I bought some Rancho 5000x rear shocks for my 2000 Jeep and my buddy who was going to install them for me has been dragging his feet lol. If I were to take the shocks to a shop to get them installed what would be a fair price to have them installed? I have looked at YouTube videos and it doesnt look THAT hard but I dont think Im ready to tackle something like that myself. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Installing shocks
- Thread starter FirstJeep
- Start date
It really is pretty simple. Just take your time and stay patient. The rears are a bit more difficult than the fronts but totally manageable!
Shocks are about one of the easiest things you can do. Literally just bolts and nuts and they don’t even torque down much at all. You are well enough prepared to do that work if you’ve ever used a ratchet and a wrench before.
If you’re really concerned then I suppose a shop could do it, if they charge more than an hour’s worth of labor you’re paying too much.
Honestly though just do it yourself.
If you’re really concerned then I suppose a shop could do it, if they charge more than an hour’s worth of labor you’re paying too much.
Honestly though just do it yourself.
Thanks for the responses but why are the rear shocks harder to replace than the front? Is it because the gas tank gets in the way?
Not so much that the rears are difficult as the front shocks are all facing right at you and much more easily accessible. The rears aren't much more difficult, however if you're in an area prone to rusting some people have issues with the top bolts where the shock mounts. Best idea is to spray some PB Blaster on the upper bolts on the rear and let them soak while you deal with the fronts.
derekmac
TJ Addict
Probably one of the easiest things to change, until it isn't.... If you live in the rust belt, there's a good chance that some or all of the 4 upper bolts will snap when you try and remove them.
If you plan on doing it yourself, pick up some Kroil and put it to those upper bolts every day for a few days before you decide to change them.
If you plan on doing it yourself, pick up some Kroil and put it to those upper bolts every day for a few days before you decide to change them.
One thing that will speed the job up is that you don't need to jack the Jeep up to install new shocks. The last 6-8 shock installations I have done on my TJ have been with the tires on the ground. Turn the front tires to the side to provide full access to the mounting bolts.
The front shock's top nut will spin the shaft if you don't hold the shaft so just hold it with pliers while you unscrews its top nut.
For the rear shocks, you will need probably 18" of extensions between the ratchet wrench and socket so you can reach the top two bolts. If you live where the roads are salted those top mounting bolts might be hard to get out due to corrosion. If you do live where the roads are salted, either spray the top bolts a couple times with a penetrant like Liquid Wrench, Kroil, or Break-Free ahead of time to make getting them out easier, or consider having a shop install them.
The front shock's top nut will spin the shaft if you don't hold the shaft so just hold it with pliers while you unscrews its top nut.
For the rear shocks, you will need probably 18" of extensions between the ratchet wrench and socket so you can reach the top two bolts. If you live where the roads are salted those top mounting bolts might be hard to get out due to corrosion. If you do live where the roads are salted, either spray the top bolts a couple times with a penetrant like Liquid Wrench, Kroil, or Break-Free ahead of time to make getting them out easier, or consider having a shop install them.
If you live in the rust belt, and you have any doubt at all about changing them yourself, take it in. Those bolts in the rear break very easily (I broke all four) and if you don't know how to extract and re place the broken bolts, you should let a pro do it.
Or if you live in north Texas bring it by my garage shop, we'll have that knocked out in one afternoon. 
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