I bought the C6 shocks from Cultrag and thought, any dummy can install shocks. Well this dummy is having trouble. 2003 C5 50Th Anniversary and I've had the electronic shocks programmed out. I see the new C6 shocks are a perfect physical replacement for the crap Monroe's I got talked into (one failed in a little over a year, they all suck) previously so, they must work, and I certainly trust Cultrag to provide the correct parts.

1) Cultrag did not supply a top nut and the one from the Monroe is not a fit, I'll find one but - I assume I re-use the big flat washer there, install it on top of the shock rubber (it sticks up through the hole in the chassis about an inch) then torque it, to what spec? I have the full corvette c5 torque specs but not sure that's correct for these. Same question for the bottom, what torque for those two bolts/nuts?

2) At the bottom, with the shock in place, no matter how i jack the wheel up/down, the flanges on the bottom of the shock never line up to lie flat to where they will bolt down. Again, I see these shocks are a perfect match to the one removed so I guess once it's all bolted down it will lie flat. I hope.

2 pics of top of installed new shock with and without that washer, 1 pic of the bottom of the shock, included





Removing the windshield washer housing to get at that top nut sure made removal easy!

 

Not sure if you can contact Cultrag tomorrow, but it seems very odd to me new shocks don't come with new hardware. I've never seen that before. I would expect new nuts, washers and rubber bushings.

 

It appears to me that rotating the front shock should provide better alignment. I purchased C6 Z06 shocks for my C5 and they did not come with the washer or nut.

 

You might have to pry the holes to line up. I used a screwdriver in one hole and then hammered the bolt down through shock into the other hole. I didn't see a problem putting the bolt down versus the factory way.

 

You have a mess. Go to you tube at the link below and you will see from the many vids on shocks the torque specs and shocks to use.

I put Bilstein B6 on my C5 back in May and it was very easy to do. Learn from the vids on you tube and use Bilstein B6 Shocks. These B6 shocks are 3 times better than OEM.

 

With respect to the angle of the shock not matching the angle of the a-arm....this is not that unusual, on many different cars, as the shocks motion is actually in an arc. In your case, if you haven't done so by now, rotate the shock 180*, and it should line up better.

 

Thank you all for the replies, it's quite a spectrum of answers all the way to 'you have a mess' - and that I should buy other shocks. But thanks for the vid just the same.

RE the bottom of the shock not seeming to 'line up', two say remove and rotate it 180, god I hope that's not the case, getting that shock back out will not be fun. And I don't believe (?) rotating it 180 is the answer, that would really put those mounting flanges at the bottom of the shock at a crazy angle. BUT I will look at the other side which I've not started yet to see.

On top, I guess I'll just buy 4 nuts today, use the existing big somewhat domed washer from the old shocks, and tighten it down. I see 19 ft lb for top and 21 ft lb for bottom listed for the C5 torque values, I'll see what that does.

update - I think re the bottom I just don't have the lower control arm jacked up high enough to seat the bottom flanges of shock to it, the one I'm using topped out. Hitting the store to find the correct top nuts, hopefully find some nyloc ones, and get it finished. I'm also doing inner/outer tie rods and ends and sway bar link kits all the way around, all Moog.

 

Nor did the C5Z06 shocks I bought. Reuse the hardware from the original electric shocks.

 

The bottom 2 holed bracket on the shock simply passes through the rubber bushing in the shock body. The bolts will pull it into place. The easier way to have done this would have been to use giant zip ties and zip tie the shock in a compressed position. Then mount the lower bolts, then cut the zip ties and guide the top of the shock through the hole.

Now that it's extended, you're probably just going to have to be sure the bolts get started properly and draw them in. Try to get a punch or screwdriver into one of the holes and twist the bracket while you start the other bolt.

 

This view from a vid of shock install, I think all is well, I just need to jack the lower arm better.

This is a youtube video screen capture. So I've got the shock in the right way, not 180 off. I just need to jack the lower arm to get mine to level out so I can tighten the two bolts down.

 

Yes, that's how I got the shock installed, compressed and zip tied it, that much I knew to do from studying vids and really made it easy. I have the bolts dropped in but due to the angle they're not in straight, I'm going back to it now to jack the lower arm up or down or whatever to line them up! THANKS> Oh and I should have taken your advice about using a screwdriver to line it up, too late now; those bolts are wedged in place due to the angle. Moving the arm will hopefully let them drop into place.

 

I was wondering why nobody chimed in with the "use several large (24") zip ties". Sometimes I keep my two cents out of it.

 

I installed it compressed using nylon rope. Easier.

Bought top nuts at Home Depot M10-1.5MM, nylon seal, under a buck each. Cultrag, for a $300+ shock order you should toss in $3.00 worth of nuts. Or at least sell them with the order.

 

when i installed bilsteins in my c5z, the bottom holes didn't line up just as yours don't. so i used a punch to twist the bottom bracket to line it up. that bar is in a rubber bushing and it can move. twist on one of the holes and bolt on the other.

 

You are missing the top half of the bushing. The bottom half has the sleeve part that fits through the hole and the top half is a rubber ring that goes around the sleeve part sticking up through the hole before the steel washer is installed. Nut is usually tightened until the bushing starts to compress. It's too tight if you're squishing it out from under the washers.

At the bottom just do whatever works for you to turn that bar straight enough to get the bolts installed.

Cultrag sells them how they come from GM....