Rear shock help

[merrill]

Well, sure wish I had paid attention when I read this post the first time.
replaced my rear shocks today, forgot all about the aftermarket shocks and the collar that gets stuck on the mounting post.  forced one shock on and then realized what I did.  the old shock collar was split so I could use a chisel and small hammer to get it off.
once the collar was off then the new shocks slid right on.

and of course I tried to follow the bilstein instructions which by the way suck, installed the shocks, re read this post and then removed the shocks and installed the rubber donughts properly.

anyway, this is a great forum.  now I need to find the front shock instructions

matt

[ja17]

Hello Matt,

You can put a hose clamp around the rubber boot to hold the shock compressed during installation. When you have the shock in place slowly loosen the clamp and guide the threaded shock top up through the top hole. Be careful not to miss and hit the underside of the fender or you could make a dent! Pre-setting the lower mounting screws at a slight angle also helps.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Vince Canepa]

I too replaced my shocks recently, for a different reason.  My shocks had been on the car since 1978 (about 50,000 miles) - they were stock Bilsteins from the dealer.  The lower rubber bushing on the fronts had started to squeak.  I tried everything to stop the noise, with no success.  I decided to replace the shocks.  The old ones were only slightly "softer" when I tested them against the new ones, but the difference in the ride is significant, especially over pot holes, etc.  That amazing "cats paws" ride described in the 1965 Road & Track road test is back!

However, instability coming from the rear really warrants a close inspection of the cross strut bushings and the hanger mount.  I would think the shocks would have a minimal effect on instability as I understand it - i.e. poor tracking at speed on smooth roads and a feeling of looseness at the rear when turning into and changing directions in corners.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[ja17]

Hello Vince,
Unhook your shocks at the bottom only and slide the bottoms off so you can test them also. Bad rear shocks make an amazingly unstable ride. If they are bad you will have a dead spot at the tops or no gas pressure left.

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[Vince Canepa]

Joe - I replaced all four shocks about three weeks ago.  When I compared the old ones to the new ones, there wasn't much difference.  The difference in resistance could be felt, but it wasn't that great and there were no "dead" spots at the end.  As I said, I changed them because the rubber bushing in the "eye" at the lower end of the front shocks was squeaking and no amount of lube would cure it.  Since the shocks were old, I changed all four.  The difference in the ride quality was way more than I expected after comparing the shocks.  

You may recall my posts last summer/fall.  I had the same "insecurity" Ben mentions.  I  had a bad rear wheel bearing, two bent axles (never have figured how that came about) and the hanger mount bush was shot.  After those repairs the car tracked perfect, very secure, to over 100 mph.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[ja17]

Hello Vince,

OK, I doubt that your rears are bad if they are that new. Those Bilsteins last for a long time!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio