You want to be able to haul heavy loads in your Ford F-series truck, but after 60,000 miles under normal driving conditions, the shocks show wear and you need to replace them. You can save yourself some money and hassle by replacing them yourself. This process works best in trucks built after model year 2000 and only covers the shocks because Ford F-series trucks don't come equipped with struts.
Lift the front end of the truck with a floor jack, and support the frame with jack stands. Locate the shock under the truck, which looks like a tube that slides in and out of another tube and fits into the bottom of a coil spring. Open the hood and use a ratchet to remove the upper nut on the shock, along with the washer and the bushing. Go back under the truck, and remove the lower retaining nuts connecting the shock to the lower control arm, which is the part that connects to the bottom of the wheel hub. Repeat on the other side of the front of the truck.
Slide the washer and bushing onto the new shock, and slide it up through the spring coil into the frame. Attach the lower retaining nuts to the shock and the lower control arm. Set the dial on your torque wrench to 19 ft-lb on the 2-wheel-drive model and 57 ft-lb on the 4-wheel-drive model. Tighten the nuts until you feel the wrench slip. Repeat on the other side of the front of the truck.
Lower the front end of the F-series, and install the upper mounting nut through the open hood. Torque it to 34 ft-lb in a 2-wheel-drive truck and 22 ft-lb in a 4-wheel-drive model. Repeat on the other side of the front end of the truck. Close the hood.
Lift the rear end of the F-series with a floor jack, and support the frame with jack stands. Locate the shocks, and use a ratchet to remove the nut holding the shock absorber to the bracket in the frame. Slide the washer and the rubber bushings off the shock, and use the ratchet to remove the lower mounting bolt at the bottom of the shock.
Support the rear axle with a jack stand, and pull out the shock. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 on the other side of the rear of the F-series.
Slide new rubber bushings onto the new shock, and position it in the brackets under the rear of the truck where you removed the old shock. Bolt the shock absorber to the lower stud, and torque it to 66 ft-lb. Install the nut at the top over the mounting stud, and torque it to 26 ft-lb. Repeat on the other side of the rear of the F-series.
Lower the rear end of the truck.
