Write-Up: Rear Self-leveling Air Shocks

i dont recall getting any hardware other than the 2 shock top nuts that came pre-screwed on the rod.
mine were black too. maybe they changed the design slightly?

hey guys i will soon be replacing all shocks/struts on my car cause the ride feels like its getting really rough. and when i hit a patch of rough spot in the road you can really feel my car bounce around. I have a mechanic friend who does all my work for me (charges me 25 and hour to do anything) hes even put a CAI on my s/c for me. I first need to know if there is a difference between using the factory ELC air shocks or regular air or gas shocks. Im pretty sure the compressor for my car works fairly well, When i get in the car and sit for about 20 second you can hear it kick on for about 5 - 10 seconds then shut off. i cant really FEEL any difference but i would assume since its not constantly on or never at all its working fine.

I will be putting the kyb's on the front for struts no doubt about that. but i need to know what shocks for the rear will provide better handling, stability and performance. SHould I keep the compressor and use the ma22's or use a standard air/gas shock.? And if I use a standard shock what type/brand.

Also what else can i do besides the front and rear STB and front and rear sway bars, to increase handling and stability? basically i have about 2 grand saved up and the moment, I have all the basic and minor upgrades to increase power atm, lower temp plugs, lower temp thermostat, CAI etc. etc.,. Next step i will be doing is the smaller pulley size on the s/c. I kinda want to get the handing down before i pump more power into it. SO if you had 2 grand to put into suspension, what would you do?

In the For Sale section on this site there is a Pair of new AC Delco Rear Air Shocks and upper mounts for sale. They were still available last week for cheap. It's from an Ebay seller I've done business with and he'll come down on price a little if you ask. Check him out and see if their still available.

Did yours come out of the box looking like this?




I mean, sure some of the paint on the bottom off, or some surface rust can be normal, but on the airline, it appears that some part is broken? Unless it's supposed to be like that?

I think I got sole some used ones, or a return someone else broke trying to put on.
What do you guys think?

Looks abnormal to me , but i haven't installed them yet. I'd take them back.


Also , just as a courtesy to other members if you would resize images before posting it would be appreciated as it is one of the forum rules to keep images under ~ 800 pixels. Thanks.

TonySmooth89 wrote:

Also , just as a courtesy to other members if you would resize images before posting it would be appreciated as it is one of the forum rules to keep images under ~ 800 pixels. Thanks.

Whatever are you talking about good sir, those pictures are of right size...

Ohhh but of course. I must need glasses or something.

Except for the air fitting, they look normal/new to me. The boxes may get treated poorly, resulting in scratched off paint all around. The air fitting looks like the machining wasn't quite finished though. It's very possible that they've been sold/returned before, because the air fitting was messed up, and they got re-sold instead of returned as defective. I'd try to get them exchanged for another pair, and compare the air fittings.

Take 'em back for exchange and inspect the replacements before you leave the store. Where did you buy these?

On a related note, the Monroes I installed last summer already look like crap, very happy with function though.

I got them from my neighborhood Oreilly's, but Oreily's doesnt carry the GR-2 front struts, so I ordered the front struts and the monroe shocks from Rockauto just now, I'll get my money back on the shocks from oreillys, or use the credit for some odds and ends I need.

Just curious, How much were the Monroe air shocks?

They were $60 from Rockauto and $7 shipping.
Oreilly normally sells them for $75, but since I work for a Ford dealer, I got them discounted to $58

So struts and shocks will soon be taken care of. What sway bar do I ask/search for? For a 95 Cadillac STS? or a newer one?

i think the 98 sts is the year we share parts with, but i cant say anyone with a 95 has swapped sway bars yet, so be prepared to run into fitment issues.

FWIW, my monroe rear air shocks were black,have no scratches, and the air fittings did not have a part missing. still look like new after 1 year+ and work excelent.

Odd they'd paint them black or white. Mine are white. I should have clear-coated them before I installed.

If the pair I'm getting are white, I think I'll paint em black. I got some rustoleum paint for that, it's what I painted my paintball marker with.

I just received a pair of the monroe ma822 todays and those air fittings don't look like mine. i took the caps off and that fitting shouldn't have the white part on it. If anyone is in the market for these i purchased mine sunday night from ebay for $30 dollars brand new in the box. $12 for shipping. just search for monroe ma822

You can get a fitting kit from NAPA for not too much $$. They should have come with the kit.

Albertj

i just successfully installed monro-matic+ rear gas shocks on my car. they are made for a 75 camaro. the only modification ways trimming the top mount slightly. i also just installed new monroe struts on the front , and lower my car about 3in. front and rear. I am getting it aligned tomorrow

wow 3" drop is a lot. what springs did you go with?

stock springs, i went the cheap route and used a permanent spring clamp and compressed 2 coils completely together on all four springs, the rear dropped much lower than the front, so i cut a half coil off the front and there fairly even now and much much stiffer

maggot wrote:

stock springs, i went the cheap route and used a permanent spring clamp and compressed 2 coils completely together on all four springs, the rear dropped much lower than the front, so i cut a half coil off the front and there fairly even now and much much stiffer

pics or ban.

haha, ill try and post a few pics

I just lost one of my delco shocks is the best way to go the monroe ma822 they work with stock pump/Thanks Steve

Link

Thats what I bought, but these are $10 cheaper. Thats less than the cost of 1 shock @ dealer/aftermarket stores...