I looked in the service manual: It's says to remove top nut than
remove 3 nuts holding shock tower, than remove bottom bolt
and pull shock up from engine compartment.
??? Can't get the top nut off: Broke a socket and cut my finger. Ouch

Can I remove the 3 nuts and shock tower and remove shock as an assembly?
Than take the nut off, looks like it will work. but I have been screwing a lot
of things lately. want to not get stuck in " half off" situation.
Thanks.

 

The pass. side you can do that. The drivers I think will hit the master cylinder. It has been a while but I sure that was the case when I replaced mine

 

you have to to get the shock out

 

volly 818, got it,
yes, right comes out ok after air box removed
Left is a pain, after 3 days of PB Blaster I got the top nut off.
Than a Pickle bar over the shock from the wheel well held in place with a 2x4 and a big block to hold shock down while removing the tower,

The Bilstein shocks did not come tied in the retracted position ( ??? )
took me 20 minutes tieing them down, but install went real easy,.

Thanks..

? Bilstein did not appear to have the quality of previous ones.
wonder if there being outsourced...
AND install instructons in every language EXCEPT english.
and instructions appeared to be for all model shocks,
except the parts with my shocks... ??????

I just love the Global economy....

 

Soak the top nut in PB blaster for a couple days.

Cut the rubber boot off the OE shock, grab the piston with a good pair of vice grips and twist that top nut off.

I had to grind (or rather, have someone grind) the bottom sleeve on my bilsteins to get it to fit in the channel on the bottom.


phox