What did you do with your GMT400 today...or yesterday....

[Big T]

Upper control arms installed. Had to cut the ball joint off on the passenger side, as the castle nut stripped on me.

 

[Big T]

Rear shocks installed…

 

[Big T]

So I’m pretty sure that Shock Surplus provided me the incorrect front shocks for the 2014 4Runner.



You can see the difference in ride height:

Before:


After:

 

[Big T]

So I’m pretty sure that Shock Surplus provided me the incorrect front shocks for the 2014 4Runner.

View attachment 98160View attachment 98161

You can see the difference in ride height:

Before:
View attachment 98162

After:
View attachment 98163

This is now installer error. I woke up thinking about this. Checked a different store and they sell the same shock for the 4Runner. I then went out and retrieved the old shocks from the trash before they got hauled away in the am. Checked the coil spring platform and compared it to the one on the new one and I’ve got them upside down on the new ones. When installed properly, the spring platform slides over the height setting clip. Installed wrong, the spring platform sits on top of the height setting clip. The total difference in height is about 2”.

I’ll have to pull the shocks to correct this. I don’t have to remove the lower control arms, but need to drop them. Probably about 3 hours of work, maybe less with learning curve.

 

[Big T]

So I’m pretty sure that Shock Surplus provided me the incorrect front shocks for the 2014 4Runner.

View attachment 98160View attachment 98161

You can see the difference in ride height:

Before:
View attachment 98162

After:
View attachment 98163

Got it corrected. Took me two hours.
Now it just needs an alignment.

 

[Big T]

 

[dbrannon79]

I would also check the collapsed and extended heights between the two. last thing you want is the new ones to be bottoming out one way or the other. I'm sure they just changed the design and it got a new part number

 

[Big T]

I would also check the collapsed and extended heights between the two. last thing you want is the new ones to be bottoming out one way or the other. I'm sure they just changed the design and it got a new part number

They’re fine. Wife got it aligned after her follow-up with retina surgeon (eye tested 20/40 and should continue to improve). I drove it and the ride is very nice. No more looseness sound going over speed bumps.

 

[Big T]

So I’m exhausted from that suspension work. I treated myself to a new 1/2” torque wrench after the dial came off the handle on the existing. Got a Scion 90 tooth from Harbor Freight and used their 15% off one item for President’s Day sale.

When I was tightening the top nut on one shock, I was using an 8MM wrench on the flats of the stud to hold it in place, while using an 18MM wrench on the nut. This old guy had enough strength to break the 8MM. We’ll see if Harbor Freight honors their lifetime warranty. Should have been using a larger crescent wrench like the videos suggested.

 

[Will L.]

Glad you caught the error before trash man got there.
I made it a habit- 100% of old parts sit a week before getting scrapped.

 

[Big T]

Glad you caught the error before trash man got there.
I made it a habit- 100% of old parts sit a week before getting scrapped.

I went to retrieve them to measure distance. It was when I went to measure the newly installed shocks that I discovered the installer problem.