I think I need new front shocks. I am hearing a very annoying clunking in the front suspension which sounds like the shock upper mount. It looks like the best thing to do is replace the shock and upper bushings. The attached link from Parts Geek shows what they have. None exactly a match with what I have there now. Mine has a rubber bellows on the upper part. I have always heard that Bilstein was the best and matched the ride quality that I now have. Also, with the front shock the lower mount is a fork with no bushing like the rear. The lower bushing is on the car. Where do I get that bushing also or will the old one be OK.

I know you guys have done this job already. So please give me some info as to what is best and what I need for parts.

Thanks guys for your help.


95 1995 Jaguar XJ6 Shock Absorber - Suspension - Bilstein, KYB, Monroe, Front, Rear - PartsGeek

 

I was under the impression that Bilsteins could be rebuilt?

 

About a year and a half ago, my rear upper bushes gave up and started clunking. Although the fronts looked pretty straightforward....I didn't feel like messing with the rears and ordered a pair of KYB Gas_Adjust's from Amazon, another pair from Rock auto and carried the whole mess over to Motorcarman for fitment. I don't remember which merchant I got the fronts vs. rears from..but splitting them between the two was the best price deal. McM cautioned me not to mix KYB's with another brand or OEM but when he saw I had a full-set said it would be fine. To be honest, I didn't notice any difference in ride at all.

 

before you get too deep into it, look at the bottom shock mount. One of mine was shot and a $4 part fixed it up.

 

I know this may sound crazy, but I had a front end clunk. Replaced shock bushings, still clunk, clunk, clunk. Turns out it was the sway bar bushings.

 

I did sway bar bushings last winter. They can be noisy, but replacement is easy.

 

[As to the front shocks on these cars.
they wear their top and bottom bushings out way more than the shock wearing out.
Replacing the top is not to bad. And very common to start to disintegrate. You can use Chevy motor mounts, that were used for decades and are dirt cheap, at any auto parts store. They are just a dense black rubber about the correct dimensions.

But the lower bushes are Jaguar specific and are pressed into the lower A arm casting. And they are a bitch to get the old ones out, and even a bigger bitch to get the new ones in. The Bush is widely available and not that expensive. But they are a very tight interference fit. With a very thin wall steel outer casing, so you have almost nothing to get a purchase on to drive them in.
So what I have been doing now is to mount them on a bolt and chuck them in a drill and file them down a bit in diameter, so they are easier to drive them in the lower A arm. Makes.the job a lot easier. As there is no reason they need to be that tight. They are wearing against each other, it just needs to not fall out,. And that does not take much of an interference fit.






QUOTE=EZDriver;796089]I think I need new front shocks. I am hearing a very annoying clunking in the front suspension which sounds like the shock upper mount. It looks like the best thing to do is replace the shock and upper bushings. The attached link from Parts Geek shows what they have. None exactly a match with what I have there now. Mine has a rubber bellows on the upper part. I have always heard that Bilstein was the best and matched the ride quality that I now have. Also, with the front shock the lower mount is a fork with no bushing like the rear. The lower bushing is on the car. Where do I get that bushing also or will the old one be OK.

I know you guys have done this job already. So please give me some info as to what is best and what I need for parts.

Thanks guys for your help.


95 1995 Jaguar XJ6 Shock Absorber - Suspension - Bilstein, KYB, Monroe, Front, Rear - PartsGeek[/QUOTE]

 

Hi barchettaboy,

You've revived a thread with no activity since 2013, but good info is always on time.

To add another tip for the lower shock bushing installation, it helps to put the new bushing in the freezer for 30 minutes or more until just before you install it. And if necessary, heat up the control arm with a heat gun (not a torch) just before you take the new bushing out of the freezer and press it in. Have all your tools ready to go so the control arm is warm and the bushing is freezing cold when you start the installation.

Cheers,

Don