pearlvette

I am going to tackle the shocks on a 85 cpe. How does this rate on the difficulty rating for a general knowlege home mechanic. I was wondering if any one has tips or is it straight forward. It's just me and the Haynes manual.

Phantom90

On a scale of 1 to 10... 10 being you might die if you mess up.

I would rate this difficulty as a .2

Very easy very straight forward.


Edit: Take each wheel off (while properly supported) and you will see the shock. its being held in place at two different points. the top and the bottom.

Its easier if you have a stand so you can place the raised car on the stand and use the jack to raise the lower control arm a little to ease the fitting.

Wayne88

I changed the shocks on my '88. Its fairly easy, I am not a mechanic.
Basically, it goes on the same way it comes off.

I used a few diagrams from the Gm shop manual as guidlines. Your '85 may be a little different, but not much.


Front Shock
Rear shock

pearlvette

Thanks. Confidence booster always great before a project.

Jet-Jock

Hopefully you have a floor jack, after you have one side jacked up and the tire off, place the floor jack under the lower A frame to support it when you release the shock. Be careful of the zirc fitting for lubication.

Note the number of threads on the top mount bolt. When you install the new shock return it to the same position (number of threads). Some brake parts cleaner or a couple of cans, some thing underneath to catch the mess and when it is apart it's a good time to spray all that grease and dirt away before re-assembly.

On the rear's the top of the tower mounts to the body with a plate. Note it's position, flat side to the chassis. Lower attach bolt is torqued on. When you remove the shock assembly, not the tension and thread count on the tower mount bracket before removal. Depends on what kinds of shocks your installing, Bilstein's have an allen wrech stem that allows you to hold the stem while tightening the nut. Some have other methods. Manual calls for torque, can't really torque because the allen wrench has to be there to hold it. (DUH) I guess if you have one of those unique torque wrenches (open end wrench) you could. But if you return it to where the previous one was you should be pretty good shape.

granpastoy

So easy a caveman could do it.

mikey whipreck

Take a look at this write up: By Bogus

and it is very easy, don't be worried at all. Some fellow forum members have even changed shocks without removing the wheels or jacking up the car (for the front anyway).

KBoltz

If not, I live in San Bennie - could help you out in a couple of weeks - I am on vacation the rest of the week.

There is an HPDE event with the Porsche Club at the Bayview County Airport on March 25. I will be there around 9:30 A.M. Look for the arctic white 96 with the Targa Truss on. I am 6 feet 1 and 250 pounds , so it will be hard to miss me. Especially here in the Valley!!

Ken

runner140*

Tip: I used two jacks when I did mine (and jack stands). One jack to get the car off the ground, then use jack stand and the other to move the control arms up and down. You can't compress the shock by hand.

pearlvette

I bought some KYB’s on ebay. They should here today or tomorrow. After reading the posts, I don’t anticipate any problems. What is the HPDE event?

KBoltz

It is a High Performance Driving Event - basically hot lapping sessions. You will really learn how to drive.

Is your car a base suspension car, Z51 or Z07?

pearlvette

I am pretty sure it is base. No codes to find on the car anywhere.

rocco16

Yep. This is one job you don't even need a manual for (except, maybe for fastener torque values).

If you know which end of the screwdriver to pound on, you can change shocks.

Larry
code5coupe

92PGC

I just purchased a 92 coupe with 46K on it. It is in good condition. The first owner had it for 12 years, the second for 2, so with less the 4K per year it has not seen a a lot of miles.

How many miles can you expect out of a shocks on a gently used vette ?

I know how to check if shocks are bad on standard vehicles, but not sure on Vettes. Is it the same ?

Appreciate any thoughts.

brdd

I am no mechanic and this was easy for me. I just work slowly. My shocks did not look old but I ordered new bilsteins anyway. As I took off the first one I pushed it up and down. Then I compared that resistance to the new ones. The difference was dramatic to say the least. I knew at that point I had done the right thing.

TimV SR

I changed all four on my '85 last year. It went well except for one in the front. I couldn't loosen the top nut and had to cut it off. It was still one of the easier repairs I've made.

Phantom90

Thats what I went with, the ride difference with the new KYBs were night and day. Maybe next time I will spring for some bilsteins so I can compare.

Make sure you check the part # on the ebay item with the application part number on the KYB.com website. I ordered from ebay and the guy had the wrong part number set up on the web site, big waste of time....eventually it was straightened out.

pearlvette

The KYBs are in. It took about an two hours for all four. That because I only have one jack and one jack stand. Yes it was very easy. I did not run into any problems. All the tips were very helpful. The vette sits higher off the tires (especially the front). The ride and response is fantastic. Of course comparing it to the ride with four blown shocks. There was absolutely no resistance left in the old shocks. The KYBs seem to be a solid shock. I am very happy with the purchase. Any one considering replacing the shocks on their own should go for it.

rocco16

The standard Bilsteins are supposed to last far longer than your average shock.
I'd start thinking about replacing them at the 50K mile point....sooner if you are into performance....a little later if you are a cruiser.

Larry
code5coupe

LoneStarSoldier

A small tip for the front shocks, not much room to work inside the shock cavity so I took a strap wrench to hold the shock while I loosened and tightened the shock..........Worked very good, just put the strap wrench around the barrel of the shock........
Have a Great Day!!!!!!!!