How hard/easy to do suspension work on a GXP?

Shawn1112

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Buddy has a 08 GXP and wants me to help him (meaning I'll do it all) do new shocks/struts all the way around on his GXP next weekend. Says he looked at YT vids and looks pretty simple, but we all know how that goes lol.

Ive done my fair share if suspension work on various cars/trucks but never a GXP or any Grand Prix. So tell me what I'm getting myself in to, pain in the dick or pretty straight forward? Any specialty tools or any non-ordinary shit I'll need?
 

SaturdaysGS

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Buddy has a 08 GXP and wants me to help him (meaning I'll do it all) do new shocks/struts all the way around on his GXP next weekend. Says he looked at YT vids and looks pretty simple, but we all know how that goes lol.

Ive done my fair share if suspension work on various cars/trucks but never a GXP or any Grand Prix. So tell me what I'm getting myself in to, pain in the dick or pretty straight forward? Any specialty tools or any non-ordinary shit I'll need?

Easy, crawling in the trunk might be a pain but it’s better than taking a rear deck lid apart. Two bolts on the knuckle and three at the top.

Expect issues with sway bar links, as usual.

Is he goin with complete units or? Those come with bilsteins, he will notice a difference.
 

Shawn1112

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Easy, crawling in the trunk might be a pain but it’s better than taking a rear deck lid apart. Two bolts on the knuckle and three at the top.

Expect issues with sway bar links, as usual.

Is he goin with complete units or? Those come with bilsteins, he will notice a difference.
All I know is he ordered Monroe parts from Rock Auto.
 

SaturdaysGS

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All I know is he ordered Monroe parts from Rock Auto.

If he doesn’t care about a “sporty” ride, Monroe will be perfect replacement. I had stock comp-g struts in mine it rode well, then I swapped them for bilsteins, the rod and shaft is bigger and thicker.. lol, and it really firmed it up. Once I was driving 100 miles a day or so that got old quick so I just bought the quick struts and it rode nice and smooth very comfortable for a “sporty” car.
 
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Turbocharged400sbc

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Prepare to have to grind off the mushroom to end of the strut to knuckle bolts if you have to pound them out with difficulty. When putting it together try to put the bolts back where you took them out from and try to align the splines/grooved sections with the original path through the knuckle to make it easier for you to reinstall everything.
A couple of swipes with a rat tail file will get rid of most of the corrosion that has accumulated. But don't go too far you do want them snug to keep from having any movement unless he has camber bolts installed
 
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Shawn1112

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Just an update to this. I had to replace my screen door in front of my house, wind caught it 2 weeks ago and ripped it off. 1 hours jobs always turn into a days work at my shitty built house. So told my guy he had to wait till next weekend as I had to replace my door and go up to McHenry today to show my brother how to lay a floor.

He found some guy here in Streamwood on FB that works on cars. Guy did the whole job for $200 and knocked it out in 3hrs.
Rear end links had to be cut off and replaced, front was fine.
 
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