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Old 07-29-2020, 11:33 PM #1
JohnOfTheJungle JohnOfTheJungle is offline
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Quick tip for removing Bilstein 5100 rear shocks

I swapped out my rear shocks today. It’s the 3rd time it’s been done, the first 2 times I took it to a shop and it’s legit the only thing I’ve taken the runner to a shop for because it’s such a pain in the ass.

The last time I took it to the shop the mechanic quoted me 2 hours at $100/hr. He said it took him 6 hrs and charged me $400 - JUST TO SWAP THE REAR SHOCKS. He also said to never bring it back for that job again because he wouldn’t do it anymore.

So I figured this time I’d do it myself, I didn’t care what it took. We all know there’s hardly any room to work up there, but really the biggest problem with changing 5100’s is that it’s really hard to keep the shaft from spinning. There is an Allen key spot at the top but that quickly stripped out.

What finally did end up working for me was using 2 sets of vise grips + gorilla glue super glue gel to grip the shaft (stop laughing).
I also used some channel locks to turn the screw at the end of the vise grip handles to continue to tighten them to a ridiculous level of tightness. For the other shock instead of super glue I used silicon tape, that worked also, really anything to help the vise grips grip the metal.








For the bolt on top of the shock I used a ratchet + extended length 6pt 17mm socket to turn the nut at the top of the shock (+plenty of pblaster). However, for the most part I used the vise grips to turn the shaft to loosen it while holding the nut steady with the socket on top.

After doing all of that I was able to get the shocks out and they’re still in good shape to be resold.

Kind of a boring post for a pretty low level job, but I really couldn’t find anyone posting on here about how to do this. The usual advice is just to cut the shock in half, or if you’re lucky and don’t have a shitty design like the 5100 then there is a shock body you can grip and turn.

Hope this helps someone in the future


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Old 07-30-2020, 03:03 AM #2
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Them shocks were trash right about the time you clipped the vice grips on the shaft.
You can’t have any nicks, dings, or scratches in that chrome shaft. It will trash the seals in the shock in short order.

You should have used the sawzall and saved yourself the trouble.

If you stripped the allen slot, how would someone install them?
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Old 07-30-2020, 08:44 AM #3
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Isn't there a little Allen wrench slot up top? I feel like something is off, my shop only charges like $120
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Old 07-30-2020, 09:36 AM #4
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I used to use a Plasma Cutter on those kind of problems. One day I accidentally hit the cylinder which ignited the oil within and blew it out under the car. Only time I ever shot a fire extinguisher off in my shop.
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Old 07-30-2020, 10:02 PM #5
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The only time I've taken off rear shocks that I wanted to save I had the body off, so it was a breeze. Usually I cut them off through the bushing with a sawzall.
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Old 07-31-2020, 12:57 AM #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dieselchessy View Post
Them shocks were trash right about the time you clipped the vice grips on the shaft.

You can’t have any nicks, dings, or scratches in that chrome shaft. It will trash the seals in the shock in short order.



You should have used the sawzall and saved yourself the trouble.



If you stripped the allen slot, how would someone install them?


You’re probably right, I thought about potential damage to the shafts, I’ll check em out tomorrow. The shafts are pretty hard so maybe they held up, I didn’t bother to check them out too closely when I was done since it was late.

For install the Allen head may be usable on the one I tried it with. Really the threads need to be cleaned up, put some anti-seize on and send it.

If they’re trashed they’re trashed, no point in selling. But they do have less than 10k miles so I’m sure someone out there wants some cheap shocks if they’re not too roughed up.


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Old 07-31-2020, 10:06 AM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnOfTheJungle View Post
You’re probably right, I thought about potential damage to the shafts, I’ll check em out tomorrow. The shafts are pretty hard so maybe they held up, I didn’t bother to check them out too closely when I was done since it was late.

For install the Allen head may be usable on the one I tried it with. Really the threads need to be cleaned up, put some anti-seize on and send it.

If they’re trashed they’re trashed, no point in selling. But they do have less than 10k miles so I’m sure someone out there wants some cheap shocks if they’re not too roughed up.


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Any imperfection on the shaft will tear the rubber seal any time the shaft goes into the tube body during compression
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Old 11-22-2020, 09:24 PM #8
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I just got done doing this job yesterday. I was replacing springs too but I definitely found it necessary to remove them to be able to get in there.

Pro tip: So I did not have a 17mm gear wrench that is adjustable angle to do the job so I made a creative way that worked very well. I used a 5mm allen socket on a flat head ratchet in reverse and an offset 17 mm wrench. Don't get me wrong, it still takes time because you can only move the ratchet like less than 90 degrees but I got both rear shocks, springs, sway bar bushings done in like 4 hours.

I'll post pics of the tools used if I can later.
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:13 AM #9
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I just took my 5100's off today and was just holding the shaft with my hand at first, but it was slow going even more than it normally is back there. Considering I was swapping them, I just put a vice grip as close to the top of the shaft as I could. It went smooth after that.
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Old 11-23-2020, 02:46 PM #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NateDawg1123 View Post
I just got done doing this job yesterday. I was replacing springs too but I definitely found it necessary to remove them to be able to get in there.

Pro tip: So I did not have a 17mm gear wrench that is adjustable angle to do the job so I made a creative way that worked very well. I used a 5mm allen socket on a flat head ratchet in reverse and an offset 17 mm wrench. Don't get me wrong, it still takes time because you can only move the ratchet like less than 90 degrees but I got both rear shocks, springs, sway bar bushings done in like 4 hours.

I'll post pics of the tools used if I can later.
Just like this:



-Charlie
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Old 11-23-2020, 03:33 PM #11
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Quote:
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Just like this:



-Charlie
I wonder if there would be any benefit to enlarging the drain hole in those mounts a bit? I hate all the crap that gets stuck up there. The stock hole is small, 1/4" max as a guess. Make it 3/8 and a lot of the smaller stuff would pass through.

-not to pass judgement on the state of your truck @phattyduck ! Mine is the same.
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Old 11-23-2020, 03:49 PM #12
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I hate all the crap that gets stuck up there.
I was blown away with all of the dirt that came out of those buckets yesterday!

Notice the dirt all over the floor...

... I was literally scooping dirt out!
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Old 11-23-2020, 03:50 PM #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanoe View Post
I wonder if there would be any benefit to enlarging the drain hole in those mounts a bit? I hate all the crap that gets stuck up there. The stock hole is small, 1/4" max as a guess. Make it 3/8 and a lot of the smaller stuff would pass through.

-not to pass judgement on the state of your truck @phattyduck ! Mine is the same.
LOL. No worries! Any red on my frame is volcanic dust, not rust...

At least a couple guys have drilled that hole out for better drainage. Of course, make sure it gets painted/sealed well after the hole is drilled!

-Charlie
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:43 PM #14
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LOL. No worries! Any red on my frame is volcanic dust, not rust...

At least a couple guys have drilled that hole out for better drainage. Of course, make sure it gets painted/sealed well after the hole is drilled!

-Charlie
Didn’t even notice any red. Was referring to the little pile of dirt.

I’m putting together all the parts to put new rear shocks on (99 oems) so I might drill it out then. I put 5/16 holes in the frame right near the lower rear control arm mount years back. That still looks great. Right in that spot where everything sits in the frame.
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Old 11-29-2020, 08:25 PM #15
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this just happened to me too last month. i thought it was a clever idea but moisture accumulates inside the allen wrench slot and slowly corrodes it. the front design is better which the sides are flat. just clamp it.
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