SB2008

looks impossible without taking half of the front end off.....any suggestions from those who have done it?

Combsn6

You can fit a 16 I believe it is on the top to get it off. It's a real pain in the ass on the passenger side though but it can be done with out taking it all off

jonnynewyork

Removing the tire will give you some extra work room, But mostly its just patients, when i changed out my shocks that one took a lot of effort, finally but a breaker bar on the end of the wrench and after a few more turns snapped the bolt clean off, the other side didnt lock up but still took about twenty minutes to loosen because there is so little room to move the the wrench, recommend a box head on top and you can pin a crescent wrench on the shock body up against the inner wall

mattgt5

I assume you are talking about the plastic lip that hangs down in front of the top of the shock. honestly, I just snapped it off to get access. it si very brittle plastic and can be snapped off in a clean break. it is only visible if you are changing the shock. Maybe not the best way, but it worked just fine.

hogdriver

I temporarily pulled the electrical c/b box over the the shock, and slipped it out of the way. I then guesstimated the top of the shock and used a 2 inch hole saw bit and drilled the tray
above the shock. Then it was easy to replace the shock.

SB5700

I did it tonight... I got the wrench on the upper nut and turned the bottom one on the shock stem. Once it is slightly loose, just turn the shock (holding nut with finger) until the shock drops out. Then. leave the nut up there and when you are ready to install the new shock, gently hold the nut with your finger and reverse the removal process. I thought it would be a nightmare, but it ended up not being a big deal.

SlowJK

The driver side is no problem, The passenger side however is a royal pain in the you know what!!

Here is your problem. There is no way to get a wrench really up there along with allen key to hold the shaft.




Here is what I did.
After some cutting. I used a rag and vice grips to help hold the shaft. I put the vice grips right under the little pit that holes the top of the dust boot up.

jeepjkgrrl

Here is the problem...the shock shaft itself spins. i can tell by some of these comments that those people never did it themselves and that's why jeeps are built not bought. now that being said vise grips are a great start. and if they are aftermarket shocks i believe the nut on top is a 15mm. at least i know rusty's and skyjacker are. use penetrating spray first and let it work in a bit. above the nut is usually Rust Nasty! so here is the problem alot of people come across...the vise grips dont always work. i just did a JK they other day and the shaft spun with the grips in place. if this happens here is a trick...

take a cut off wheel and make your round shaft have a hair cut. just enough on both sides so that the wrench can go around it. i know if sounds like more work but in the end if the vise grips dont work after a few turns, you will be wasting time trying to re adjust the vise to only do it this way in the end.

shabbernigdo

use a pice of thick leather or plumbing rubber gasket sheet around the shaft then clamp on the vice grips. if you are just taking old ones off to replace them just clamp right on the shaft.

texascodmw3

I've done this twice now, truly a pain. I never liked clamping the rod and risk damaging it so I opted to remove the TIPM up top. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the battery tray that extends under the TIPM. Easy access after that.

It can be a little nerve-racking to pull the TIPM the first time, but it really isn't hard. I patched the hole with silicone and a small piece of plastic just to protect the bottom of the TIPM and wiring from any potential water and grime that might find its way up there. It was all clean under there so this may be overkill but makes me feel better.

i spent a long time the first go 'round thinking "There must be an easier way..." There isn't. Good luck with whatever you try.