gv280z Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Let me start by saying how undeserving-ly stupid lucky and humbled I am because I just happen to have a shop at my disposal with forklift and air tools. That would be the shop I work at but we are not a mechanic shop. So today I did use my forklift and airtools to do the easiest possible thing it seems on our vehicles to do and that's the rear shocks. I say easy, I don't know, it did seem pretty straight forward (yea right with my truck ass end 4 feet off the ground) But I just wanted to give a big nod to you guys who figure out how to do waay more intense stuff than replacing shocks without the aid of mechanical lifting and air tools. My job today did take me right at 2 hours even with that stuff, 2 hours. So after a lot of searching and wondering and reading I settle on the KYB Excel G shocks. I had been going back and forth with these and the DT3000 shocks which look pretty tough. I'd read / heard something strange about Rancho 5000s and saw many conflicting reports, people hate them, they're terrible / people swear by them, love them won't have any other shock and the fact that they don't rebound because they're oil filled instead of gas charged? Oh and the fact that I found the KYB's on killer sale for dirt cheap, that helped a lot too. Also for a very long time I've been wanting to try the coil insert boosters, round strips of rubber you stuff inside the coil springs...I thought that would be a cheap easy way to get some lift, so I did that today too. So I got up under my truck and this is what I found: couple of old shocks and rear axle, obviously. I was able to use my air ratchet to remove the nuts on the lower mounts but had to use a hand ratchet on top, first one side, then the other and also stuffed both coil inserts in the coils, bolted in my new shocks easy peasy. and done. Not quite. So I drive home after running some errands and trying to get a feel for the new ride...it's really bouncy and kinda nervous...well, maybe the shocks and coil boosters will break in over time...Oh almost forgot!: Coil booster for lift is absolutely worthless, it didn't do anything, I took before and after shots, no difference...and then it started bugging me that I was getting false readings from my new shocks because of the coil boosters, so I did run back to my shop, drug the forklift back out again and crawled back under to rip those things out! Now I know 100% the feedback I'm getting is from my shocks and it's says they are pretty firm but I expect they'll break in nicely and settle down, I'm happy at this point, now I just need to get the fronts done. I think for the mild offroading that I haven't done in a long time now, these shocks are perfect and were dirt cheap, and I'll never have to pay for another set off shocks again RE: the limited lifetime warranty. Before the coil boosters After coil boosters duhhh.....crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissanland Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Just a thought/question? Did you put the coil spacers in or on top of coils, you might have just put them in place incorrectly? The spooky action you might have been feeling could of been due to the coils binding from the spacers being in the coils and not on top adding the lift you had hoped for. Like I said, just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissanland Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) P.s. I hope you had your truck supported by some measure other than the fork lift. Not to get preachy but I think we need to error on side of safety here and help educate those that just don't know how easy things can go wrong when we're under the truck. I think some kind of frame braces should always be used when jacking up the truck, unless on a full truck lift. I personally don't want to read in here of someone getting hurt because the truck fell off jack and on the person underneath. I have a buddy that is paralyzed from the chest down from the very thing happening. I just don't see any chocks or jackstands in the above photos. I apologize if you did use, we all have been there using what's available to us, no bad feelings. Just safety... Edited January 27, 2014 by Nissanland 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gv280z Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I put the coil boosters inside the coils between the bottom and 2nd two coils on both sides. I would have to use a spring compressor and completely remove the spring to put underneath or on top. And no, I didn't have any other safety brace to hold the truck while I was underneath it, before going under I gave the whole thing a good shake to make sure it wasn't about to fall off the forks or roll forward, which was my concern. I considered putting into 4 Lo but didn't...I guess I didn't think it would engage to keep the front wheels planted so I didn't mess with it. But, the entire time I was paying close attention and did imagine the whole thing coming down on me. But if I did die that way my wife and kid would be wealthy and I would be the new Darwin awards winner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissanland Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) Okay on the spacers end of things, you won't need spring compressor, all you need to do is lift your rear with a jack and put on stands. Remove the lower shock mounts, disconnect the sway bar the brake line bolted up above axle, lower and let the axle hang loose. The springs will almost fall out. Slide your spacers on top and reverse the process, unless the spacers are not the type designed to be placed on top that is. If so disregard the aforementioned information. LOL On the bracing end, all I can hope is you will be in future. As a trucker we have a saying, there's no load that's worth more than our lives. Here, there's no project that's worth not being safe. Either in the garage or out wheeling. We all want to have fun and enjoy what the sport has to offer all of us. Like I said not the preachy kind, just safety first... Edited January 27, 2014 by Nissanland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gv280z Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 YIKES!! You lost me at "Lower the axle and let it hang loose" huh and what?? I'd rather use a spring compressor and that's if I even cared about using those stupid booster things. Maybe one day I will. Thank you for the advice, I know it was stupid..I paid half a mind to what was going on.. I have a deadly job too, I deal with big rubber balloons that when they explode and your standing next to it, you're either dead or bleeding from the ears, there was one that knocked over a track hoe, like a 345c or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissanland Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well if you wanted to install there's a bunch of good information in here for installation of springs, just use the same information to install the spacers. That said the shocks look good, I see you have a limited slip rear also. That's always a good thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 all he's saying in regards to removing the coils is to jack up the rear of the truck under the body letting the axle hang, but disconnect the shocks, the sway bar and the brake line where it attaches to the top of the axle first, once the rear is jacked up and supported the axle will hang down low enough to where the coils will almost fall out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissanland Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Yea that's it...what ahardbody said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gv280z Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'll think about it..we'll see, something like this I think I might be able to do but I need to give it time to let the idea settle in. Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nissanland Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 You Can Do It! LOL all's good.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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