HELP: Rear Shock Install

Alright folks, got myself into a bit of a problem. Went through the process of installing 5100s this weekend. Front is finished and working on rear currently. Got everything out and 2" Icon coils installed. Now I'm having trouble getting the rear shock installed and urgently looking for any tips (so car isn't stranded halfway in alley overnight).

Rear axle looks to be angled down to the point that I can't get the shock installed without applying a good bit of bending stress. Didn't seem to be any better with or without sway bar connected. If I slide shock on to bottom mount first, I'm off by about 15 degrees. And I can only lift so much on the floor jack before I'm not able to get that shock on.

Steps so far:
1) Remove OEM shock
2) Disconnect brake like brackets & cables from axle
3) Disconnect sway bar
4) Lower axle and alternate pivoting each side to remove OEM coils
5) Install new coils
6) Reconnect sway bar
7) Attempts to install 5100 shocks

Thanks in advance guys!

 

Well, may have spoken too soon. An abundance of lithium grease and some swings with a rubber mallet helped get everything on.

FYI, It helped to raise the axle just a bit to improve the angle, then insert the top portion of the shock into the housing first. Then physically compress the shock so it aligns with the bottom mount to get it seated. Grease few firm swings and it was back on. Phew...

 

Looks like you got it on. What I did was install the bottom portion of the shock first then the top.

 

Yup, just went through that 2 weeks back. As you found out, jacking up the opposite axle will force the working side down making it pretty easy to slip the shock into place - no hammering or grease needed...

 

This. Ended up having to do this when I installed mine