Think of your last trip home from the hardware store. If the nails you bought bounced all around the bed of your truck, you might need to replace the shocks in your Chevy Silverado. Good shocks not only make the ride more comfortable, but they make it safer. Replace your shocks at least every 60,000 miles. This process only covers shock replacement because Chevrolet doesn't equip the Silverado with struts.
Lift the truck with a jack, and support it with jack stands. If you have selectable ride, disconnect the real time dampening rods (RTD) and the electrical connector by grabbing the locking tabs on the electrical wire running from the wheel well and twisting counterclockwise until they separate. Pull up the connector. Hold the metal tenon attached to one side with a wrench, and detach the nut with a ratchet.
Locate the shock absorber. It looks like a metal tube that slides in and out of another tube connected to the arm holding the wheel. Slide off the upper insulator. Keep the pilot ring. Ratchet off the shock absorber mounting bolt on the lower control arm. Pull out the shock absorber.
Poke the stem through the hole in the shock bracket on the frame. Line the shock absorber up with the lower control arm mounting holes. Twist the setting on your torque wrench to 59 ft-lb. Bolt the lower control arm to the shock absorber, and tighten the nut until you feel the wrench give.
Align the upper insulator to the shock with the pilot ring and slide it on. Loosely connect the tenon to the connector with the nut. Don't tighten it yet. Reconnect the RTD if you have selectable ride by aligning the tabs so they're perpendicular to the wrench flats, and push the connector down hard. Twist the locking tabs counterclockwise until you hear a snap.
Lower the car from the jack stands. Hold the tenon end of the connector with a wrench while you torque the nut to 15 ft-lb.
Lift the truck with a floor jack, and support the Silverado with jack stands. If you have selectable ride, disconnect the electrical sensor.
Use the ratchet to pull out the upper shock absorber nut and bolt. Unbolt the lower shock absorber nut and bolt. Remove the shocks.
Align the new shocks and insert the lower nut and bolt, followed by the upper nut and bolt. Torque both to 70 ft-lb.
Reconnect the electrical connector if you have selectable ride on the Silverado, and lower the truck from the jack stands.
