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HELP!! installing shocks

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Old May 26, 2005 | 10:06 PM
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Default HELP!! installing shocks

My car is an 01 SS, the previous owner put Eibach lowering springs on but I am going back to stock because of ground clearance with the LT's & ORY.
I bought a set of stock front shocks with the springs attached from another forum member, these were supposedly off an 02 SS. I got the driver side shock assembly out of the car and went to put the new one in when I discovered the shock bolts did not line up.

The one on the left is off my 01, the mounting bracket has an angle to it wheras the 02 is straight.

I tried turning the piece with some vice grips but didn't have much luck.

The bracket on the other 02 shock I have seems to have a slight angle but nowhere near as much as my 01 does. Is there a difference between 01 and 02's? I wouldn't see why but either I'm nuts or missing something here. Is there a right and a left shock with different mounting angles ? I don't want to go through the trouble of dissasembling the pass side only to find out it's the same way.
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Old May 27, 2005 | 08:52 AM
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All it is, is a rubber bushing with the metal mount slid into it. Just get a long phillips screwdriver or something similar, stick it into the bolt hole and rotate it. It's tight, but it will rotate. Some wd40 might help it to move.
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Old May 27, 2005 | 09:06 AM
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Thanks. I tried that and it couldn't get it to budge, I'll try the WD-40.
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Old May 27, 2005 | 09:11 AM
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Did you try a long bar?

Or you can bolt it to the LCA only and pull the shock away from the car to rotate it. Make sure about the direction it needs to turn, then unbolt it, turn it around and put it in.

You could also mount the little mount in a vise and then push on the shock to rotate it.

Try bending the metal mount to the side, squirt some wd40 on it, bend it the other way and squirt some more to get it under the rubber if at all possible.

It can be done, no worries.
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Old May 27, 2005 | 09:28 AM
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no first with a pair of vice grips on both sides of it and then with a long big screwdriver. I've got plenty of WD40 and I'll get it in the vise.
Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it.
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Old May 27, 2005 | 09:40 PM
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JasonWW Thanks again for the tips, the vise and WD-40 worked great !!
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Old May 28, 2005 | 09:23 AM
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No sweat.
I wonder what the guy you got them from did to rotate them so much?

Ever had some better shocks on the car? Bilsteins make a big difference.
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Old May 28, 2005 | 09:37 AM
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no idea, he was parting out the car. Took me 2-1/2 hrs to do all 4 corners. I thought the rears would be easy but they were a pain, I'm sure it was because I was going from lowering springs to stock ones. After dropping the panhard bar I was able to push down the rear enough. I think I'd rathar do fronts -lol.

It probably would have been a good time to step up to some Bilsteins but my $ is going towards a good tq converter next. Priorities -lol.
anyway thanks again.
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