Any Upper Rear Shock Bolt Tips

playbass

playbass

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Salt Lake City, UT
Figured out one of my rear shocks was complete broken (the bar pin eliminated itself). Been googling and am now fully expecting 3 to 4 bolts to snap when I go to replace these shocks. Any tips on getting these bolts out or handling the inevitable breakage?
 
Generously soak the bolts with Kroil, Liquid Wrench, Mouse Milk or even create a mixture of ATF and Acetone (equal parts) for a couple days prior to attempting to remove the bolts.
Turn the bolt slightly CW then CCW when a slight movement is felt.
Repeat these steps several times until the bolt moves more freely CCW.
These are the steps I perform when a bolt is frozen to decrease the chances of snapping the bolt.
 
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I agree with the above ^^^.

If you do break a bolt the best thing I’ve found is removing the shock by bending it back and forth till it breaks free, then using Dremel Diamond discs and cuttingthe welded nut off the backside. It can be a pain, but I’ve done three of them.

When replacing just use a lock nut and a bolt (grade 5). The lock nut will catch and you can get them tight.

There’s a thread on here somewhere that discusses lots of methods. I found this one the easiest for me.
 
I snapped mine off, knocked them loose with an air chisel and used these to make it easy.

Bar pin flag nut.jpg
 
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You’ve got some good advice above.

Also, remember that you can access the top of those bolts through the crack between the frame and the rear wheel well. If the product you use (kroil, liquid wrench, etc.) has a straw attachment, you can hit the top of the bolts by shooting it through that crack. And of course, this is even easier if you happen to have a body lift.
 
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Do like @CharlesHS said above. That's how I did mine. It's one of those problems you just have to attempt and work through if bolts break. I got lucky and had 3 come out no problem. The 4th I also got lucky on and was able to pull it out by drilling it out and using an extractor after I snapped the head off.
 
Lifting one side of the tub off the frame at a time can help a lot if you get some breakage. Of course depending on the condition of your Jeep you could be opening a can of worms with that approach.

I find heat usually helps more than soaking fasteners... just be aware of the gas tank.

I've used an air hammer to punch them out, or a dremel with a 90° attachment to cut them off. Both work. Althought the dremel attachment is really a throw away item, kind of a pos
 
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And don't waste your time trying anything like WD-40 or PB-Blaster to help free them up. Use the above recommended products.
 
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On my 04 I snapped all 4 off. I ended up removing the body mount bolts and jacking the body off the frame a couple inches and using a dremel with a cutoff wheel to remove the nuts. Replaced with new hardware.

On my 06 LJR I knew the headache that it could turn into and paid my mechanic $100 to install them for me. They didn't snap any of them off and used heat to remove them.
 
playbass said:
Any tips on getting these bolts out
Click to expand...

1. Patience
2. Access
3. Liquid Wrench or equivalent
4. Patience

Try pulling the fender liners out. I was surprised at how much access that gave to the rear shock bolts. My 2004 still had the OEM rear shocks. I was able to remove all 4 upper bolts. Go slow, be generous with the liquid wrench, and don't forget anti-seize on the new hardware.

liner1.jpg


20230815-180822.jpg


20230815-180427.jpg


20230815-181131.jpg
 

JMT said:
I agree with the above ^^^.

If you do break a bolt the best thing I’ve found is removing the shock by bending it back and forth till it breaks free, then using Dremel Diamond discs and cuttingthe welded nut off the backside. It can be a pain, but I’ve done three of them.

When replacing just use a lock nut and a bolt (grade 5). The lock nut will catch and you can get them tight.

There’s a thread on here somewhere that discusses lots of methods. I found this one the easiest for me.
Click to expand...

This ^^

In my case the bolt heads were rusted away so no amount of patience or magic rust elixir was gonna do it. Once you snap em off and get the shock out of the way reach the Dremel up thru the hole and cut the weld nuts off. Like others said you can reach thru the wheel well to finish them off and install new hardware.

Good luck 🍻
 
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Yeah, not excited about the amount of rust around these mounts. This area in the rear by the shock mounts is the worst area on the vehicle. Sanding it and hitting it with POR 15 next. Probably need some heavier work in a few years...
 
playbass said:
Yeah, not excited about the amount of rust around these mounts. This area in the rear by the shock mounts is the worst area on the vehicle. Sanding it and hitting it with POR 15 next. Probably need some heavier work in a few years...
Click to expand...

While the shock absorbers are removed; serious consideration should be given to preparing the surface better than just sanding.
I would use a wire wheel or even a small sand blaster (IF you can rent one) prior to the use of POR15.
There is a lot of flaked rust and corroded metal that needs attention.
 
Last edited:
CharlesHS said:
While the shock absorber are removed; serious consideration should be given to preparing the surface better than just sanding.
I would use a wire wheel or even a small sand blaster (IF you can rent one) prior to the use of POR15.
There is a lot of flaked rust and corroded metal that needs attention.
Click to expand...

Sounds wise — I've got some smaller wire wheels I think I can get up there.
 
If you can get an angle grinder with a flap disc up in there it can remove that rust pretty quick. IIRC it is difficult to get in there with one though.
 
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