no rear shocks

2000Cherokee

NAXJA Forum User
Location
mass
i have a quick question. when i was installing my lift i managed to snap off all of the upper rear shock bolts.

is it ok to drive my jeep with no rear shocks for a day? i wont have time to work on it tomorrow so they will have to wait until sunday. will i run into any problems with driving and no rear shocks?
 
I've done it in a very similar emergency situation, it DEFINITELY changes the handling. I felt like I had a lot more body roll and anytime you hit a bump there's nothing to dampen it (obviously) so you bounce a lot more. I just drove it around town short distances for the day I had to, I'm not sure I'd want to try highway speeds judging from how it felt around town.
 
ive noticed a change in handling. def more body role. wont be going on the highway. im going to try and get to the bolts tomorrow morning. but i need to go thru the floor and i know that will be a pain in the ass. and one of my rear shocks wont some off the bolt is rounded off so it is still on there...lol
 
The same thing happed to my friends jeep. You don't have to go through the floor. You can drill through the screws and just tap it for some new threads. Worked out fine on his.

I'm rolling with just one in the rear b/c the stud on the axle snapped, and i took it on the highway and it seemed ok, but wouldn't do it with both gone.
 
Yup mine was a combo of snapped bolts, and I broke my vise pressing out the old bar pins (it was a cheapo POS). I drove it as far as the hardware store and then back home which was just stop and go traffic and side streets maybe 6 miles total.. Cutting through the floor isn't all that tough and is the least painful of the options IMHO.

Perfect opprotunity to install some BPE's while you've got the holes cut in the floor :D
 
please dont cut holes in your floor....the stock bolts you broke are
5/16 inch. Get a tap, either 3/8 inch or 10 millimeter. drill the correct size hole right through the middle of the broke off bolt, [ drill it good and straight ] and tap it out.
install new shocks with the new correct size bolts.. the drilling and tapping should take less than 30 minutes per bolt [ 2 hour total ] even if you have never done it before.... !
 
Use an air chisel & knock the weld nuts off. Then feed new bolts in from the top. Takes about 10 min. Very easy. JIM.
 
Use a phillips head screw driver in the center of the broken bolt and hit it with a BFH. After 2-3 blows with the hanner they will pop right out and then just use a nut and bolt through the hole.
 
rredalty said:
Use a phillips head screw driver in the center of the broken bolt and hit it with a BFH. After 2-3 blows with the hanner they will pop right out and then just use a nut and bolt through the hole.
x2 on that saved me a ton of hassle.

btw i have one shock in the rear right now as well, snapped the reservoir off a bilstein , i don't notice its gone
 
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Use a square nut on the top. A square nut will many times keep themselves from spinning as you tighten the bolt. What's what they are made for. If they do spin it's easy(er) to get an open end wrench in there and square nut don't round out with an open end like hex nuts will. Some times it's almost impossible to get a boxed end up there.
If you have problem just getting the nut in place. A drop of super glue will hold the nut in the wrench or on the end of a wire. I have very big hands and have used this trick may times.
 
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going to do it today hopefully i dont run into any problems.. one shock is still attached by one bolt so ill have to try and get it out.
 
allright i cant get th bolt out. i was going at it for about 2 hours and i cant get them to budge. i didnt use air power thought i used a punch and i BFH tho and nothing. also i still have one bolt attached but it is stripped anyone know of a way to deal with that? and it still have a peice of the stock mounting hardware on it

here is a pic
liftedjeep004.jpg
 
well, its only spot welded on, i'll hold you're purse while you hit harder on the punch. seriously, get a freakin punch, an 8lb sledge, and beat the freakin nut out. don't worry about the bolt. its not coming out. but the nut is. just hit it harder, you won't hurt anythign.

as far as the bolt still on, just cut the head off the bolt, and use the rest of the bolt as a punch. just hit it harder. honestly, there is nothing there. the spot weld is just there to keep the nut from spinning.
 
i tried hitting it from the top and from the bottom. both me and my dad tried. as far as for the bolt that is sill there should i cut the bolt of from the top? not sure if i can get it from the bottom. the exhaust is in the way.

im going to use the air chisel at my uncles house tomorrow after work. to punch the welds out
 
I`ve been running on and off-road with 1 rear shock for the past 3-4months with zero problems.I broke the one side off 3 times,so I just said fuck it.
 
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