It would be better to change them first, because they are gas charged, and will try to effect the ride height.


BUT.. it's all sort of pointless if you're running on original bushings. Those things will fuse together and bind up, or just fall apart. Even if new gas shocks raised your ride height, the bushings might let it rise unevenly. Or they might loosen up 3 weeks after the shock install. They might crack loose while the car is on jackstands and find a new binding position...

And if you're gonna pull the bushings out, then you've got easy access to those old ball joints and tie rod ends. Anytime you change those you need an alignment...

And you see how suddenly you've got the entire car torn apart because you just had a leaky shock.



Anyways, put your new shocks on, hit some speed bumps, head to the alignment shop, and call it a day.