Fake Squatched my Bronco (Black Diamond)!

[Robs]

There are several videos on YT, and I watched as many as I could find prior to starting the job. As others have already said, you do not need to remove the halfshaft, and I would not suggest doing so. You do have to remove the front lower control arm inner bolts to let the LCA hang down. You also need to remove the front stabilizer bar. The spring/shock assembly can then be unbolted and it slips right out. This was actually really easy. With the whole bronco up on 4 jack stands, I used my floor jack to ease the LCA down when those bolts came out.
You then need to use a spring compressor and remove the upper shock mount, then rotate the shock mount 180 degrees when installing the spacer above the shock. The kit should have instructions to explain this in more detail. Again, this is not hard if you use a spring compressor. I rented one for free from a local auto parts store.
I would say the rear was the most difficult. The rear trailing arm bolts are extremely tight, and with the bronco only up on jack stands (as opposed to being all the way up in the air on a lift), I had little leverage to push or pull on the breaker bar. I actually used my floor jack to push up on the breaker bar to break the bolts loose. You will also want to use a floor jack to hold the differential / axle from falling too far once you have the shock removed. You can also use the floor jack to manipulate the axle up and down to help get everything lined up when putting the shock back in. You might need an extra set of hands and a pry bar to force things to line up. Some instructions say that you need to remove the panhard rod (lateral link), although I don't see the point in doing this. I left mine installed and I was able to complete the removal and replacement of the shocks without issue.

Above the shock spacer install needs to remove the spring ? I think I saw videos where the spacer merely bolts to the top of the shock mounting studs without need to remove the spring. However Using perch collars below the spring definitely requires spring removal

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[Wheelin72]

For the spacer above the shock mount, you don’t really need to remove the spring, but you do need to rotate the upper shock mount 180 degrees. To do this, you need to loosen the whole assembly. Perhaps people have chucked the whole thing in a vise and force it to rotate without loosening anything, but I didn’t like that idea.
Just loosen, rotate, and tighten back up. I used a sharpie to mark the before and after locations to help ensure I achieved 180 deg rotation.
The purpose of rotating is so that the upper shock mount new bolts (in the spacer) will align with the frame holes.

 

[GI_Jo_Nathan]

Above the shock spacer install needs to remove the spring ? I think I saw videos where the spacer merely bolts to the top of the shock mounting studs without need to remove the spring. However Using perch collars below the spring definitely requires spring removal

There are also smaller spacers that just go in over the factory studs. Smaller like 1/2" for leveling. They wouldn't require any rotating or spring removal.

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