R33: DIY Install Rear Shocks

[Greg]

This guide is based on the original instructions that craz0 kindly sent me.

I used Bilstein shocks and kept standard springs.

Tools:

Pair of spring compressors

Socket set

Pipe for extra leverage (see below)

Small shifter spanner

14mm ring/open end spanner

Trolley jack, stands

Steps:

1. Remove seats, parcel shelf

2. Jack up car, put on stands

3. Remove struts

4. Disassemble then reassemble struts around new shocks

5. Refit to car

1. Remove rear seat & parcel shelf

The rear seats and parcel shelf have to be removed to allow access to the strut tops. The seat is held in by bolts and clips - click here for a step by step guide on removing the seat. I used a screwdriver as a lever to pop the clips off, which seemed to work well.

Now the parcel shelf. There should be some bolts holding the baby seat anchor points - remove those. The plastic cover that hides the rear window wiper motor etc needs to be removed as well. Wriggle it around a bit and pull it towards you to remove it. To remove the shelf itself you need to press the two ends as the plastic quarter interior trims are keyed into the parcel shelf. Just watch those, it took me ages to work it out the first time! And don't be afraid to bend the shelf a little bit, its fairly flexible

2. Jack up car, put on stands

I raised the whole back end (ie didn't do one side at a time). I think is probably the easiest way, the car is much more stable. Make sure you put the stands in a structurally sound position, don't want to bend anything. Never work under a jacked up car.

3. Remove strut(s)

The strut it held in place by 2 nuts on the pillow mounts (accessed from beneath the parcel shelf), and the eye bolt at the bottom of the suspension strut, underneath the car.

People have used various methods for removing the strut. The way I did it worked well: I unscrewed the eye bolt (17mm) first then the two pillow mount nuts (12mm). The eye bolt was tight - I needed to put a pipe on the end of the socket wrench for extra leverage (but then again I'm a bit of a wimp ). The strut should now be supported by the lower lug. I then positioned the jack just below the bottom of the strut, to catch the strut when I knocked it off the lug. With a few small taps the strut was off the lug and sitting on the jack. Now just release the jack and watch your strut glide slowly to the ground (alternatively just catch it - I wasn't sure how much it weighed so thought the jack was a much safer method).

4. Disassemble then reassemble strut around new shocks

Now you will need spring compressors (I picked some up from Supercheap for $32) to compress the springs so you can undo the top centre pillow mount nut. Make sure you do it evenly on each side of the spring when you are compressing and uncompressing, don't do it one side at a time - put them both on and do about 8 to 10 turns on one side then the same on the other side then back to first side and so on and so forth.

After you compress the springs get a small shifter and a 14mm spanner (ring or open end). The centre shaft that the nut screws down on has two flat sides on it above the nut. Put the shifter on that and the spanner on the nut. Undo it most of the way, then check to see if you can unscrew it with your fingers. If you can't, you need to compress the springs more (or risk serious injury when the nut shoots off at great force).

Once you have the nut off, you can now remove the pillow mount (you have to re-use your original pillow mount with the Bilstein shocks). Take careful note of the order and way up everything is as you pull the strut apart. Take the spring off with the spring compressors still on it, now remove the bumper and bump plate (you have to reuse these as well) then remove the shock cover which has the bump stop built into it up the top. If you buy Bilsteins I recommend getting the new shock covers with bump stop built from Nissan (expensive but worth it). I didn't and I had to cut the bump stop off the original, and try and attach it to the universal shock cover I got - its a messy job.

Rebuild the strut around your new shock absorber - reverse the above steps. When your new centre nut is screwed on, uncompress the springs. Note that the centre net is self locking and can't be reused. If you get new (lower) springs at the same time, you will most likely not have to compress the spring to get it back on, but if you use your original springs like I did you will have to compress them so you can put your pillow mount back on (just leave them compressed from when you took them off).

5. Refit to car

I lubed up the lower lug and eye of the shock with vaseline, I'm sure any type of grease would be fine, that's just what I had handy. This makes it easier for the eye of the shock to slide on, and also hopefully prevents squeaking in the future. I found it easiest to reverse the process used to remove the strut. Put the top pillow mount studs in their holes (this requires a bit of jiggling around) and slide the eye of the strut onto the lower lug. You might need to push down on a control arm or the brake discs or something so it will line up and slide on. Now that its sitting on the lug, do up the pillow mount nuts. When you removed the two pillow mount nuts you would have noticed they weren't particularly tight. This is because the studs are fairly weak - so make sure when you put the nuts back on you don't use too much force. Then do the eye bolt. Make it as tight as you can - use the pipe for extra leverage.

You're done! Jack up the car again to take pressure off the stands, remove the stands, release jack and lower car, refit parcel shelf/seat. I'm leaving my seat out for a bit - I'm sick of taking passengers

Get a wheel alignment as soon as possible.

Hope this helps someone, if I've missed anything just ask!

Greg

[craz0]

Great work there Greg, thanks for the mention.

[craz0]

Great Job Greg, when are you going to do the front's?

[Greg]

thanks man....i should have taken some pics but my digicam batteries were flat and i didn't want to wait for them to charge.

fronts are probably going to be done before the end of the year, stockies are still in pretty good nick so when they start to deteriorate i'll replace them

thanks for your help

[lukits01]

well I was about to do a guide as well but hey, guess you guys beat me to it hahaha

I'll just add to this one then

with some pictures

Pic 1

After removing the rear seats and parcel shelve loosened the two bolts holding the suspension, circled RED, if the bracket marked with the BLUE lines gets in the way just take it off

if you are uncomfortable with working in the car while its on the stands then undo the bolts completely, just remember to catch the shocks when it falls down later after you undo the bottom bolt (circled red at pic 3)

Pic 2

this pic is just to show when you jack up the car (preferably with a hydraulic jack), use a point under the dif and place the stands under the swaybars. Dont really have a pic of the stand mounts and I did it wrong in the pics (which was actually quite dangerous hahahah)

Pic 3

undo the bolt holding the shocks to the lug(RED) and if you've undone the top bolts then just be prepared. Tap the shocks slightly to remove it from the lower lug.

Pic 4

use spring compressor on standard springs before you attempt to remove them

(Surrounded in blue) and undo the top centre pillow mount nut (RED).

I was simply changing to King Spring Lows so I didnt have to rebuild the shocks or anything, but Greg has covered how to install the bilsteins which are probably a lot better than my worned shocks. oh btw if you want to know the condition of your shocks, try compressing it with your arms(after you remove the springs) and count how long it takes to undo itself, good shocks usually take about 2 secs, near dead ones (like mine) takes freakin ages.

lowered springs dont need compressing, just slide them in and tighten the top centre pillow mount nut just enough.

Pic 5

I thought you needed to undo some of the bolts of the suspension arm to place the shocks back in, but I guess I was wrong. I didnt bother to try so I took off these bolts(RED) before placing my shocks back.

[craz0]

I also have a few pics in my gallery of Whiteline Springs against Standard and Bilstein Shocks against Standard etc.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/photopost...500&ppuser=2574

[Vincent--TT]

In R34

I tried to remove the parcel shelf...it seems not coming out until the seat comes out.....

Thats....long job to just change the rear suspension.

Shit...

[xxxessive]

Hi guys. It's my first time trying to change my shocks - replacing the stock ones with some tein superstreets on a R33 gtst.

I've removed the back seats, but have problems with the parcel shelf. But the real issue is i noticed a metal casing covering the middle of the top of the rear strut. I can access the two size 12 nuts, but am wondering what is the deal with the metal case.

Do i need to access the middle part of the strut or can i go ahead and just leave it and loosen the two size 12 and continue with the replacement?

[V28VX37]

Hi guys. It's my first time trying to change my shocks - replacing the stock ones with some tein superstreets on a R33 gtst.

I've removed the back seats, but have problems with the parcel shelf. But the real issue is i noticed a metal casing covering the middle of the top of the rear strut. I can access the two size 12 nuts, but am wondering what is the deal with the metal case.

Do i need to access the middle part of the strut or can i go ahead and just leave it and loosen the two size 12 and continue with the replacement?

I'm guessing it's the same as the 34 - if so the metal cup will come off once you loosen the two nuts. I'm not sure what the point of it is, I've left mine off with the coilovers.

[xxxessive]

thanks for that mate! I'll give it a go this Saturday. Was a little lost when I saw it there cuz it was not on any video or tutorial I've seen.

[xxxessive]

update: rear shocks all done. turns out it was relatively simple. the biggest problem was a mad tight bolt over the eye lug, followed by not being able to remove the parcel shelf.

thanks for the tutorial and the replies everyone!