Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:37:47 -0400
Reply-To: Eric Caron <ericcaron96@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Eric Caron <ericcaron96@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: =?utf-8?Q?Re=3A_Bilstein_B6=2C_16=E2=80=9D_Syncro_shock_install?=
In-Reply-To: <2D46D6F3-96F9-4C7F-8656-BE04705FD62E@shaw.ca>
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Wow!
I know I had it much easier doing the shocks on my 2WD. And thank goodness this list talked me through it before reading this post. I might never have tried it!
I’m looking forward to your further rides and experimentation.
The 4WD is very cool but man I am good with my simpler 2WD. But I won’t be following Alistair to his favorite camping spot!
Eric Caron
> On Apr 28, 2020, at 11:13 AM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
>
> I managed to get the front shocks in this last weekend. I’ve had shocks in and out of my and other syncros before, following the Bentley instructions and using home made version of the guide rod tool shown in manual.
>
> But these shocks were a real bear to install.
>
> Two reasons.
>
> One: the shocks are gas charged very very firmly. I couldn’t compress them, if I could there was no obvious way to hold them compressed and install. Top of shock cylinder does not have the metal cap with slight lugs as other shock have. This means you cannot install the lower shock bolt and swing the shock and spring up and under the upper mounting bracket. The extended shock prevents that.
> The shock has to go thru lower arm beyond the bolt hole.
>
> Two: the shock lower bushing was a very tight fit into lower arm. Old shocks measured 53.95-54.00 mm. New shocks were 54.25 mm. That was enough to make things very difficult. I filed off 0.25 mm of bushing. I suspect that perhaps the lower arm, this is the presses steel kind on my 86, was compressed a little by the mounting bolt.
>
> I took off the radius rod, and the brake caliper, to allow the lower arm to drop as far as possible.
>
> Got the shock thru the lower arm, compressed spring and bump stop on shock, then tried to swing the shock up and under the upper shock mount. It took a lot of mucking around with a bottle jack under the lower arm, pry bars, wedges , cursing, to get the shock under the upper mount and the shock up thru the lower arm.
>
> The home made guide rod I made was very much needed to get the shock rod up into place.
>
> This was one of the most annoyingly difficult “easy tasks” I’ve ver done on my van.
>
> I did use the smaller of the two sizes of spring perch spacers i made for the shocks. And I did remove the previously installed upper , top of spring, spacers. End result was same ride height as before. I’ve got 19.25” fender lip to wheel centre.
>
> The old shocks, boge, I’m thinking they might even be original, actually felt ok when I pulled and pushed the piston. I was expecting worse. The new shocks installed and road test, are slightly firmer, not a heck of a lot firmer though. Haven’t driven on any rough stuff yet.
>
> Alistair
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