Okay as I'm looking at my next few mods. I'm seeing how I can save money and maybe be able to lift my Runner sonner if I can save enough this upcoming mod. I was initially going to have the tire center that is installing my tires install my shocks(Bils) as well. But if I would be able to install the shocks on my own and then have them put on the tires I could save a bit of money on the labor(w/o having them install the Bils, they would have to be under the Runner less). Plus I would like the experiance and gratification of installing my own shocks. What I was wondering was if this is something that you guys would recomend as a do it yourself job? And if you could give me some pointers/ or direct me to a site that explains how to install my shocks on a 3rd gen Runner(96'). Thanks.

-Scott

 

Yes, doing it yourself would save you some $$$. It's not that difficult if you have the right tools. But if it's your first time, you will need to have some patience ( a buddy would be a great help as well)!

Here is a write up of the spacer install by Steve Schaefer. Doing the shocks is not that much different. This is a good one because it has a lot of pictures showing the install.

Here is a write up by Gadget, it is just a small one but helpful as well.



By the way ... are you bidding on that Manik on ebay? ... EDIT: Never mind, I just read the other thread ... oh well you'll get it eventually!

 

I have replaced the shocks in both my Toyota Pick-up and my Ford Explorer in just the last few months. This is a pretty easy do-it-yourself project. I had to jack up the Explorer a little to have enough room to get around underneath but did not have to do this with my Toy. I did not have to take the wheels off of either. Just have a good, complete socket set and a some good end wrenches on hand and you should be fine. The shocks should come with a plastic tie thing on them that keeps them compressed in the box. I found that if I mounted the top of the shock first, then cut/removed this tie, I could then guide the other end into the moutning bracket, then bolt it inot place. Even if the shocks gets away from you and extends fully, they are fairly easy to compress by hand (at least mine were-ProComp ES9000s and Trailmasters). One thing, on my '91 Toyota, the lower bolts for the front shocks were big, requiring a 1/2 drive rachet and large wrench (I don't remember the size of the bolt). I was able to get it loose without a breaker bar, but I had to fight it a little because I was on my back and stomach. You might want to have a small breaker bar around for this

You can go to a library and look at a Chiltons manual for your truck, or buy one for about $15.00, to see what your set up is like.

 

This quote was taken from another thread:

Hey Stump1883, I was just curious, what's included for the $1000.00? (i.e. shocks, spacers, shipping, etc.)

Have you shopped around for the best price on these things?

 

No what I'm including in the $1000 price is the price of the TIRES($130 x 4), and then the shocks($80 front, $70 rear) and spacers($80 front, $150 rear coils) , plus all the shipping on the shocks and spacers. it comes to something just a little over 1000 bucks :cry: . The only place that I know of to find Bils. is Performance Products and another place on the web that does sell the Bils a little bit cheeper but I don't know how reliable/ligit the place is. Anyone got ideas on how to get the Bils cheeper from a reliable place, let me know.

 

Yea, that sounds about right.

The cheapest price I have seen on the Bilsteins is at Rocky Mountain Suspension for $60.00 each. You may also try Shox.com and get a quote from them.

Another thing you can do is if you are going to buy the spacers from Protrux ... see if they carry Bilstiens and will put a package together for you with spacers and shocks, this may be a little cheaper if they are willing to do it. Also see if Downey will put a package together.

And finally, these guys may give you some good prices:Wheelers Off Road I think they may have all of the parts to do the lift and their customer service is really good!

 

Thanks man, I'll give shox.com a call tomarrow. I really need to get these things on there too, 125,000 miles on the original stock shocks makes the ride really hard. So I bet even the so called "stiff" Bils will seem like a Cadi's ride to me.

 

heres another write-up to help you out:

www.toyotaoffroad.net/afertig/96/omefront


Email me if you want to see the pics

 

Hey AdamF, that is a really good write up ... I am going to bookmark that one!!!

 

Definitely do it yourself. It is worth the time and effort, not only because it will save you some money, but because of the satisfaction and experience you will get. However, like everyone else has said, try to recruit a good buddy who doesn't mind helping you turn a wrench.

 

I'm lucky. I have a couple god friends, that actually wait for me to get my next mod just so they can jump in on the instalation. This will be our first really big one though. It should be fun though. I can see that they're enthusiasim to help is going to pay off on this one after reading a few of those write ups.

 

I also have some Bilstein install info on my handeling page.

Oh, and you can get the Bils for 15% off at PP using the banner link on my site. The link is good till Sept 27th.

 

Thanks for the tip, J.A.

I forgot you had a link on your page w/ that deal. I was looking at getting my shocks from shox.com. But they don't have them in stock right now, so I need to call and see how long that would take for them to get them in and ship them to me. If not PP is where I'm going. I already have to get my PIAA Wiper Blades from there so why not, the bigger the order the bigger the discount , hmmm what else do I want from PP while I'm at it haha. Thanks again man.

 

Hey Stump,

Hope you've already got a good jack and jack stands. Other than that, I'd recommend strap wrenches from your local auto parts store. I used a big one to remove the OE rears, and I locked the piston shaft of the Bils with the smaller wrench to turn the nut instead of using an allen wrench. No damage.

How tight did you all turn the locknuts anyway?

 

Sorry Ryd, ya lost me altogether there. Is this going to turn out to be a bigger job than I espected. I need some more links to sites that tell me how to take off and put on the shocks. I would like to make this a one day instalation, I have 4 friends that are anxious to help me w/ this mod. but I want to get it right and get it done in one day, no need to loose my car for longer than need be.

 

Hey Stump,

The items below are not necessary but they will make the job much easier

I second the strap wrench Ryd.

The most difficult part of the install for me was removing the rear shocks. This is due to the cramp quarters at which you need to work to loosen the upper bolt of the shock.

I had a buddy hold on to the upper bolt with a socket wrench. I strapped the shocks with the strap wrench and I did all the turning. This works just as well when you install the new shocks.

I purchased this after seeing a Bob Villa ad for the Craftsmans Strap wrench. Although I didnt purchase the Craftsman, the cheapo one I bought worked just as well. One suggestion. Make sure you clean the area of the shock that the strap will go on. This well add more grip for you.

Air compressor and compact wrench.

Compressing the springs is labor intensive. The more the spring is compressed the harder it is to wrench.
Using a compact wrench will definitely speed the process.
CAUTION. When using the compact wrench you will still want to compress each side of the spring evenly and only a few rotations at a time. It would be very easy to over compress with a compact wrench as it wrenches with absolutely no effort.

Good luck to you and think safety first.

 

Good Lord, the more and more I talk to you guys about this, the more and more I fell in over my head. Also I have watched a bunch of the show "Trucks" on T.V. and every time they do something witht the shocks they always stress the point of tourqing the bolts down to the recomended amount of foot pounds. Now that alone scares the crap out of me, I don't have any kind of fancy wrench that can to that. I would just tighten till I felt it have a good bite on things. And now hearing you tell me some of these same things I'm even more confused and worried about doing it on my own. This would be my first "major mod", I haven't done all that much before under the car, most of it has been audio and headlight changes, and running board removals, stupid easy little things like that. If there are any poeple with really good visual write ups let me know. If you think it best for me to let someone professional install it as this would be a "first" major instalation for me, let me know. I rather do it myslef, but I want it right.

 

I also tried a Craftsman strap wrench to get off the rear factory shocks...they still would not break free for me. A local mechanic had better luck using huge curved lockjaw pliers.

 

Curved lockjaw pliers? Ow! Sounds painful...

Sorry to confuse you Scott. I don't mean to make the job sound intimidating. I was looking for answers myself before I tried to take on the install. I was just trying to be brief with my post.

Here it is with a "little" more detail...

Drop your spare and get it out of the way. Loosen your rear lugnuts while your 'Runner's still on the ground, but don't remove them yet. Lift your 'Runner and set it on a couple of jack stands. If you've totally raised your tires off the ground, you can go ahead and take off the rear tires (you're gonna have to do it eventually in order to remove the shocks). Note: If you're hesitant to lift the rear end until the tires are off the ground, you'll still have to lift and support the rear axle. (You can put the jack underneath the rear diff. housing and jack it up until the tires leave the ground. You won't have to worry about this if you've already raised the rear tires off the ground.) Don't forget to block the front wheels good. We'd like to hear that the install went well, and you're loving your new shocks as opposed to hearing that you're in the hospital 'cause your SUV rolled off the jack stands and fell on top of you! You should have plenty of room to maneuver now. Get underneath and find the top mounts for the rear shocks and spray the bolts with some penetrating lube/oil/corrosion remover stuff. Make sure to use lots of it and let it soak in for a while (I used WD40 and let it sit for about 5 minutes - gotta let the fumes dissipate as well.) While you let the bolts soak, you can pull off the wheels if you haven't already. A buddy can come in handy at this point, but is not necessary. Get back under, pick a side, and throw a socket wrench on the top nut (I forget which size socket. I'll get back to you on that.). Get out from below, and wrap your strap wrench around the lower edge of the upper shock body/metal boot, where the boot overlaps the shock body. This will give you more beef to grip as the boot will most definitely bend/deform when you try to turn it. If you place the strap too high, you may bend the boot too much and your OE shocks will not compress properly, hampering your ride all the way to your local garage to get your shocks "professionally" installed at "special rates." Make sure that you've got your orientation right for both the socket and strap wrench ("righty-tighty, lefty-loosey") and let'er rip. I echo smr4Runner's statement about wiping down your shock before putting on your strap (uh... yeah) - helps with the uh... friction. Anyway, if you're working solo, the socket wrench will find a resting place against the frame or something else down there. If you've got a bud, he can hold the socket in the "cramped quarters" while you're out in the clear, wrenchin' away. (Get him a beer later and he'll forget all about it. If it's an especially hot day, it may take two beers.). If you've got some miles on your odometer, chances are that there's a bit of rust on those bolts, so you will have to work it a bit. If you have to, hit them with the oil again and let'em soak for a little while longer. Hopefully, you won't have the same problems as J.A. I got my driver's side shock off, then the other one stuck. I groaned and moaned a bit, then I added the WD40, and let it sit before I went to town on the shock. It wasn't pretty after it came off, but it came off. (Woo-Hoo!) Luckily, the bottom bolts are cake! With the wheels out of the way, you have clear views of these bolts, 1 per side. Using your socket wrench (Encore on the socket size. Use a breaker bar for extra leverage if necessary), take these suckers off, and you're in business. Your Bilsteins go on in reverse order. All the plates/washers and grommets/bushings are "sufficiently" detailed in the documentation included with the shocks. With the blue rubber boot already in place, put a washer on top of the shock piston, the bushing with the small flange on top of that, and shove it into the mounting hole. You'll have to compress the shock a little when you try to land the bottom mount - install washers and bushings according to their diagram, compress the shock, and slide in on. Get the bolt on there and hand tighten it so it won't slip off while you're turning the top nuts. Throw on the top bushing and washer, and hand tighten the locknut provided. Bilstein got this part very right. Bilstein decided to use locknuts that take the same size socket as the bolts on the lower mount, so no musical socket dance. I know it's a small thing, but it can get annoying, especially if you're working alone and don't have an extra set of hands or an extra wrench handle. The strap wrench comes in handy again… Note: The Bilsteins have a slot for an Allen wrench at the top of the piston shaft, but I'll be darned if I'm gonna try to hold the shaft in place with an Allen wrench while trying to turn the nut with an open wrench. My strap wrenches came in a set of two - one large, one small. The large one worked well on the shock boot, the smaller one works well to hold the shaft in place while you tighten the top nut with a socket. Again, a buddy can be helpful, but is not necessary (Save the beers for yourself). With the boot pulled out of its seat and resting on the shock body, the shaft is exposed and you can hold it with the strap wrench in one hand while cranking with the socket in the other. This was highly unscientific for me, and a pain in the arse. On the driver's side, you have the fuel inlet tube that gets in the way. On the passenger's side, you have the exhaust pipe. Note: It's probably not a good idea to try this swap right after you've made your beer run. Let things cool down a bit down there. How much to torque the nuts? I dunno. I have the specs for the original nuts, but I don't know how you'd get a torque wrench up in that mess to torque it to spec. I cranked until the bushings looked "satisfactorily deformed" and hope to this day that the locknuts will hold. I'd appreciate any feedback as to how everybody else turned these. How tight? Push the boots back into their seats. You can then use a torque wrench to torque the bolts on the bottom mount. I did these to spec. (I posted the values on one of the forums before. I'll look it up and get back to you.) Pop on the rear tires, drop the axle, pull the stands, and your rear end has been successfully Bilsteinized. And you're halfway done!

I know that this isn't the only way to do this, but it worked pretty well for me. Scott, I hope you find this helpful. I wrote as much as I did because I didn't want to leave anything out. It’s better to have too much info than not enough. It's not that bad a job, and I think that you'll be just fine. Make sure to have the proper tools and you'll be okay. For me, the proper tools included a good jack, a couple of good jack stands, blocks for the wheels, a socket wrench set with standard sockets, torque wrench, breaker bar, strap wrenches, and WD40. You'll need to add spring compressors for the front. Am I missing anything? Take your time and be careful. Smr4runner's right, Think safety first. Good luck, and have fun.

I'll be back later with the socket sizes and torque numbers. Maybe I'll try to climb under my 'Runner and snap some pics. Does anybody else have shots of the rear install?

Ryd

 

smr4runner - Strap wrenches are a godsend, aren't they? How did you figure how much to torque the locknuts?

Air compressor and compact wrench? What happened to good ol' elbow grease?

Thanks for the input,
Ryd