Has anyone rebuilt the shocks on a GEM or sent them out to a rebuilding service? I have a lot of services like that around me, was wondering if it is worth it.
Thats like me asking you “A new hamburger joint opened up in the city where i live, are they any good?”
New shocks on a gem are $260/pair at NEVA.
You do the math.
I’ve been chewing on how best to respond to this for a couple days.
Short answer is this: No. There is no “rebuild” service for the shocks that come on the Gem. They are just not meant for that. They are a cheap welded closed and more/less considered a disposable item. A rebuildable shock is more of a race/high performance aftermarket item in another price bracket.
Long answer gets complicated.
Then I thought about what your definition of “rebuild” might be. Perhaps you are needing your rubber bushings pressed out and new ones pushed in? I believe I have seen a few people doing that, but a person would need to source the bushings and have the tooling to press the new ones in. This is more of a local service shop. You should pose this question to your personal mechanic if you have one.
Perhaps your suspension is sagging, showing increased and uneven tire wear and you are in need of replacement springs? Sorry, There are not many rebuild options for this either. You need to source new complete units, or locate one of the many scrappers selling used pulls off cars.
Or are you noticing how rough your car rides and assuming your shocks need rebuilding? This is also a tough solution with no easy answer.
Note- Original Post gives no hint at what car this is.
The early Gen1 cars (00~04) are well known for riding(and steering) like a dump truck. They just do. They were really never intended to go further than from the garage to the greens. A person needs to get into suspension study and design to realize what is going on under there.
Some things can be done to help, but even GEM realized there is not much can be done to Gen1 and sent their boys back to school for the Gen2 changes in '05. They continued to refine it even up to today’s new cars.
Reading that made me work up an appetite.
Burgers?
Do you have a Farmer Boys up there?
OMG! They are fave of this house. Their fries are top shelf!
No. But I’ve got the ultimate dive bar & burger joint built into a 1920 gas station. Look up Plainfield Station.
Dagnabbit! Now I’m hankering’ for a burger too!
Maybe even a beer!
*** Tangent alert!!! ***
If you start driving now, we can meet for lunch tomorrow. They even allow smoking out bsck, ill bring the cigars.
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Good lord we have really gone off the rails now.
Dad is going to come in and clear house for sure and somebody is going to get a whippin’
Not like the OP ever came back. I think that makes this our sandbox now
Plus, dad can have a cigar too.