Shocks- looking at the Bilsteins

[ManWonder]

anyone know what monroe shocks i need on my 2004 roadtrek 190 popular which is based on chevy express 3500? i looked on 1aauto site and found several listed with no clue which would be best.

[mkguitar]

I found my best price ( for the part numbers listed previous) at tire rack.com tonight at $83 each shipped- I ordered up a quad of 4600's for my pick up as well $67 each shipped.

they'll be here Friday

Mike

[mkguitar]

Shock swap in the driveway took about 3 hours for the van- I did this leaving the wheels on.
2005 Chev 3500 chassis

for the fronts, I put the front of the van up on ramps and removed the top bolts through the fender wells ( 15mm & holding the top of the spindle with vise grips) and then removed the 2 lower bolts (13mm socket), slide out the old shock.
new one goes in with lower top bushing in place.
a small scissor jack was used on the bottom of the shock to collapse it and allow the bolts ( blue locktite) to be inserted- I ran the bolts up with my dewalt, and then a ratchet to about 25 ftlbs.
top bushing and nut go on to tight- about 20 ft lbs

repeat other side

for the rears, this required getting under van-on all 4 wheels.
I used a jack to get the rear of the van up to give enough clearance to slide myself under- and then jackstands under the frame rails- of interest, the drivers side frame rails have a guard for the fuel tank- placing a jack or stands requires picking a spot.

the lower bolts were removed with 2 sockets, 15mm and 18mm, sliding farther under ( or coming in from the side just in front of the rear wheels) the top bolts ( 2 each side) can be reached- 13mm socket w/ long extension. once loosened I used the dewalt to run them down.

put new shock in place with blue locktite on the bolts to about 20 ft pounds, and use the little scissor jack to collapse and get the mount in place- bolts in and tightened to about 30 ft lbs

not a tough job at all- probably an hour of this was gathering the jacks, stands and determining which wrenches i needed...crawling in and out a few times ...going back for another extension or realizing the dewalt would save a bunch of time.


I'll have a better idea of result when I take a trip, but just a quick spin around the neighborhood shows a nice solid feel with little effect felt from manhole covers or other small ripples.

I also did my 2001 gmc sierra this weekend and it is super solid feeling on the road.

but then anything would be better than worn shocks!

total cost both vehicles $604

mike

[gklugie]

I just bought 4 Monroes from Rockauto.com They were $35 each. I got the 91xxx series which is "heavy duty". I have not decided when to install yet, but it will be done soon. Peppster, did you notice a change in ride/drive quality after your installation?

[peppster66]

The new Monroe shocks made a huge improvement for the ride, the van has a much firmer ride now. no more bouncing up and down, It seems to have helped out in the handling also, the roaming that is prone to these dodges has improved also, its still there a little , but not as bad as before, and most happy with the price, its a great deal,,hope this helps,,,take care,,,,