HELP! Bilstein rear shock mounting instructions (URGENT)

[bongo007]

Hi,

I am in the process of swapping my rear shocks for Bilstein HDs. However they did not come with any instructions - not that i can understand anyway.

Firstly, the actual shock had a green plastic washer, and then a big metal washer that fit inside the blue plastic cover - do i need to do anything with them? slide them to the top or something?

Then secondly - what is the correct order for the big metal washers and the rubber bushing - one washer is bigger than the other, and the rubber bushing is wider and skinnier at one end... Does it look correct in the picture below? (Bloody hard getting that rubber bush to fit through the hole!)

I hope the attached pictures work.

Hope someone can help me so i can put it back together....

Thanks!

Lukasz

[stone02]

Hi,

the first thing is to insert the bushing from the bottom

up with the small side up. use soap to slide it in. then get the spacer that

was in the old bushing and slide it into the the new bushing.

now the green stays on and then the big washer can stay or go.

the smaller washers need to fit onto the shock but must

tighten against the spacer inside the bushing. that is it.

good luck

stone

[bongo007]

the first thing is to insert the bushing from the bottom

up with the small side up.

Thanks for your reply. When you say small side up - do you mean the narrower side, or the shorter stubier side? (does it go in like it is in the second picture?)

[eurotrash]

-narrower.

[bongo007]

-narrower.

Thanks, Luckly thats what i did Just went for a drive and it feels good.

(Are the original OEM shocks meant to actually "rebound" when you compress them?)

Now to tackle the front... maybe another day.

[GreenSwede]

Hi,

Firstly, the actual shock had a green plastic washer, and then a big metal washer that fit inside the blue plastic cover - do i need to do anything with them? slide them to the top or something?

Installing Bilsteins as well. Also thinking about the green plastic washer/bushing and the large metal washer, read the answer it could stay or go. But why is it there? If it stays, doesn´t it rattle and make noise? I like to know the purpose of things before I remove or install them..

[Guest_anonymous]

Q:"(Are the original OEM shocks meant to actually "rebound" when you compress them?) "

A: Not after 30+ years

[bnam]

Actually narrower end goes down into the shock housing according to factory manual pics from C.D.

[Scott Sislane]

Actually narrower end goes down into the shock housing according to factory manual pics from CD

Good to know I did both cars correctly. Been working fine for 3 years w/ the wider part ontop. Nevermind actually getting the wider end THROUGH the hole! (I tried)

[Bavarian Deuce]

Interesting............, the ones I just bought, Sport version, (from Bavarian) and installed came with two bushings rather than the single one that is shown in your pictures, and looks pretty much like the stock ones that I removed. Are yours the HD version? I also made a quick post regarding my situation.

[kronus]

My sports also had the dual bushings. They work as expected, the washers squash the bushings to fit into the hole. The ones I removed were the single-piece kind pictured above. They have a metal sleeve in them, so they are not crushable, and insert from the top.

[jgerock]

I just received (2) rear HD shocks from BavAuto (for the '69). Inside the package was the stock-looking upper bushing along with the sleeve and (2) washers.

Older picture from the same shocks I installed on the tii. Narrow portion fits down inside the tower from above.

[Simeon]

Reviving this old thread as I have a pair of HDs that I am going to install and I am also wondering what to do with the green bush and the large washer underneath the dust boot that seems to float loose. 

 

@stone02's post says remove them but it's not clear what they are for in the first place. Nobody ever answered Greenswede and I can't help but wonder what they are for. 

[71bmr02]

While we're on the subject. I have a good set of bushings on a parts car that has good billy shocks  but can't figure how to get the bushings out without destroying them. All i have found are in the $40 ea range which i find a bit expensive. does anyone know of a source for the bushings that is affordable? are there alternatives that work as well? 

[Drosselhebel]

The green bush is a shock travel indicator. Leave it in place. Push it down the shock piston until it's resting against the top cap of the shock. After driving the car, its position on the piston shows you how much shock travel has been used - if it ends up at the very top of the piston it means you're bottoming out.