fitting rear shocks

[sebfox Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close sebfox]

You can access the top of the shock mount from inside the vehicle. Access is via two rubber grommets which allow access to the top of the shock.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

You can access the top of the shock mount from inside the vehicle. Access is via two rubber grommets which allow access to the top of the shock.

Are you sure? I’ve pulled back all the carpet in my 98 model and there are no grommets or access of any kind located near the top of the shock mounts.

[Travcol Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Travcol]

[Travcol Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Travcol]

Hi just done my rear shocks this us all you need to get top bolt off 17mm ratchet spanner and the heavy duty channel pliers fit around top of shocks to stop it from spinning.

[SimonR Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close SimonR]

I've recently finished replacing my rear shocks, yes it was a "shocking experience". The passenger side rear shock was, as others say, exceedingly difficult to get at!

I replaced some MaxiTrac rear gas shocks (were on the car when I bought it 4years ago, been around Australia (much of it on dirt) & on many off-road trips locally, stood up well) with Bilstein's (as I already had them on the front & are renowned as being amongst the best (double to price though)). The MaxiTrac shocks had a metal shroud which enabled the shocks to be unwound whilst the top nut was held, the Billies (like most new quality gas shocks) now have a silicone plastic shroud which was problematic.
The old shocks were removed via holding the top nut with an angled std 17mm ring spanner through the shock mount cup, yes tricky to do but possible with two people. Not straight forward though, as the the top of the shock mount stud has corroded and was impossible to undo, even with the use of a large stillson pipe wrench on the shroud , gave up and reassembled. Soaked as best I could with WD40 overnight, still no go, tried to cut the thread with a S/S nut but was unsure of the thread size, soaked again with WD40 until the weekend.
This time, with much effort, the shock come off, horary! But how are we ever going to get the Billies on, as they have a plastic shroud, the only way to hold them from turning whilst the nut is tightened is via the female allan key slot in the top of the shocky mounting stud whist also cramming in a spanner, impossible

A two person job. The best way was to drop the stabilizer bar and control arm, push the bottom of the shock inboard, tighten the top nut (allan key through the new floor hole and ring spanner under the car), swing the shock back inline with the bottom mount and tighten, reattached the arms. Repeat for the far easier drivers side).

The passenger left hand side with all of its stuffing around took 5 hours! the RH drivers side took 1!. If we had gone with the holes in the floor at the start then 2 hours all up is predicted.

The holes in the floor were painted and stoppered with std plugs from supercheap and this will be an easy task next time (hopefully the Billies will out last the car though).

I've added photos for hole locations. Make them as big as possible and as close to the edge of the floor cross beam.