I just had my rear shocks replaced and my front ones look real easy to get to but not sure what to expect. Does replacing the front shocks require the truck to be jacked up and down at certain points during the removal or installation?

 

If you take the shocks off, and let the truck sit on the compressed springs, good luck getting the new (uncompressed) shocks on.

Yes - you are going to have to jack it to line the holes up.

 

shocks do not support vehicle weight, they resist spring oscillation (bouncing)

the mounting bolts can be difficult; if it has a stud on the top, the threads could be corroded badly enough that the nut binds up, it may require the torch. some eye-ends (top or bottom) have a long pivot bolt, and quite often, it don't wanna move. shop experience generally has you cutting the fasteners off with the torch and installing new to save precious shop labor rate time

the gas-charged shocks will extend when you remove the packing wire, they can be compressed by installing the bottom end first, and then leaning your weight onto the shock to compress... purposely push it in too far, and then push it onto the top bolt as it extends out to that length.

tighten the bolts enough to compress the rubber bushings but not enough to crush them... too much crush will cause the outer part of the bushing to split and tear away

 

Ok, thanks. It's like I thought it would be in a car. I'm surprised how many people think the shock supports the vehicle and that's the first thing they replace when the car or truck sits low!!! It's just like you said. It slows the return of the spring to it's original position. Without the shock the car or truck would bounce back like a trampoline!

Thanks.

 

I changed the shocks myself compressing them by hand, not very hard.

Do the gas shocks rebound more?

 

and get plenty of Rust breaking spray product beforehand

 

The bolts look pretty clean with no rust but I think I'll have someone else do it. My rear shocks took 45 minutes of "LABOUR" (Rank French) to replace 4 of them.

 

Whatever you do, make sure there's lots of anti-seize on the bolts when it goes back together. You'll thank me later!

 

Oh, never heard of that in fact, I was going to put loctite on the threads. I deceided not to do it myself anyways since the labor will be so cheap.

I remember put shocks on a car once before. These were the type that just had a rod sticking out of the top and threaded at the end. I connected the bottom first then after an hour trying to grab the skinny rod to pull it up I had to take it out and do the top first!!! My life's story, do the job, then take it apart and do it again right.