I just purchased some new Monroe shocks for my 2001 Supercrew. I noticed that the top rubber bushings and bushing washers are smaller than the OEM ones. Has anyone run across this with aftermarket shocks? Did I get the wrong ones? The actual shock looks the same.

Should I use the OEM bushings and bushing washers?

Has anyone installed aftermarket shocks with smaller diameter upper bushings? Any ill effects?

Thanks

 

I've done it both ways, no difference.

 

I don't think you really can or want to. They are designed different and are possibly different bolt sizes. The old bushings are also probably cracked and deteriorating. Here's a picture of my oem shocks after removal. The nut and washer is one assembly and the bushings are a very different design than aftermarket. My front bolts were rusted so bad, both sides snapped.

BTW, I used a 21mm wrench/socket for the top nut and, I think, a 20mm for the nut beneath the bushings. There was not enough room for a 21mm deep socket for the top nut on the driver's side due to some bracket in the way. I used a 10" cresent wrench. The lower nuts were 13mm. (This was on a '99; your results may vary.)

 

Don't reuse the old bushing, they're old and beat up and dried out.

Use what came with the shock, you'll be fine.

 

Thanks guys for all the help. I went ahead and installed the new bushings. It does not look so bad now. I did not realize that they get compressed quite a bit resulting in them "spreading" out. Once installed they looked similar to the OEM and do not look that much smaller.

Now I have to install the rear shocks. The upper shock nut looks to be very diffcult to remove. Not looking forward to that.