Strut replacement?
 

My friend has a 99 4runner and want me to change the struts. I have done this many times on other vehicles. How hard is this on a 4runner w/ 4wd?

Any special instructions?

What should I charge? I told him $50 a piece for labor is that reasonable?

Thanks

Look at any of the write ups for installing a coilspacer lift. The process is basically the same and the only "special" tools you are going to need are spring compressors.

lol, if by $50 a piece you mean $200 that is insane IMO. If you have changed out many others than you will be pleasantly suprprised to see how easy Runners are.

If its your buddy why not ask for a 12 pack and do it on a weekend together and show him how? It shouldnt take more than 2 hours if you know what you are doing. Why charge $200 to a buddy, when that buddy could go and pay ~$120 or so for a shop to put them on...

no speical instructions, very straight forward. The rears are cake but rent a free a coil-type spring compressor from autozone or something to make the fronts a little easier.

I should have stated a co-worker. I have a 71 Chevelle in the garage I am trying to fund, but I will reconsider my price.

Is the rear just shocks and not struts?

You'd be surprised at what people charge for this type of work. I think $120 for fronts and rears is pretty cheap and would rather pay than spend the 4+ hours on doing the work.

Yep, rears are shocks so just cut off the stud right at the rubber grommet and they just about fall out. Fronts take a little more time because you have to compress the spring to get the strut off. Neither will be difficult unless there is a ton of rust on the nuts/bolts. You should be able to do all 4 in 2 hours with reasonable experience.

Coupla things to bear in mind - once compressed, those springs have a lot of kinetic energy and could do some serious damage if the spring compressor breaks or somehow slips off, so be careful!

The new strut inserts will likely have different rubber and washer combinations than the OEM shocks, the box or an included pamphlet should explain what order everything goes, I once had to do it all over again because I had a concave washer in the wrong spot, which made funny noises when I went over bumps.

Removal of the coilover sets are pretty self explanatory - the whole thing comes out of the suspension in one big unit, and you don't really have to disconnect any of the suspension itself, as long as you have a friend or a good pry bar to keep the wheel shoved down while you disconnect and remove the bottom bolt.

Your library should have a manual for a 4Runner/Tacoma (susp is the same) of this era, and you can just xerox the strut R&R pages.

Not to be picky, but compressed springs are storing "potential" energy. A display of their "kinetic" energy is what he is hoping to avoid.

See the "Elastic Potential Energy" section of http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssc...rgy/u5l1b.html