Good mornin,tryin to install gabriel load carriers on the rear of my suburban. guessin i need to take old shocks off raise truck up so rear end drops because the new shocks are longer? but on the left side there is some kond of bar the connects to one side not sure what it is for but it is cause me a problem.do i need it? thank you

SOURCE: 1997 chevy blazer 4wd 2dr 4.3 engine ls package

check the front torsion bars for play or slack, these trucks love front balljoints check them with the truck jacked up under the control arms with a prybar lift the wheels up and down , also the rear diff torsion arms and the rear springs for broken leafs, also could be a camber/caster issue you may have the allignment checked please rate this -jeff

SOURCE: Front axle on 94 Chevy 1500 4x4

Well first you need a floor jack to put under bottom a-frame, then unhook shock from bottom a-frame or take off completely its up to you, unhook sway bar from bottom a- frame, and remove caliber off rotor and hang it off to the side, when all thats done you will have to pop the bottom ball joint, then you can put in new axel. Should not take more than 2 hours to do.

SOURCE: Installation of Shock Absorbers on 88 Chevy Suburban

a video would be better then words so have a look here ... it's a good reference

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/44908_high-performance-brakes-install-shock.htm

please take a moment to rate this solution thanks

SOURCE: How to install rear hatch door struts on a 97Astrovan

in case you havent figured it out, or for the next person that needs help. . .

i needed to replace my rear window struts.
i stuck a flathead screw driver in each of the metal clips at each end of the strut and pryed them loose. the struts popped right off the mounts. i also unscrewed the rear speaker panel so i could remove the wire connecting the strut to the car (rear defroster?) and remove completely. i wanted to take the whole unit to the autoparts store and compare it to the new strut. when buying replacements, i noticed the new struts did not come with the electrical housing on the upper end, just a male thread. i was stumped because i couldnt get the housing off of the old strut . . .i didnt want to damage it trying.

i finally i got the nerve. all it took was a pair of channel locks (pliers). grip the rod tight enough to unscrew the housing from the rod. after breaking loose, it should come right off easily.

i realized after that i didnt need to open the speaker panel and disconnect the wire. i probably could have just unhooked the strut and unscrewed the housing (while the wire remained connected to the van), screwed the new strut back into the housing, and reattached the strut to the van.

installation is the opposite of removal. i also read on a few sites that its a good idea to replace them both at the same time.

SOURCE: HOW TO REMOVE LEFT REAR AXLE ON 1999 SUBURBAN 1500

Put rear tire's on jack stand's, remove left rear tire, brake caliper and bracket and slide off brake rotor, then remove rear end cover get a pan for fluid to drain into,there will be a set of gear's through the gear's on the right side of the ring gear there will be a pin about 13/4" in dim. and about 5" long at one of the end's there will be a small bolt that hold's that pin with an 8mm head going through it, remove that bolt,slide pin out, go over to axle push in (do not turn axle) go back under truck remove horse shoes clip at end of axle, then side axle out, install new axle and refill with gear oil some take a anti-slip additive.Goodluck