Hi,
I've done my shocks numerous times. The rears are very easy. No need for
jacking or anything. For the lowers, just need two wrenches (or a socket
and a wrench) to undo them. The uppers, just a socket on the bolt (OEM on
my trucl has a special nut with a tab that stops it from spinning).
I favor Rancho RSX shocks myself. If you do these, the metal sleeve of the
shock tends to bounce a bit on the bolt (bolt is a just a tad too small for
the sleeve. I fixed my problem by taking one strip of electrical tape,
laying it lengthwize along the bolt, then pushing that through. No mo
clanking!
For the fronts, you may be able to do without the jack stands. Just take
the jack and lift the frame till the tire is off the ground. Then take an
amount of 2x4 (laying flat) until the stack reaches the control arm. Lower
the jack until the shock just starts to compress. Undo the bolts and you're
set.
The pain is compressing the shocks so that the bolts will slide in. I found
the best way was to take a open-ended wrench, wedge it against the ground
(open end under the shock), and slide the wrench up until you can get the
bolt in.
I hope that this helps and that 2003 trucks are not much different than
1999.
-----------------------------------------------
Chris Reck
Bloomington, IL
'99 Dakota Sport + CC 4x4 V6 (Deep Amethyst)
"It's not the meat, it's how you apply the rub"
"droo" <03dakotacc4.7_4x4@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:op.tsldmmqbwzx09r@ham.mshome.net...
>
>
> So I took my truck to the local STS today for some regular maintenance.
> The mechanic called me and told me that my shocks needed to be replaced. I
> forgot exactly what he said the problem was but I told him I didn't want
> to take care of that today. Mostly because I didn't want to shell out the
> cash this time around.
>
> The estimate from them for replacing all four shocks was around $500. I
> looked online at the DML FAQ on the process and it doesn't seem like it
> would be too difficult for me to take care of myself. The biggest problem
> I have is that my tool inventory is small. I don't have any jacks (aside
> from the factory) or jack stands. Do you guys think it will be too
> difficult to do without lifting the truck up? There is definately plenty
> of room for me to get under the back end. Now that I am thinking about it,
> I don't think I can do the front without holding it up with something with
> the wheel off.
>
> It will defeat the purpose of me doing it myself if I spend alot of money
> on new tools to do that job. I don't know much about mechanic work so the
> things I buy won't get much use in the future.
>
> Opinions on new shocks? I've loved the way my truck rode since the day I
> bought it. I don't do anythign special with my truck. Pretty much just
> stay on the road so I don't have any special needs. Should I get OEM's,
> something from the local parts store?
>
> --
> -droo
>
> 2003 Dodge Dakota Club Cab
> V8 4X4 Manual Transmission
> Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's
> Can-Back Soft Topper
> Rhinoliner
> Alpine CD Head Unit w/ XM
> Alpine 6 3/4" Speakers
> Sony 8" Subwoofer
> Q-Logic Custom Fit Enclosure
>
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