Wish me luck, folks. I'm replacing all four shocks today. Also replacing steering rack bushings, sway bar bushings, a sticky parking break bellcrank AND a tie rod end, just for good measure.
Its going to be a L O N G day.
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MrBeanley
Glenville, New York
2004 Tundra Double Cab 4x4
Nothin' like throwing caution to the wind! Watch out for that bellcrank, it's a deceptively simple yet easy to break little bugger (not that I have broken any ) You should have a like new ride when done. In the immortal words of Larry the cable guy "Git er dun!"
make sure you have some vicegrips handy for the rear shocks. helps to have a second pair of hands. Maybe I did it wrong but mine sucked to get off.
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toytec coilovers/ 5100s/ axis regulators/ yokohama ats/ spintech prostreet
The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. -Shaw
We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen two times as much as we speak. -Epictetus
I'm putting Billsteins (sp?) all around; but just the heavy duty ones; not the 5100s.
It took me all the daylight from 11:30 am, but I did manage to get both the front shocks replaced. Holy CRAP. I was thinking the spring-compressor thing was going to be the big headache. That was nothing.
Problem #1: getting the top bolt off the (front!!) shock. After PBlaster, the torch and close to an hour using everything including my own butt to hold the thing still, I gave up and grabbed the hack saw. When I did the second front shock, I just went straight for the hack saw!!
Problem #2: getting the bottom bolt back in the shock when re-mounting it. Good night! Who thought THIS was a good design?? Geeze!! I wrestled with the first one for a good half an hour. Then it occurred it me: since I was going to do the sway bar bushings anyway, why not disconnect the sway bar link now. Good plan, because doing that acutally made lining up the bottom hole a bit easier. Some gentle prying involved, but nothing like the horror storries I hear from you guys with the lifts. Mine is just stock height.
So, the only bit that still has me scratching my head is the darn sway bar bushings. I had to cut the old rubber bushing away from the top washer with the hack saw! And it took forever to cut the bottom ones off (while still on the truck!) with a razor knife. Did I miss something here? I don't recall anyone ever having that particular trouble before. I wasn't supposed to leave the old rubber ones in place, was I?
Well, once I got all that done, I decided that I was too tired, too hungry and it was too dark out to attempt to start the rear shocks today. So I buttoned her back up and went to grab a bite to eat. Don't notice much of a ride difference, yet. Although (mentally) the steering seems a bit tighter. Probably just my imagination.
I honestly think I'm going to go straight for the hack saw on those rear shock top bolts, boys. Or maybe the old grinder. There sure ain't a lot of space in there. Better keep the kids clear of the garage tomorrow. Bound to be lots of new four letter words flying around.
I still have to do the rack bushings and the left outer tie rod end, too. Don't know if I'll get to those tomorrow or not. Mean time, keep the good advice cumming, guys!
I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight!!
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MrBeanley
Glenville, New York
2004 Tundra Double Cab 4x4
Congrats so far and not giving up!! That east coast corrosion, we've got it easy. Replacing the sway bar bushings should be the easiest step and all your old bushings should have came out and the new ones reinstalled in the same place. Taking a hack saw to the rear might be your only choice seeing that the front was so bad. You might be in for a long day also with the steering rack bushing, that seemed harder to do than my UCA's. I took a torch to the bushing melting them out. Just don't pull to hard on the steering rack you do not want to break it. Good luck and take your time, it will be worth it!
One thing that helped me an the rack bushings was to jack the frontend up. The instructions say to leave the tires on the ground if I remember. After an hour of wrestling with it, trying to get it lined up, I lifted the front end. It was ten times easier to get everything to line back up. You can turn the wheels and move the rack in different ways than on the ground. So, if you have a problem try this before giving up.
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2005 Stepside TRD AC- phantom grey, 2.5" cornfed lift, 285/65/18 Nitto Terra Grapplers on Pro Comp 18x9 9089's, dual magnaflow out same side, k+n fipk, pioneer dvd, 2 infinity kappa 8's under rear seat, all Infinity kappa components in doors, passport 8500, Scangauge II w/ blendmount, clear corners,tint, Tonneaumasters tonneau cover, fog light mod, silverstars, SAW's or Toytec coilovers next, maybe uniballs too $$$$
One thing that helped me an the rack bushings was to jack the frontend up. The instructions say to leave the tires on the ground if I remember. After an hour of wrestling with it, trying to get it lined up, I lifted the front end. It was ten times easier to get everything to line back up. You can turn the wheels and move the rack in different ways than on the ground. So, if you have a problem try this before giving up.
Oh, I was completely planning on having the truck in the air for the rack bushings! My big butt just don't fit under it when the wheels are on the ground!
__________________
MrBeanley
Glenville, New York
2004 Tundra Double Cab 4x4
good job MrBeanley. Wish I thought to mention unbolting the sway bar for the front shocks. The rear ones are a lot easier if you have somebody hold vice grips on the top and you wrestle them out from the bottom. the bilsteins use an allen head to bolt on, makes it easier to put on.
Ciam, it's not that bad, the first one takes time/effort but you learn and the second one flys by. Its mostly the spring removal/assembly that takes some foul language.
__________________
toytec coilovers/ 5100s/ axis regulators/ yokohama ats/ spintech prostreet
The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. -Shaw
We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen two times as much as we speak. -Epictetus
good job MrBeanley. Wish I thought to mention unbolting the sway bar for the front shocks. The rear ones are a lot easier if you have somebody hold vice grips on the top and you wrestle them out from the bottom. the bilsteins use an allen head to bolt on, makes it easier to put on.
Ciam, it's not that bad, the first one takes time/effort but you learn and the second one flys by. Its mostly the spring removal/assembly that takes some foul language.
__________________
toytec coilovers/ 5100s/ axis regulators/ yokohama ats/ spintech prostreet
The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. -Shaw
We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen two times as much as we speak. -Epictetus
OK. Here goes nothin'...
,tint, Tonneaumasters tonneau cover, fog light mod, silverstars, SAW's or Toytec coilovers next, maybe uniballs too $$$$
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