[RodeoRed]

okay i am in the middle of installing my indy4x lift.

i can't get the top bolt off the rear shocks. i looked at getting the sawzall in there, but there doesn't seem to be room to snap the top off of the old shock.

is there a tool i should run out a buy that will solve this? is there a better place to cut the old shock? i thought about cutting below the shock mount, leaving the just the rubber bushing - will this work!

AARGH running out of daylight!

 

[88bronzetrooper]

Push a wrench around the bottom of the nut. Right bellow the flange that it goes through. If you feel around you should feel a big nut. A 17mm or mabe a little larger. If you hold this nut than you can turn the top nut off.

P.S. That big nut is wellded to the shock shaft so the shaft won't slip.

 

[stompin69]

used a hacksaw, took a minute but pretty easy

 

[RodeoRed]

okay - i just got one off by cutting the bottom of the shock off, and with a combination of blowtorch/sawzall/cursing/brute force i managed to "peel" the bottom bushing off. then the top just popped off.

now. this one shock has taken three hours out of my life. and i have only removed the OME one. (gee aren't canadian winters fun!) three to go. :shock: and from what i read -this rear one was the easy one.

before i even attempt the other one. help?

and 88bronzetrooper, i don't really understand you - there is only one nut on the top. a really seized rusted PITA of a nut. and nothing below. is your idea for a 2nd gen rodeo?

 

[88bronzetrooper]

Its hard to explain but on my 88 the shock rod ends flat on top and then flares out. Next there is a threaded shaft that is where the top nut is skrewed on to. On top of the flare but below the metal cup and bushing there is a nut that is part of the shaft. It is a little hard to see but if you feel around you should find it. Again this is what it is like on my car.

On this pic it is below the metal cup and black bushing but right above the boot and the metal flang that the boot hooks to.

 

[onetouch]

I just cut em off.

Was'nt that big of a deal in my case.

Must of held my mouth just right. :wink:

Actualy, what I did was remove the bottom bolts and reef back on the old shocks till I really got them in a bind.

Did'nt really want to keep them if you know what I mean.

Put the wrench on them and backed them off enough to get the sawsall in there.

Only problem I had was with the front left bottom.

Gave just a small grunt, and the bolt snapped right in half.

However, for once in his life, Lil Jimmy was thinking ahead and just happend to have a brand spankin new set of bolts & nuts for both sides.

Jim

Jim

 

[Gizmo42]

I had a shop do mine :mrgreen:

That was so easy, only four letter words were when I paid.
Some things are just worth paying someone else to do.

I still need to take the nuts off again and anti seize the threads.

 

[marcre]

I went the route of paying to have them done as well. I tried, I tried real hard. On three seperate occasions I spent a few hours on it. Things were so rusted on and there was one bolt I rounded off so I gave up. I came close to getting the front, but not close enough.

 

[RodeoRed]

i wish that had been pointed out to me.

hours and hours and hours and hours after i started i finished.....never again...

 

[88bronzetrooper]

Sorry to hear that. When my friend and I did mine last month it only took us around 2 hours to do all 4 shocks. That was without cutting anything.

 

[RodeoRed]

yes - up here there is so much road salt throw down that everything is pretty siezed up.

(realize that in canada, we have four seasons: Almost winter, Winter, Still winter and Construction. :lol: )

becasue of that, rustproofing is a must. i have seen rust buckets only four years old.

I think people that get their shocks off in 6 minutes live in houses that don't need insulation (ie warm zone)

But- it did allow me to get up close and personal with the business end of my truck, which i hadn't done in a while.

((you know, there is nothing quite like having your face an inch from your differential. ))

 

[Smiley]

For future sufferers of this problem…

A couple of years ago, at Advance Auto, I picked up a Shock Stud Tool Set like this one.

When used with a couple of Gear Wrenches, it makes installing and removing shocks a whole lot easier.
(Unless the top stud nut is hopelessly corrosion-welded into place)

Cheers!
Smiley

 

[stompin69]

I still stand by the hacksaw, took me 5 minutes per shock. :?

 

[RodeoRed]

yeah, in the end it was an 8" sawzall blade that saved me. I don't think anything but that would have worked in my case.

this being said - i still think that if i was to do it over again , i wouldn't. the two hours shop time paid would be well worth the money.

my neck still hurts...

 

[RodeoRed]

which actually reminds me that i wanted to ask this

how do you find what torque the top bolt is at? can you overtighten shock bolts? if i remember correctly, haynes says 15 lb/ft for rodeo top bolt

i just made it tight, but really aggravation and exhaustion is more what made me stop. i worry... (i have checked them twice already since installation!)