SHOCKS?

[walleye29us]

1997 chev silverado k1500..5.7 liter....145,000 miles....This truck has its original shocks and rides like a lumber wagon..I wanna replace them...Any suggestion on what brand i should get? Can a rookie mechanic do this job? Any tricks? Will i need an alignment after replacement? What would it cost(ball park) to just bring it in to the shop to get done?..

[BoxMN]

Can't give you advice on brands, but can tell you it ain't that hard Penetrating oil and hands tools, and air tools and you should have it.

While you are there, you might want to check for ball joints. My 98 (same engine and body as you but 190k) rides like a lumber wagon, but before you blame it all on the shocks, might want to look at the rear springs. Mine are shot, so that is the next thing I will do, though I put new shocks on about 110k miles.

I also had the anti-lock brake issue going, so I just put in new front bearings this fall, as they were bad (wiggling) in addition to the brake issue. That was remarkably easy, just had to buy a 32 (?) socket. I also put in pitman arm and idler arm, and the steering is MUCH better now.

Heh, it sounds worse than it was, but even a dummy like me was able to do it all in a day, along with brakes. With help of smart neighbor though

But rear springs, I would check that out if it is riding real rough.

[walleye29us]

Thank you for the advice sir. I didnt tackle the job yet.