way down. The wheel contacted the ground, settled to stock height, and did NOT bounce back up.

I hope I helped some people.

Jon

 

Nice . I just recently did this. word of advice, do the top nut on the shock first, i tried turning the top nut and it was turning the whole shaft inside the shock so i had to get out the cut off grinder.

FYI-Those shock shafts look like the smaller diameter non-4k lb axle though (they make special ones for the diesel suspension). which are also shorter i found out because i ordered the gasser D250 ones at first!!! the shafts were smaller diameter and 1.25" shorter then the diesel ones.
....which may have the been the reason they came up short for you but who knows.

 

According to our local O'Reillys guys, for a DIESEL 93 D250 NON 4x4, that is the one. I checked with the dude 3 times. If he screwed me....

 

Good write up! I am currently doing shocks on mine but like always my luck has ran out with a strip bottom bolt on the passenger side so I've soaked the hell out of it with PB blaster and its so stripped now I can't get anything to get a bite on the bolt included my set of bolt out sockets from craftmen...guys have any idea what I could do to get it out?

 

Cutoff grinder.

 

or hack saw or something if you don't have air or a cut off grinder. They make smaller hack saws that don't have the full arch back on them that are nice for tight spots.

 

the only thing that bothers me with cutting it off is how would i get the rest of the threaded bolt out with nothing to grab ahold of.

 

i was able to put my bilsteins in without having to compress the spring. wonder why those shocks are short?

 

I always compare new to old... if they arent the same they must be stronger looking or back to the parts store i go :-)

Use a pair of good vice-grips and you should be able to get it off... or weld a good bolt to the end of the stuck one and get it out that way.

 

That's the first thing I thought - the shocks look a little small to me. I just did mine a couple of months ago and they were bigger. The first time I replaced mine I had to use a die grinder to clean up the lower A frame hole so they would slide in easily - it didn't take much just a clean-up so they were definnitely larger than OEM shocks. I also installed a steering stabilizer.

While I was in there I put on new slotted and dimpled SS rotors with a lifetime guarantee and the best pads I could find. I followed their break-in recomendations and the braking performance keeps getting better.

BTW my truck was bought on the West Coast so it is totally rust free.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Bob

 

Hmm, the more I read, the less I like what I did.

For comparison, the ones removed were the same size... Maybe thats why the FL was broke???