https://chevroletforum.com/how-tos is the leading Chevy Silverado resource for technical DIY guides. Save a considerable amount of money on labor costs by replacing the shocks in your Silverado yourself. For the full step-by-step article, please visit https://chevroletforum.com/how-tos/a/chevrolet-silverado-1999-2006-the-ultimate-shocks-guide-390886
Your truck’s suspension is a complicated piece of engineering. In the front, it uses what’s known as a “double wishbone” design, with a solid axle and leaf spring setup in the rear. The front suspension is sprung using what is called a “torsion bar.” This is good news, because it makes life a little easier when replacing shocks than if there were a spring or coilover setup.
This moderately difficult job takes four hours and costs from $50-100. A professional will charge from $300-800.
This job requires a floor jack and jack stands, box-end wrenches, a breaker bar, socket set, penetrating lube, goggles, and new shocks.
Step One – Jack up front of truck and remove wheels
To replace the front shocks, we’re going to need some room to work, so the front wheels need to come off. Loosen the lug nuts first.
Then, on level ground, jack the truck up in the air and secure it on stands. Once the truck is seated on stands, give it the good old shake test. You’re going to be working under your truck, so you’ll want to make sure it’s safely on those stands and not likely to slip off.
Remove the wheels once the truck is secured.
Pro Tip
Spray some penetrating lube on the shock bolts as well as the top and bottom of the shocks.
Step Two – Compress control arms with jack
Now you’ll need to compress the suspension so the load is taken off the shock and torsion bar. When finding a jacking point under the lower control arm, remember that you’re going to need access to the bolt and nut at the bottom of the shock tube, so don’t block those.
Step Three – Loosen top of shock
The top of your front shock has a threaded rod coming out of it. Threaded onto that is a 15 mm nut that needs to be loosened and removed so you can back the shock out of the shock perch in the frame. But when you turn the nut, the innards of the shock are going to want to turn inside it rather than the nut moving off the threaded rod. So you’re going to need some way to hold the shock still while you take that pesky nut off.
One way is to grab the top of the threaded rod with a super tight pair of locking pliers and use those to stabilize it while you remove the nut. This will not be kind to the threads there, though, so you might end up having to cut the top of the rod off later.
Another method is to find two nuts the exact same size as the threaded rod, and thread them on at the top so that they press against one another, then use two wrenches to apply opposite direction of force.
Step Four – Remove bottom nut and bolt
Once the top is loose, all you have to do is remove the bottom. There’s a similar problem here, in that turning the nut on the bottom bolt will usually just cause the bolt to turn, but in this case it’s a little easier to solve since you have a hex head on both sides.
Use a breaker bar or box-end wrench to brace one side while you use the socket to remove the other side.
Step Five – Install new front shock
Now all you have to do is install your new shock and you’re done with this corner.
Make sure you get the rubber bits and any washers included installed correctly.
Now complete the other side, re-install the front wheels, and you’ll be ready to move on to the rear.
Step Six – Loosen bottom of rear shock
With the rear replacement, it’s not necessary to jack up the truck. You can just crawl underneath, as long as you’re careful to secure all wheels with wheel chocks.
Loosen the nuts on the bottom of the two rear shocks using a breaker bar, 21 mm sockets, and a big ratchet and/or cheater pipe.
Step Seven – Loosen top of rear shock
Similarly to the front shocks, get the nuts off of the rear shocks using the dual breaker bar setup, but leave the bolts in for the moment.
Step Eight – Lift the rear axle if needed
You shouldn’t need to lift the whole rear of the truck here, just put enough pressure on the differential to move the rear axle upward to relieve pressure on the rear shock bolts. You might not even need this step if your truck is sitting on the ground. Remember, put the jack under the differential housing, not just the cover.
Step Nine – Remove shocks
Take out the bottom bolt of one shock, and then the top. Make sure you’re wearing safety goggles, as debris could possibly fall from the shock.
The shock should now be free to remove from the truck. Some wiggling may be required to get the bushing to squeeze out of its mount.
Step Ten – Install rear shocks
Using what you’ve learned so far, putting the new rear shocks in should be no problem. Once you’ve got them all nice and bolted up, you can remove your jack.
Post time: Jul-09-2017