I'm Planning To Replace All My Shocks ... But
04-15-2007, 08:26 AM
#1
Advanced
Thread Starter
I'm Planning To Replace All My Shocks ... But
On my 1981 5-speed, I am in need of replacing all four shocks. Before I get started, I need some input as to what else I should do while the wheels are off.
A) Recommendation on shock replacement. Good basic setup, nothing too extravagant, good city/highway setup
B) A-Arm Bushings? Should I do this while in there, although I do not know how difficult this repair is.
C) Ball joint Boots? I read a recent write-up, and should I do this as well?
Any other thoughts would be great, and thank you for the help.
A) Recommendation on shock replacement. Good basic setup, nothing too extravagant, good city/highway setup
B) A-Arm Bushings? Should I do this while in there, although I do not know how difficult this repair is.
C) Ball joint Boots? I read a recent write-up, and should I do this as well?
Any other thoughts would be great, and thank you for the help.
04-15-2007, 09:11 AM
#2
Team Owner
usually you should check the front end for any play at the wheel bearings, ball joints and tie rod ends if there is any play the parts should be repaired or replaced any torn boots should be fixed if there are aluminum ball joints on you car they should be replaced with the steel units, use a magnet to check, if the tie rod ends have torn boots someone has new boots on the this site, and check the steering rack boots if they are torn or soft now is a good time to fix these.
Mostly this is a plug and play , as far as replacing the shocks, I put Bilsteins on my car and i think they work very well, you may have Boge on your car. See Ebay for shock deals on Bilsteins
In the rear look for upper control arm links with worn bushings try to move the wheel in and out while a helper looks under the car on jackstands of course and you might need to jack the wheel assembly up a lil bit to relieve the suspension, also look for the long lower control arm link pins the ones that the lower shock mounts to for straightness some times these get bent, if they are bent you need to replace them you wont know they are bent till you remove them, to remove these pins remove the front nut and pull the pins to the rear of the car, (note they have nuts on either end) also look for worn sway bar bushings at front and back, and check the brake lines for deterioration, get some very thick grease, use it to hold the conical washers in place after you remove the lower link pins, check the shocks for worn bumpers (that ride on the inner shock to prevent the shock from fully collapsing/ bottoming out )it might be a good idea to just get a new set of them (all 4) , if your old shocks were leaking this would make the bumpers swell and get soft .You might need new/used lower spring adjusting collars depending on how corroded the old ones are.
Dont forget that you will need to check/reset the ride height and then get the car 4 wheel aligned, after you drive it for 30 miles or so to settle the suspension, make sure you have a good spring compressor and dont forget tighten all the bolts that hold the top mounting points, after the car is on the ground
Mostly this is a plug and play , as far as replacing the shocks, I put Bilsteins on my car and i think they work very well, you may have Boge on your car. See Ebay for shock deals on Bilsteins
In the rear look for upper control arm links with worn bushings try to move the wheel in and out while a helper looks under the car on jackstands of course and you might need to jack the wheel assembly up a lil bit to relieve the suspension, also look for the long lower control arm link pins the ones that the lower shock mounts to for straightness some times these get bent, if they are bent you need to replace them you wont know they are bent till you remove them, to remove these pins remove the front nut and pull the pins to the rear of the car, (note they have nuts on either end) also look for worn sway bar bushings at front and back, and check the brake lines for deterioration, get some very thick grease, use it to hold the conical washers in place after you remove the lower link pins, check the shocks for worn bumpers (that ride on the inner shock to prevent the shock from fully collapsing/ bottoming out )it might be a good idea to just get a new set of them (all 4) , if your old shocks were leaking this would make the bumpers swell and get soft .You might need new/used lower spring adjusting collars depending on how corroded the old ones are.
Dont forget that you will need to check/reset the ride height and then get the car 4 wheel aligned, after you drive it for 30 miles or so to settle the suspension, make sure you have a good spring compressor and dont forget tighten all the bolts that hold the top mounting points, after the car is on the ground
