Grand Marquis Shock Replacement

Well it seems my GM is in need of rear shock replacement, my rear driver side shock absorber is making a very annoying squeak all the time. What shocks do you guys reccomend me to replace them with? the car still has the original shocks. Thanks 4 ur input!!

The shock you choose is dependant upon the quality of ride you wish to have. Most shock manufacturers make various stiffness for shocks. We use Monror Sensatrac, but we are using them on Cruisers for handling.

Hey way2old, is it possible you can help me out here with the shcok selection.

I have a 2000 GM LS and the shocks are 91,000 miles old and are in need of replacement. I was going to do both mine and my dad's shocks at the same time. He has a 1999 Crown Victoria with the dual exhaust and rear air spring suspension.

I am planning on getting the Monroe Sensatrac like you mentioned you use on the cruisers but there are a few different models for these cars. Some are for the police models, some are for regular models, and some are for touring models. I don't know if mine is a touring model or not or what the difference is between them. I would guess the stiffness of the shock would be different between them? What model numbers do you recommend for the front and rears for these 2 cars?

P.S. I'm looking at getting them from carstuff.com
http://www.car-stuff.com/store/?N=11259+4294965185+1669+11921+9242+963&Vi=11259+4294965185+1669&y=2000&mk=Mercury&md=Grand+Marquis

I think I would go with the touring package for both of them. That will give you a smooth ride but firm control. SHould give you what you need. On a side----What city Is North Royalton close to? I have daughters in Columbus and one in Mt. Gilead. Have step-sisters and brothers in Toledo and Sylvania.

Thanks a ton. I'll be ordering those this weekend.

It's a suburb of Cleveland. I actually am at BGSU in Bowling Green most of the year though which is about half an hour south of Toledo. And I and my dad used to play paintball in Mt. Gilead which is about an hour and a half drive drive from Cleveland.

Cool. Good luck with the shocks.

I remember replacing the shocks on my 1998. It was the hardest shock replacement I have ever done (attempted). I have a lot of tools but couild not get to the top bolts on the rears. I fought it for hours and wound up at Pep Boys. They installed them for I think $15 ea and I would have payed twice that at the time. Way2old, am I right or is it just me?

What are the torque specs for the front and back (top and bottom bolts) on a 1997 GM dual exhaust. I second what Hemidaze noted - the back top bolts seem near impossible to remove. Any suggestions/ideas how to remove. A friend suggested to torch them out, but their are fuel lines on driver side. The places I called want a lot more than $15 a piece. Thank you.

You are right with your assumption of the rear shocks Hemi. I made a long handle for a ratchet wrench and go through the fender well to get the top bolt out. If you are under it and try to wrench it off, it is really, really hard to do. hat is what prompted the modification of the wrench. Went to Harbour Freight and bought both pieces for well under 20$. There are specs, but I don't think anyone uses them. Use a 3/8 ratchet and get them tight with that. If you want specs, I can look them up for you. Will be gone all day tomorrow to watch the little horse race we habe here. Will catch this maybe later tonight or tomorrow evening. Good luck.

Way2old, as usual, a great many thanks. No need for specs, I was just being overly cautious. Hope you win big at the race later today.

Came out of track , after all expenses, with 12$ profit. Guess that is better than losing all day and 12$. Thanks for the luck.

I got my Sensatrac shocks in yesterday and this morning a friend and I started work to install these bad girls. I did not realize just how badly rusted my shocks were after 8 winters in Northern Ohio. I definitely felt the difference once I got the car on the streets. I can grip the pothole-ridden roads again!

On a side note, we tried our best to get the old shocks out. The fronts were so badly rusted I could not find a tool to get a good enough grip on the top of the bolt to prevent the whole shock from turning. I tried wrenches, vice grips, ratchets, everything I had, to no avail. The rears were not in as bad of shape, however with so little room to manuever like others above mentioned, it's very difficult to find a way to get it out. With that said, I took my car and my parts to a local garage and had all 4 shocks installed for $50 in about three hours. When I returned, the mechanic said he had to cut the bolts off, so I felt a little better knowing I wasn't giving up too easy.