So I noticed what looks like to be the shocks? on the front driver side behind the air filter box, looked like it was busted? I say this because as I apply weight on the front, the bolt raises from the rest of the part, but doesn't on the passenger side? Im including pics because I'm sure this doesn't make any sense sorry.
The first pic is the suspected busted one, and the second is the passenger side

 

rusted out shock towers? you can bolt on new ones thankfully. take a video.

 

I don't know, the pics are horrible. But it does not look like a rusted shock tower to me. It does look like the bushing is totally disintegrated. Which would explain his comment bout the nut moving up and down. The other one does not look far behind.

I would say at the very least you'll want to replace the shock bushings and possibly the whole shock.

 

Should be able to get new bushings at Advance Auto Parts or Napa. I would look at the lower part of the shock (behind the wheel) and see if you detect any oil or wetness that may have leaked out from the upper part of the shock. If that's the case, you would want to install new shocks (or have them installed by a shop).

 

BTW, when you are doing your inspection, check the rear shocks too. Look for oil leaks. If they look dry, that's a good thing. Then look at the rubber mount at the top of the rear shocks (above the rear tire). I bet they're worn and loose too. Was common in the day.

Here is the top: Shock Bushing - Front & Lower - Rear (Part # 552818 ) - Land Rover bushings from Atlantic British
Here is the rear I believe: Shock Bushing - Upper With Sway Bar (NRC5593 Same Fit As Part # NRC5593 ) - Land Rover bushings from Atlantic British

 

Awesome, thanks for the responses and solutions! And sorry for the quality of the pics I'll do better next time.

 

So replacing the bushing on top of the shock tower would fix the problem? Would I be able to get it locally from autozone? If so does anybody have the part # handy? Not really sure exactly what part I need..

 

If the only problem you have is worn shock bushings, then, yes, replacing them should fix the problem. We're not on-site looking starring at your vehicle so we can only know what we know. But is clear to me, from my stance, looking at the pictures that you've posted, it appears the bushings have deteriorated. Not uncommon. You can search Autozone's website. They 'might' have some universal ones. It's probably got to be L/R specific. If you don't know what you're looking for, go to the links I referenced (above), read exactly what they are and THEN go to Autozone's website and type in what you hence learned from the land rover parts site. No disrespect intended but what I tell my kids is ....you have to take SOME initiative. At least try. I don't have a spoon long enough to reach through the internet to spoonfeed everything.

It's probably got to be Land Rover specific. Check your rear shock eyelets (top) because they're probably worn too. Most strategic thing to do would be to walk around your vehicle a couple times and make a list of ALL the other things your rig needs and you can afford, then order as much at once so you don't get killed on shipping/handling.

If you don't have much mechanical experience, this might not be the place to start. Usually bushings don't wear and shops typically replace the entire shock and the installers generally just cut the top of the stem off (below the bushing) during the removal process. Removing the nut on top is always a crap shoot if ya don't have the tools or experience. Looks pretty rusty. The nut on top likely won't just turn off. I mean, it might, but most likely it won't ..that's been my experience. What's probably going to happen is as you try to remove the nut, the shock rod will spin as you turn the nut. The shock stem sticking up through the nut is oblong because it is made to put a special socket on with flat sides. I would brush the exposed threads with a small wire brush, then spray some penetrating fluid on the stem and let sit a couple hrs. You might be able to put a box end wrench over the nut, then grab that stem REAL tight with a pair of vise grips and get the nut to come off. If it does come off, that's great. But usually the shaft being small diameter, just spins and rounds off. What you don't want to do is to grab the chrome-plated shaft of the shock underneath the fender with a vise grips to stop it from spinning because that'll put marks on the shaft and goof up the shock seals right away (unless you were intending to replace your shocks). I would take this one to your local mechanic and have him zip off the nut with an air impact wrench. If you have a buddy with a good, quick, air powered impact wrench, see if they can 'zip' off those shock nuts.

Probably the VERY first thing you should really do, even before ordering parts, is look at each shock absorber closely and see if any appear oily (meaning it's leaking and the shocks need to be replaced anyway), and give your vehicle the bounce test to see if the shocks are too badly worn anyway (check Youtube videos on how to do that), or if they're still ok. It should be really simple for a shop to replace those bushings if that indeed is all it needs. You might as well pick them up because most shops are into shock absorber replacement, not buying service parts. If you do need to replace the shocks, remember, you should replace them as a 'set' or at the bare minimum pairs (fronts and/or rears).


Good luck