Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Steve St.Laurent
Staff Alumni
I've had this requested a few times recently so I thought I'd bring it back to the top. I wrote this article for the magazine a few years ago and a lot of people have gotten good use out of it.
I recently installed a set of RS9000 shocks and an RS5000 steering stabilizer (RS5404) on my '98. 5 2500 4x4. I kept notes during the install and put this together to help save time for others. First, spray some penetrating oil on all the bolts at the top and bottom of the shocks and the stabilizer and then start putting the shocks together so it has time to go to work.
Starting with the front shocks, first put the shock on #1 and pull it all the way out, then put it on #5. Then put the boot on - it just slides right on. Put the boot down on the shock far enough that the drain holes in the 2nd rib are at the top of the shock body. If you just put the boot down until it's tight, water and crud will collect inside the boot and won't be able to drain out. Also point the drains towards the front and rear so that stuff will drain when parked on inclines (I park far more often on an incline or decline than leaning to one side). I personally set my shocks so that the adjusting knob was pointing to the rear of the truck on the front. They are a little more difficult to adjust that way, but they are better protected from debris when off-roading and also salt spray during the winter (you make your own choice). Then put the zip tie on and put it so that the bulky part of the zip tie would be on the inside where you won't see it. Then put the sticker on so that it will be facing out.
For the rears it's a little harder to put the boot on. Put some liquid dishwashing detergent on the top eye and around the ring at its base. Then you have to force the boot over it. Then wipe off the dishwashing detergent. Put the drain holes to the front and rear on these also. Then decide which way you want the shocks to face. I pointed my knobs towards the axle (rearward on the passenger side and forward on the drivers side) - that seemed to be the most protected spot, but again harder to adjust the setting. Then put the sticker on; I recommend the driver's side sticker face to the rear and the passenger's side to face to the front (mine faces to the rear on the passenger side, and you can hardly see it). Then I put two coats of a good carnauba wax on the shock tubes. Once they are installed, you won't get the chance to do it again and it will help keep the finish looking good (again salt concerns - rust).
Now for the actual install, I recommend starting with the fronts because they are the hardest. Start with the passenger side and loosen the top nut on the stock shock (just using a socket and extensions). Then loosen the bottom bolt; the nut is a flag nut so you don't have to worry about a wrench for the back side. Next, remove the 3 nuts from the shock tower and pull the shock tower out of the way (just lay it to the side in the engine compartment). Then you have to get the shock out. Some may come easy, others may need to be pried. I used a large flat blade screw driver and pried between the lower coils and the shock tube, alternating between front and rear until it released. Then just pull the shock out from the top. Now take the bottom bolt and make sure the sleeve will fit (there was only one in mine, and it did fit). Next put some grease inside the bushing and on the outside of the sleeve, put the sleeve into the bushing by hand, and then use a c-clamp to drive it in the rest of the way. Then put a dab of grease inside the sleeve on the side you are going to put the bolt in through (or put some grease on the bolt) and on the sides of the bushing. Put one of the washer's on the top of the shock and then one of the red bushings. Put the shock on #1 so it's easier to move and drop the shock into the coil - mine fit in pretty easily. Slide the bottom bolt in, put the flag nut on the back side, and just finger tighten it. Then put the shock tower over the shock and loosely install the three nuts on the shock tower. Then put the other red bushing on the shock shaft, then the other washer, and finger tighten the nut. Tighten the lower bolt to 100 ft/lbs. Then tighten the shock tower nuts to 55 ft/lbs. Lastly tighten the nut on top of the shock - just tighten it down until the bushing sits even with the side of the washer. You also want to center the bushings in the hole in the top of the shock tower; wiggle it around as you tighten it until you drop into it.
Next is the driver's side, basically the same procedure as the passenger's side except it's a little tighter. There are clips on the hard lines running right by the fuse box that you can undo easily to make it easier to get a socket and extension on the top nut of the shock. After you get the top nut off of the shock; you need to compress the shock as much as you can and use zip ties or safety wire to keep it collapsed. Then you can do the rest of the stuff, and the shock will pull right out. Put the shock on #1 and collapse the new shock down (no need for zip ties) and install the same as the passenger's side. Don't forget to reconnect the clips on the hard lines if you undid them.
Next are the rears. If you remove your spare tire, you will have a lot of extra room to work in - makes the job much easier. It's simply a matter of unbolting the old one and bolting in the new. On the passenger's side, you get the top bolt from outside the frame rail with an extension. The top nuts are flag nuts so you don't have to worry about getting a wrench on them. On the driver's side, the axle vent is clipped right above the flag nut; just pull it off (it slides right off - no lock) and lay it to the side. Then reconnect it when you're done. The rear shock bolts should be torqued to 100 ft/lbs.
Lastly, to replace the stabilizer, simply unbolt the old one and bolt in the new just like the rear shocks. Put the boot very far down on the body so that when turning the wheel all the way to the right it doesn't pop off of the top of the stabilizer. I put the drain holes pointing up and down and I also cut an extra drain hole in the last rib before the shock body. In my case, only one of the sleeves that came with the shock fit the bolt so I used the sleeve that wouldn't fit to drive one of the sleeves out of the stock shock with a c-clamp and a socket.
I'm running my shocks at 3 front, 1 rear unloaded and haven't had a chance to run them loaded yet. The ride of the truck is greatly improved over the stock shocks which had 56,000 miles on them. I hope this makes your install go easy!
-Steve St. Laurent
