Please correct me if I'm wrong... - Truck is a 2006 1500 Z71, stock everything. I have a set of Rancho ES500's and BFG's on the way this week. The ...

Truck is a 2006 1500 Z71, stock everything.

I have a set of Rancho ES500's and BFG's on the way this week. The tires are easy, I know that stuff by heart. My questions start with the shocks, however, everything I've read so far indicates it is a fairly easy task. I plan on doing the following steps, please correct any mistakes if you see any...

1. - Get truck on lift, remove tires.
2. - Use jack stand to compress old shock.
3. - Remove top and bottom shock bolts, remove shock.
4. - Install shock in place, using new provided washers/grommets, whatever they come with.
5. - Once in place, cut retaining wire, remove jack stand.
6. - Do tire replacement and balance, put tires back on truck.
7. - Lower truck, test drive, enjoy.
8. - Go home, fire up the grill, cook steak and drink homebrewed beer.


Does that sound correct?

Sure sounds like you got a good plan. There is no wrong way to install your shocks, you can remove the retaining wire right off the hop if you want, you dont have to compress the old shock either. Take the top nut off then take the bottom bolts out, let 'er fall out. Jam the new one in, tighten up the bottom bolts then stick on the top nut. Drink plenty of beer during the BBQ and afterwards!

Oh I like 7 and 8......

Sounds good to me... let us know how it goes!

my only word of advice would be triple check the part numbers on the new shocks. not sure if the z71 you have uses different shocks, like the 99-2000somethings did but i spent five hours at the shop because they ordered standard lenght not z71 lenght.

You have to compress the suspension to it's normal ride stance BEFORE you tighten the shock mounts. If you don't, the rubber mounts will twist to a new position when you lower the vehicle.

adams99z71 wrote:my only word of advice would be triple check the part numbers on the new shocks. not sure if the z71 you have uses different shocks, like the 99-2000somethings did but i spent five hours at the shop because they ordered standard lenght not z71 lenght.

They had better fit. I ordered a set that was "guaranteed" to fit my vehicle. If they don't, I will return them, and the seller will pay for all shipping costs. Sounds crazy, but I'm very familiar with small claims court. I printed out the product page that had the part guaranteeing the fit.

lzn197 wrote:You have to compress the suspension to it's normal ride stance BEFORE you tighten the shock mounts. If you don't, the rubber mounts will twist to a new position when you lower the vehicle.

Thanks for the tip man! Will be sure to do!

good luck...I got swindled into getting new shocks put on with my tires, even though i could have done it lol...but it such a better ride

koolz71 wrote:good luck...I got swindled into getting new shocks put on with my tires, even though i could have done it lol...but it such a better ride

Thanks man.. I'm anxious to feel the new ride.. I'm also probably going to pick up an RC Leveling kit and put that on at the same time. The pictures of trucks with them I've seen here pretty much made my decision for me. Looks so good, and it's easy enough I can do it myself, and if I need one, there will be a mechanic in the garage who can help at times..

I'll get some pics pre and post...it appears that's an underwritten rule here.. I like it.

Update: I ordered the wrong shocks. I have a set of shine new, 2WD shocks at home.. Good news though, I found out an Advance Auto Parts store near my house has a set of what I need, in stock. I called the store to confirm, so I'll be getting those later today.

So the 3 mods/upgrades I'll be doing are the tires, shocks, and window visors. Technically, the visors are already in. They installed in 30 seconds each. I'll take them out to get before/after pics. I'll have to wait a while before I add in anything else, money wise. Not much else I really want to do other than a full lift, which won't happen until I get new tires again in a few years. Happy Happy Joy Joy.