Apr-19-2018 08:58 PM
Sep-08-2018 09:37 AM
Sep-07-2018 05:01 PM
Jul-23-2018 01:27 PM
ron.dittmer wrote:T18skyguy wrote:I remember reading someone mentioning that before and I tried it as I have the same micro-clicking pivoting head box wrenches. I found a standard 3/8" shallow socket the better choice.....since I was able to get my hand back there after removing those two sharp screw-ends I mentioned earlier. The socket held the old top nut in-place while turning the old shock. with the lack of rust, it worked well. Installation was the same, but using a large (ground thin) open-ended wrench on the top of the Bilstein. It seemed to be the right way to do it at the time.
When I did mine, what works well on that top nut is a flex head gear wrench. The kind that articulates like your wrist.
Jul-23-2018 12:15 PM
Jul-23-2018 11:35 AM
Jul-22-2018 08:09 PM
Jul-22-2018 02:54 PM
Jul-22-2018 02:49 PM
T18skyguy wrote:I remember reading someone mentioning that before and I tried it as I have the same micro-clicking pivoting head box wrenches. I found a standard 3/8" shallow socket the better choice.....since I was able to get my hand back there after removing those two sharp screw-ends I mentioned earlier. The socket held the old top nut in-place while turning the old shock. with the lack of rust, it worked well. Installation was the same, but using a large (ground thin) open-ended wrench on the top of the Bilstein. It seemed to be the right way to do it at the time.
When I did mine, what works well on that top nut is a flex head gear wrench. The kind that articulates like your wrist.
Jul-22-2018 01:01 PM
OFDPOS wrote:
Ron , don't recall what year your's is ? But on our 2010 chassis , you pull back the floor mat under the break pedal area and there is a plug you pull out . Its gives you access to the shock tower for easier R&R ...
Thought I posted that earlier ?
The rears are a walk in the park compared to the fronts !
Jul-22-2018 12:21 PM
Jul-22-2018 09:28 AM
Jul-21-2018 03:16 PM
Jul-21-2018 02:59 PM
pnichols wrote:The front springs and general suspension on our E350 is so stiff, even with the worn-out Koni-RV shocks, I could not budge the front end by myself. The front-end drop test was an excellent test. I highly recommend that test to determine how good your front shocks are. A before/after shock replacement comparison is ideal. I should have done that when our rig was brand new with the Ford OEM shocks.ron.dittmer wrote:Hmmm ... my little Itasca has over 73K miles on it and my mechanic (and me pushing down on the front bumper) tells me that the Ford OEM front shocks are still good. Strange.
One thing certain.....I really did need new shocks up front. My Koni-RV shocks acted like they were not even there when I raised the front and dropped it to relocate the jack. The front bounced like a basket ball, up/down over and over and over (and over) again.
Jul-21-2018 02:48 PM
Desert Captain wrote:Yes I do recall all the warnings on the difficulty in tackling the front shocks. Still I had hoped with my automotive skills, I could have said it was easier than warned. The best I can say about it is that I got the fronts done. One thing that helped was the lack of rust. It all came apart without heating or cutting.
Ron, I warned you in an earlier post that the Bilsteins were a serious PITA to install with the fronts being the worst. You should fair better on the rears. I learned this by watching two large Gorrilla's wrestle with mine as I stood by and drank coffee. :B
That is the good news... the better news is you are going to love the ride and handling improvement that comes with a set of HD Bilsteins. I just added a single axle cargo trailer to haul my Indian motorcycle and it adds a bunch of tongue weight {single axle's do that} and the Bilsteins are completely up to the task. Smoooth is the way it tows and rides. :C