Currently my car is held on jackstands(on the frame) and the suspension is just hanging. If I take the nuts off the top and bottom of the shocks, will they just slide out? I didnt want it to spring and kill me. Or do I have to drop the whole rearend first to remove them?

 

after you have the axle hanging by the leaf springs, all you have to do is compress the shocks to get them out. when you install the new ones, keep the banding on the new shock or it will expand and be a pain to get it in. line up the shock and then slide the band off while you have the other end aimed into the other hole.

 

Jack the differential up just an inch or two. But make sure the car is supported solid on the jack stands. This takes all pressure off the shock shaft. Then you can undo all the nuts, push up on the bottom of the shock to clear the mounting tab and slide those old puppies out of there.

What are you replacing them with?

 

Thanks for the advice. I thought they still looked a little loaded. Ill do the floor jack thing and hope it works out alright.

Right now Im just removing them so I can get in there to undercoat better. Not sure on replacements yet. Ill have to get new leafs first and clean up the dif.

 

wait, wouldnt pushing the dif up tighten the springs more?

 

Unless you've got spring overload shocks, it wouldn't. The shock travel limits the fully extended travel of the differential. Usually when you remove the shock nuts with the differential hanging free on the springs, the rear will drop another inch or so.
If you do have sping over load shocks, just lift the differential up a half inch or so, remove the nuts, then lower the differential down.

Scott

 

That's not a big deal. The shocks don't have much of a kick to them. Just take the top nut off , then take the bottom nut off.

 

Lol, just taking precautions Soaring, but thanks! Last thing I want to do now, is be stabbed by a shock.[8D]

 

If you take the top nut off first, the shocks will relax, then you no longer have any pressure on them. The bottom nut comes off then just slide it out. Consider the KYB gas adjust new shocks. Koni's are super shocks, but 'spensive.

 

cool, they have decent ride comfort or ram your head in the roof?