Hi all,

I'll be installing the RE 2" BB kit this weekend. For the front shocks, it's required to re-use the metal sleeve from the stock front shocks mount.

Any suggestion on how to remove this from the stock shocks without breaking anything? i will have a bench vise to assist me on this.

Thanks for the input

 

I installed mine a few weeks ago.
Used an old bushing spacer and a big hammer to drive out the stock spacer. The old spacer was softer and deformed under the pounding without damaging the stock piece. Lubed it up and pressed into the new shock with the vice.

For the rear cross pin I secured one end in the vice and lifted up on the bushing with a tie rod separator fork. I first tired hammering on the top and inside the pin but it began to fold. With a little wd40 and rocking the shock body back and forth they slipped off easily. The other thought I have was to drillout the pre-installed pins for the larger diameter bolt. They appeared to be the same length, but the fork work well so I did not bother.

Kind of a bummer than you have to reuse stock hardware when you paid $340 for a set of shocks. On top of that they are not JK specific. On the plus side they improved the handling on the JK over the stock shocks. I installed the lift and ran with the old shocks for a week until Northridge/RE got my order straight, but that is another story.

 

Thanks for the quick response.

Forgive me for my stupid quiestion, but where did you get your old bushing?

Also, when you lube the sleeve, that's using white lithium grease right?

Thanks for the clarification

 

I would call them up and tell them it is crappy to have to do that. See if they will send you some new ones. I don't think any other manufacturers' kits are requiring this.

 

I just used a leftover shock bushing sleeve from a set of Ranchos I installed.
They came with several sets with different lengths/widths.
The RE shocks come with stuff you can't use. Go figure.

White lithium grease works well.

Use caution when installing the bar pin into the rear uppers. Since it is a "fork" it can get cocked and cut the bushing.

 

Liquid dish soap works really good to if you run out of wd40.

 

I did and they absolutely didn't care

 

any tips on getting that "FORK" into the rubber bushing?

 

I have the same problem at the moment I got the bar pin out of the old shocks no troubles

buuuut getting the sleeve out of my new ranchos and putting in the par pin is where i am really worried im not even sure the cross pin will fit in the rancho bush can anyone confirm this????? I really dont want to wreck my new shocks

 

well i made it happen using a big vice as a press. The bar pins arnt as tight in the the rancho bush as i would like them to be. but it will doo