Shock advice needed

[tkruger]

1987 Monte Carlo LS 4.3. Main purpose of the car is cruising around, not performance.

I am looking to replace my shocks, front and rear. Just a few questions before I am in over my head.
1. How difficult is it to change these? It looks fairly simple from the pictures I have seen.
2. Are all the bolts easily accessible?
3. How long to do these for a first time attempt? IE am I planning an afternoon or a weekend?
4. For the LS what is the best shock for the money. I have always preferred NAPA parts and never had an issue with any of theirs. Do they have one that people tend to recommend?
5. Any gotchas I should know about in advance?
6. Any special tools I should get?
7. Any tools I can use this as an excuse to buy?

I have jack stands to place the car on and most every wrench and socket.

 

[DROLDS84]

Its a pretty simple job. I would buy some quality shocks.And definitely soak all the bolts down the day before.PB Blaster is my go to but they all are effective.It would take me a couple of hours but I do take a lot of beer breaks.

 

[81cutlass]

1. Not bad
2. The rear uppers are a bit tough to get to laying upside down if the car isn't adequately raised. Lowers require a large, like 1 1/4" wrench or at least a vise grip.
3. Afternoon for someone with good experience, but if you are asking I would plan a weekend.
4. I bought monroe sensatracs a decade ago and they went bad in 2 years and like 10k miles. I wouldn't go with them again, they were the "premium" shock at NAPA. A lot of people will say bilstien or nothing, but KYB's are a good alternative. They have a $40 rebate going on now.
5. Not much
6. Besides the large wrench or socket, basic hand tools arent bad. The front upper nuts often rust tot he shaft so dont be surprised if you need to use a grinder and cut the nut/shaft off.
7. A 2 post car lift would be awesome.

 

[melloelky]

A good assortment of hand tools,Jack stands and a wealth of foul language is a good start to changing shocks.Shocks are truly the brains of the suspension operation,the better they are,the better your car will handle.sure if you're changing out the original shocks anything will be an improvement.the problem with store brand shocks you're never sure what you're getting.spending decent money on shocks is always good investment.

 

[UNGN]

You cannot go wrong with bilsteins for a car you drive. They will provide a smooth ride and have excellent spring control.

No special tools are required but with any threaded shaft shock, using a high speed air ratchet to remove the top nut is always easiest..

 

[Gremlinsteve]

Bilstein here. I use them on all my cars
I've also used Kyb. But prefer bilstein

 

[MrSony]

I bought cheapo gabriel ultra shocks. Not bad for about $20 each, wish I had the money for bilsteins. I use a deep well 9/16 (or 14mm) socket and a looooong extension to just break the stud off the front shocks off if the nut wont budge. Rears, hardest part is getting the two upper bolts per side. Have the car up in the air, take an afternoon to do it, and you're good. To install the rear shocks, do the upper two bolts (two per shock mount) up first at least snug, so the shock won't go anywhere. Jack the rear end up to meet the shocks, put the shocks on and cut the strap, or if you're quick cut the strap and shove the shock onto the mounting stud as it's coming down.
For the front, with the wheels off of course, cut the strap and have one of the bottom mounting bolts in the control arm so you can hang the shock from it. Use your finger to find the hole topside, then guide the stud through. Don't forget to put a cup washer and a bushing on one end, then the other bushing and cup washer on the top side. That one bolt you left in the arm will allow the shock to stay put while you install the 2nd bolt. Then take a jack and jack up the control arm if there aren't enough threads exposed for the topside nut.

 

[joesregalproject]

Not a hard job at all. The thing that made doing my car's shocks difficult was how rusty the fasteners were. IIRC I used vice grips to get the nuts off. PB Blaster should help some. If you are just driving around, you don't need fancy expensive shocks. Even the cheap Gabriels or Monroes will be better than worn out shocks. If you want the best of the best though, Bilsteins are the way to go. I have Napa shocks on mine (rebranded Monroes) because I'm cheap. They work fine.

 

[fleming442]

For some reason, I tend to gravitate toward KYB Excel Gs. As mentioned, the front upper can be the biggest pain, and it's usually easier to break it or cut it.