Monroe RV shocks - All makes and Classes - Part Number References

HandyDan · April 17, 2013, 12:12 AM

As far as shocks go, this Monroe link has been posted several times here on the forum, but I'll link here one more time. Sometimes it is hard to find. It is very helpful in picking out a shock number.

http://www.monroeheavyduty.com/assets/catalog/MCV_Recreational_Vehicles.pdf

Dan

HandyDan · June 09, 2013, 10:55 PM

I know someone must have changed the front shocks on a Chevy P32 besides Kevin. I know about his problems. Here is my dilemma: After letting my new shocks sit by the front door for over two months, I finally got around to replacing them today. I was going to make a "how to" project because I can't find anyplace on the web where it shows how to do it. Well, I assembled all my tools, mats, jack stands, jack, etc. The old shock came off with a little difficulty but I did get it off. The new Monroe shock went on but the tube at the upper end is too long to fit the mounting stud. I double checked the part number and I have the correct shock for my chassis, but it doesn't fit. What gives? Here is a picture of the original shock mount and the new one. You can see that the mounting stud is the same length as the tube on the upper mount. Should I try to pry the tube out and cut it off?

Oz · June 09, 2013, 11:20 PM

Do you have the old metal bushings which were in the old shock top mounts? If so, you can knock out the new ones and replace them with the old ones. If not, you can cut the new ones to the correct length.

Stripe · June 10, 2013, 12:15 AM

I was going to say the same thing, reuse old, or cut the new.
I went a different route, did not go with Monroe. I went with Gabriel Load Carriers, Part #34036 Love em, they fit right out of the box and also came with new mounting studs if I wanted to use them.
Here are a before and after pic.

Before

After

Hope this helps,
Fredric

ClydesdaleKevin · June 10, 2013, 08:33 AM

Hey Dan, I'd say go ahead and either cut/grind off the bushing in the new shock, or else tap it out and use the one from the old shock...but the later option isn't as easy as it sounds. That bushing is molded into the rubber, not just pushed in, so I had to use my grinder to cut the old shock and rubber to get to the bushing, which I ended up using as a spacer bushing. Then you have the dilemma of trying to get the bushing out of the new shock without damaging it. So I would say your best bet is to simply take a grinder and cut off the excess tube sticking out of your new shocks, deburr them, and you should be good to go.

Kev

HandyDan · June 10, 2013, 11:57 AM

Thanks, Kevin. The old shocks didn't have a bushing on the top mount. There is one in the bottom but it is a smaller diameter. I'm going to try and use the grinder and just lob it off.

From the looks of Coachman's shocks, I would say these 4-way Stabilizer shocks were original equipment on 1983-84 Holiday Ramblers. Considering the mileage on mine, I believe these have never been changed. I found a little history on the 4-way. They are pretty slick in their operation.

"The spring and shock are all one unit, and they do the whole job of holding up one corner of the car. But the four-ways were different.
Each shock had two springs on it.
With a regular coil-over shock, when you took it out of the box, the spring would have pushed the shock all the way out to full extension, the spring being designed to take a vehicle load. When you took a four-way shock out of the box, the two springs would have moved the shock to exactly HALF EXTENSION. What this does when the shock is installed on the car is to help keep the car level under the rolling force you get in a sharp turn.

The shock on the outside side of the turn would be using one spring to help prevent that side of the car from depressing, while the shock on the inside of the turn would be trying to keep that side from rising. That is what the dual springs did.

Also, this centering point of the shock could be adjusted to bring it higher or lower on the shock body."

Dan

HandyDan · June 10, 2013, 04:49 PM

Edit: Don't do this! Just change the posts like the directions say and everything will be peace in the world.

Well, I took my shocks to the local airport to see what my airplane mechanic son could do for them. He used a cut-off wheel and got through most of the bushing. That bushing is 1/8" thick and hard steel. It took some effort to cut through it.

Because the wheel wasn't deep enough to get all the way through, he used a band saw to finish it off.

Then we used a flat carborundum disk to flatten and polish off the cut.

Came out looking pretty good. I sprayed some primer and black paint (couldn't find any yellow) on the cut although I don't know if that was necessary.

Now I'm ready to install them on the HR. Let's see what obstacle will pop up next.
Dan

Stripe · June 10, 2013, 06:17 PM

Nice. And while I'm no gypsy fortune teller, I don't foresee there being anything else getting in your way here..
Like I said for mine, it was a pretty straight forward and easy install..

Fredric

ClydesdaleKevin · June 10, 2013, 06:37 PM

You'll love the improvement in ride, Dan. Monroe Gas Magnums for RVs really are awesome. I'm looking forward to our trip to Elkhart, IA on July 1st to have Mor-Ryde raise the rear suspension for us. Should make a dramatic improvement for us once the load is leveled and more weight is put over the front wheels.

Looks like you did what I would have done, with grinding them off.

Kev

HandyDan · May 10, 2014, 11:31 PM

I found that out the hard way. After grinding off the bushing and doing all the work, I discovered that I was still going to have to remove the posts and install the new ones in the box. It wasn't a hard job to do. Not near what I was expecting. I ended up having to use washers to replace the bushing area that I had ground off. Just follow the directions and save yourself some work. I do like the ride with the new shocks.

Stripe · May 11, 2014, 12:12 AM

Sweet..

Turbodime · May 21, 2014, 03:19 AM

Thanks for the write up. I swapped mine out and cutting them off was a 5min job my boys did the rest. My 11yr and 13yr old boy had them out and in 45min.
Best part was when I came to check how they were doing I found that they didn't like the mudflap interfering with their work.

Stuff like this really warms my heart.

Rickf1985 · May 21, 2014, 07:16 AM

Ingenuity at it's best, Dang, did I ever fit under there like that?

tarifachris · May 16, 2020, 11:12 PM

Quote from: Stripe on June 10, 2013, 12:15 AM
I was going to say the same thing, reuse old, or cut the new.
I went a different route, did not go with Monroe. I went with Gabriel Load Carriers, Part #34036 Love em, they fit right out of the box and also came with new mounting studs if I wanted to use them.
Here are a before and after pic.

Before

After

Hope this helps,
Fredric

I installed these Gabriel shocks in 2015 and was never happy with them. They sold them to me at Autozone back then. You can see on the following pictures how they compare to the Bilstein B6 HD 24-252898 which I bought for 160$ the pair...

They are 1-2 inch shorter than the Bilstein shocks...

Maybe I used back then the original shock bolts - but you can see the difference...

The Bilstein's are 1/2 inch farther out and have so a better geometry...

My only problem was some genius welded the Driver side original bolt to the frame!!!

He couldn't tighten the bolt anymore and instead buying a new one he welded it on...

This cost me 1 hour with my flex to remove the welding - the hole was perfectly fine... In the end I am happy to have real HD shocks on my rig...

BTW with the Bilstein shocks the suspension hangs not on the shocks if I lift my front tires of the ground - the swaybar is holding the suspension and to be honest it is easier to replace worn swaybar bushings than shocks...

Rickf1985 · May 17, 2020, 10:01 AM

I plan on using those same shocks and my drivers side upper mount is loose and therefore the threads are destroyed. Getting it off of there is going to be a real treat! No room for a torch without burning down the entire rig. Then I am figuring the hole will be egged out from the mount being loose which means playing pretzel man to get in there and weld it up and drill it out to the right size again. I HATE this Chevy setup!!!!! I have had to do this on so many 4x4 pickups over the years in my shop I can't even count them.

tarifachris · May 17, 2020, 06:38 PM

Quote from: Rickf1985 on May 17, 2020, 10:01 AM
I plan on using those same shocks and my drivers side upper mount is loose and therefore the threads are destroyed. Getting it off of there is going to be a real treat! No room for a torch without burning down the entire rig. Then I am figuring the hole will be egged out from the mount being loose which means playing pretzel man to get in there and weld it up and drill it out to the right size again. I HATE this Chevy setup!!!!! I have had to do this on so many 4x4 pickups over the years in my shop I can't even count them.

In your case I would just use big washers inside and outside - the Bilstein have so much more meat and there are enough wingdings for the flange nut...

tarifachris · May 17, 2020, 11:48 PM

On the rear axle I replaced my shocks with Monroe RV shocks

for the tag axle:

The rear axle was 0.5 hour work. For the tag axle I will have to remove the tires...If i remember correctly I gave a best offer for the 4 Monroe shocks - that's why they are relative cheap...Altogether I spent 300$ for 6 shocks and it is well spent, my old rear shocks where done.

Rickf1985 · May 18, 2020, 08:39 AM

Wow! this is the first motor home I have seen with coil springs! I did not like the Monroe shocks, I am going with Bilstiens all around.

tarifachris · June 10, 2020, 11:08 PM

Finally installed my new shocks on the tag axle... 5 hour work since you have to remove the tires! Sure there were still the original ones on it - even that I soaked the bolts and nuts with WD40 for a few days it was a PITA to remove the old ones. The shocks were dead but the integrated springs had still big load.

This is the torque pattern for 5 and 10 lug wheels:

The final result: I installed as well centramatic wheel balancers...

Here you can see why I can replace the in-tank fuel pump without removing the tank...

ClydesdaleKevin · June 11, 2020, 09:06 AM

That was just one more thing I loved about our 89 Holiday Rambler Imperial 35...you could easily access the top of the fuel tank by just sitting up under the rear wheels...lol!

If you ever have to replace the rubber shear springs, they are NOT easy to do! I did it once...the hardest mechanical job I EVER did...and it turned out that MorRyde had sent me the wrong springs. So we ended up driving the rig all the way to Elkhart, Indiana, and MorRyde replaced them with the correct springs free of charge, and gave us 3 days of free camping in their parking lot. Great company!

Kev