slowtwitch
Adventurer
After bailing on a front 5100 install job, and having the shop do it, I had what was left of my man mojo destroyed by an absolutely epic rear shock change out. I was expecting two bolts and two nuts perpendicular to the shock shaft. Instead, I found the upper mount is vertical in orientation like the fronts. No big deal. Pull out the ratcheting box end set, grab the flats on top of the shock shaft... hmm kinda tight quarters... ok there it goes, the nut is free. Ooops... the top of the shaft with the flats just sheared off! Epic. Here's some tips.
- Drop some penetrating oil on the nuts (or on any threaded part of the truck you will be working on) days in advance.
- If you shear the flats off the top of the shock, cut off the hard rubber shaft boot (your up ******T creek if it's metal), and clamp the shock shaft with two pairs of big vice grips as hard as you can. One won't do it as the shaft is hard chromed. I oriented the vg's so they would stop against the frame when I started turning the nut. I also undid the lower shock mount so I could move the shock around a bit. Even with a box end ratchet it was very slow and difficult going. I had to re-tighten the vg's a few times b/c the shaft wanted to spin. The access to the top shock nut just stinks. Also, I found it much faster to lay under the truck and put one hand up to hold the box end ratchet while turning the dual vg's.. more room.
If that hadn't worked, I don't know what plan b would have been. Trying to get a sawsall to the top of the shock would have been a low odds affair. Welding a lever onto the chromed shaft may work, but I really wanted to avoid that with it's possible safety ramifications. Grind flats onto the shaft? Ugh. Cut of the shaft, and get an old box end and drill/tap holes for 3 or 4 large set bolts to hold the shaft? Phew.
st
- Drop some penetrating oil on the nuts (or on any threaded part of the truck you will be working on) days in advance.
- If you shear the flats off the top of the shock, cut off the hard rubber shaft boot (your up ******T creek if it's metal), and clamp the shock shaft with two pairs of big vice grips as hard as you can. One won't do it as the shaft is hard chromed. I oriented the vg's so they would stop against the frame when I started turning the nut. I also undid the lower shock mount so I could move the shock around a bit. Even with a box end ratchet it was very slow and difficult going. I had to re-tighten the vg's a few times b/c the shaft wanted to spin. The access to the top shock nut just stinks. Also, I found it much faster to lay under the truck and put one hand up to hold the box end ratchet while turning the dual vg's.. more room.
If that hadn't worked, I don't know what plan b would have been. Trying to get a sawsall to the top of the shock would have been a low odds affair. Welding a lever onto the chromed shaft may work, but I really wanted to avoid that with it's possible safety ramifications. Grind flats onto the shaft? Ugh. Cut of the shaft, and get an old box end and drill/tap holes for 3 or 4 large set bolts to hold the shaft? Phew.
st
