This method actually takes longer and there's a good chance you'll mess up the alignment in the process, even though you should get an alignment done afterwards anyways. The camber bolts and the lower BJ bolts are torqued in by the Hulk, will be very difficult to remove if you don't have an impact gun. Easiest way to remove the strut is to remove the upper control arm castle nut, give the control arm a few good manly whacks and it'll pop out, after that just step on the knuckle and it'll swing down enough to pull the strut out.
If you take off the bolts from lower control arms to the hub, it takes you more time to re-install since it is very hard to line up and slide the bolt in. The easier way is use a pry bar or big wood piece to push the lower control arms down to slide shocks in and out
I followed these guy's method and it worked great. In fact, I didn't even need spring compressors. I just dropped the lower control arm (the two bolts) along with the tie rod. I discovered on my second shock that I did NOT have to loosen both sides of the lower arms (as they'd recommended... which is tough to do!). All worked fine.
Only problem with this, the control arm bolts can be tough to loosen, and you have to be very careful as not to compromise wheel alignment. I couldn’t loosen the Lower arm bolts so I tried most of this method on the passenger side of my 08 SR5, had to use a crow bar to pry down the control arm which was difficult initially. Then on the driver side, I removed the castle nut from the upper ball joint and left the spindle attached to the lower arm, If you leave the hub attached to the lower arm, you can use the prybar to force down the lower arm fairly easily. (Instead of loosening the lower arm bolts) The extra weight of the hub assembly attached to the Lower arm helps you when trying to pry down the Lower arm to remove or install the strut assembly. This way you don’t need to loosen the control arm bolts and worry about alignment. The trick is in the pry bar, use a bar that’s at least 24 inches long with a narrow pry end, and use the receiver socket of the sway bar link to insert the pry bar into. I did the entire driver side in 45 minutes. Wheel off and back on. Never needed a spring compressor. Another hint. Use the same pry bar to pry down the upper arm when re attaching the spindle and ball joint. Again super easy. And likely you already know, but use a floor jack to push the arm and other business back up on install.
1/2 inch impact will make those bolts cake , its a suspension install so you need an alignment anyway. by marking the cam bolts , you get it close enough to drive to the alignment shop
Thanks for this video, will definitely save me a ton of time over the method shown in the TRD Like a Pro coilover video uploaded. What are the torque specs on the four top coilover bolts, the lower coilover bolt, lower arm chassis bolts, lower arm hub bolts, and sway bar bolt (basically all the bolts loosened through this method)? Is any thread lock like loctite needed? Thanks in advance!
Mechanics and garages are such crooks! I may go to my garage and tell them I am willing to pay them 20 minutes labour to do both and thats all. Heck a professsional mechanic with a hoist should be even faster, maybe 15 minutes in and out.
A lot harder than the standard way of doing it ( i just did it yesterday), and will put your truck out of alignment. You should take this off youtube, you're leading people in the wrong direction.
U have to align it anyway if u installed a lift so theres no harm done. Nothing gets stressed when u loosen the control arms, plus leaves you plenty of room for the taller coilover. Theres another video of a shop that does this, I THINK THE CHANNEL IS called EXIT OFFROAD. it's not misleading, cuz it doesnt lead u into damaging ur vehicle or harming urself. Simply go get it aligned, no biggie.
how is it that people think removing their uca and upper ball joint along with replacing a worn out suspension component somehow doesnt require an alignment? both ways require an alignment lol
This method actually takes longer and there's a good chance you'll mess up the alignment in the process, even though you should get an alignment done afterwards anyways. The camber bolts and the lower BJ bolts are torqued in by the Hulk, will be very difficult to remove if you don't have an impact gun. Easiest way to remove the strut is to remove the upper control arm castle nut, give the control arm a few good manly whacks and it'll pop out, after that just step on the knuckle and it'll swing down enough to pull the strut out.
Thanks doing mines on Saturday
U have to align it anyway. So theres nothing overdone?
If you take off the bolts from lower control arms to the hub, it takes you more time to re-install since it is very hard to line up and slide the bolt in. The easier way is use a pry bar or big wood piece to push the lower control arms down to slide shocks in and out
I followed these guy's method and it worked great. In fact, I didn't even need spring compressors. I just dropped the lower control arm (the two bolts) along with the tie rod. I discovered on my second shock that I did NOT have to loosen both sides of the lower arms (as they'd recommended... which is tough to do!). All worked fine.
Only problem with this, the control arm bolts can be tough to loosen, and you have to be very careful as not to compromise wheel alignment. I couldn’t loosen the Lower arm bolts so I tried most of this method on the passenger side of my 08 SR5, had to use a crow bar to pry down the control arm which was difficult initially.
Then on the driver side, I removed the castle nut from the upper ball joint and left the spindle attached to the lower arm,
If you leave the hub attached to the lower arm, you can use the prybar to force down the lower arm fairly easily. (Instead of loosening the lower arm bolts)
The extra weight of the hub assembly attached to the Lower arm helps you when trying to pry down the Lower arm to remove or install the strut assembly.
This way you don’t need to loosen the control arm bolts and worry about alignment.
The trick is in the pry bar, use a bar that’s at least 24 inches long with a narrow pry end, and use the receiver socket of the sway bar link to insert the pry bar into. I did the entire driver side in 45 minutes. Wheel off and back on. Never needed a spring compressor.
Another hint. Use the same pry bar to pry down the upper arm when re attaching the spindle and ball joint. Again super easy. And likely you already know, but use a floor jack to push the arm and other business back up on install.
1/2 inch impact will make those bolts cake , its a suspension install so you need an alignment anyway. by marking the cam bolts , you get it close enough to drive to the alignment shop
Thanks for this video, will definitely save me a ton of time over the method shown in the TRD Like a Pro coilover video uploaded. What are the torque specs on the four top coilover bolts, the lower coilover bolt, lower arm chassis bolts, lower arm hub bolts, and sway bar bolt (basically all the bolts loosened through this method)? Is any thread lock like loctite needed? Thanks in advance!
5-10 Minutes my Ass
Thanks bro
And you need wheel alignment now !
Really?????😂🤣🔥
you need it anyway with new suspension components.
Earl Dibbles Jr? Yee Yee!! lol
Cheenah que? 🤠
Mechanics and garages are such crooks! I may go to my garage and tell them I am willing to pay them 20 minutes labour to do both and thats all. Heck a professsional mechanic with a hoist should be even faster, maybe 15 minutes in and out.
A lot harder than the standard way of doing it ( i just did it yesterday), and will put your truck out of alignment. You should take this off youtube, you're leading people in the wrong direction.
U have to align it anyway if u installed a lift so theres no harm done. Nothing gets stressed when u loosen the control arms, plus leaves you plenty of room for the taller coilover. Theres another video of a shop that does this, I THINK THE CHANNEL IS called EXIT OFFROAD. it's not misleading, cuz it doesnt lead u into damaging ur vehicle or harming urself. Simply go get it aligned, no biggie.
how is it that people think removing their uca and upper ball joint along with replacing a worn out suspension component somehow doesnt require an alignment? both ways require an alignment lol
Drop the sway bar from the frameside and uca from the spindle. That’s all you need to change the coilover. Too much extra BS in this video tutorial.