Forgive me for my ignorance, but I have searched all over this forum and the internet and can't seem to find good directions. Is it as simple as swapping them out? I know the bolts will be hard to get off so I plan on spraying them all with PB blaster well ahead of time. What is the difference between front and rear? It looks like the front thread up into the frame on the top? Do i need to do anything to prep the shocks themselves or just bolt them on? Will it be a ***** getting the old ones off? I'm a noobie to this. Any help or links would be appreciated. Thanks

BTW, I'm also putting on a new steering stabilizer. Any trick to that? You guys are full of knowledge and have made my build a lot easier. Pics soon to come

 

Hi, Everything is as simple as it seems (unless you bust some rear shock bolts) the ones in the front come out from the rear and under the hood. If you bust a nut/bolt in the rear then you need to pop out the stud with a air hammer and put a new nut/bolt in there...Tj

 

spray the rear bolts well.........

 

I sure hope that doesn't happen in the rear because I won't have access to an air hammer. I will spray those down with PB really well.

 

the top of the fronts can be seen under the hood. the passenger side is easy to access but the driver side is under the air box. you may need a pair of vise grips and a box end wrench if the shaft starts to spin on them. the difference between the fronts and rears is the front has only one eye and a threaded post on the other. post goes up. the steering stabilizer is easy but you may want to get a new cotter pin for the castle nut, they are cheap, come in packs and are handy if you take anything else on the front end appart.

 

Thanks for all the info. It sounds like the hardest part will just be getting the old ones off without breaking anything

 

You can pretty much count on busting those upper rear shock bolts. If you get them out you're a better man than most of us. I managed to even snap one of the lower rear shock mount bolts, but I blame myself for that. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can do it quickly without spending some time for the rear upper bolts. Be prepared to have a fight on your hands...

 

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Spray the rear upper bolts with PB Blaster or SeaFoam penetrant. Let it sit for about an hour and then spray again. Repeat as often as you like till you feel like tackling the upper shock bolts. In any case, count on snapping at least one. I snapped all 4!

This will require removing the snapped portion of the bolt with Easy-Outs or drilling the snapped portion out. I had to Heli-Coil the spot-welded nuts attached to the frame rail and install new bolts (this time with LOTS of anti-seize!).

 

i would actually start spraying w PB like a week b4 u plan on doing the job.like everyone else said already those bolts like to break. and when they do it turns into a real pain. i would also recomend getting bar pin eliminators so u will not have to worry about breaking those bolts ever again
http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...Category_Code=

 

Do any other bolts typically create a big problem with doing shocks and lifts like the leaf spring shackle and front bolts, lca bolts, u-bolts? I guess the u-bolts don't really matter since my new kit comes with new ones...

Also, a little off topic, but while we're on shocks, is there really that big a difference between the hydro and nitro shocks for a DD? I already have a brand new set of skyjacker hydro shocks, but it seems like evryone prefers the nitro shocks. I'm obviously going to use the new hydro shocks I have, but will they work just as effective as nitro shocks?

 

anti-seeze cost a dollar or two and a couple extra $ for some grade 8 bolts... then you really wont have to worry about them again.

 

How do I know what size bolts to buy for the various components I'm replacing with my lift kit and shocks? If you're recommending I switch to grade 8, does anyone have the sizes of bolts for the different parts I should buy grade 8 for? I would rather buy them ahead of time. Thanks

 

yea the leaf spring bolts can be a pita too. if ur gunna do a lift i would start spraying every bolt that ur gunna need to take off. i would get a few extra bolts 4 the leaf springs just in case. i bought them directly from jeep. they werent terribly expensive. i dont remember how much tho

 

for the rear shock mounts i would buy bar pin elimators for them. i broke a couple bolt changing my rear shocks. i welded the BPEs to the unibody and used the bolts were i could and just ran it.

 

USS 5/16 -18 1" bolts, washers, stopnuts. Buy 8 bolts and stopnuts, 4 washers. The fronts you wont need washers. If you don't break the rear top-bolts then you won't need 4 of the nuts, but its better to have them just in case. Replace all the bolts even if they don't break, it will just save you agony next time.

There are some triangular access holes about 5" away from the rear shocks toward the center of the vehicle. Use a straw if you can and spray the PB all over the top nut that is welded into place. Let it soak as long as you are like, then remove the bolts slowly. After the first 1/4 turn tighten them again so that the rust moves out of the threads a bit. This method worked for me and I didn't break a bolt.

IF you do break a bolt then refer to this guide:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/s...-heavy-323809/

It is well made and the pics are invaluable.
Best of luck to you, its really not to bad. Just a reminder because I would feel bad if I didn't, but be sure to "chock" the tires on the ground if you are lifting half the Jeep at a time. Safety first!