Help removing rear shock bolts

Thumma47

Thumma47

New Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
4
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
Hey guys I’m replacing my rear shocks and the bolts are to rusty to get a bite on. Any ideas on how I should go about this? I wish they would just break off at this point because I’ve tried so many things. Any help would be greatly appreciated
 
Thumma47 said:
Hey guys I’m replacing my rear shocks and the bolts are to rusty to get a bite on. Any ideas on how I should go about this? I wish they would just break off at this point because I’ve tried so many things. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Could we see a picture to help understand what you’re dealing with?
 
I tried cutting The top of the shock off to remove the shock to give me more room

EFD5A077-C9D8-4DA0-B7DB-4232100D4C43.jpeg


E6CBC2A6-E16F-4051-B1E0-449F22A9F398.jpeg
 
As Kathy said, you need to soak them in liquid wrench/pb blaster/kroil. Try two or three applications before attempting to remove them. Also, I believe the bolthead is slightly angled, so make sure the socket is 100% seated on the bolthead before turning the socket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thumma47
Thumma47, I would seriously torch cut the shock right at the grommet, and work it out from there. That way I can save the oem nutsert.
 
I just did this last year while replacing my rear Dana 35 with a Dana 44. Here's a couple of suggestions. First of all try to find some Kroil or mix ATF half and half with Acetone for your penetrating oil. They are the best penetrating oils I've ever found. Next, Take a look at the socket you are trying to use to remove the bolts. You will notice that there is a bevel in the socket "mouth" that makes it easier to put the socket on the bolt head. Carefully grind the socket down until the bevel is gone so you have the maximum engagement of the socket to the bolt head. If the bolt heads are rounded off, this might give you a little better grip on the bolt head. If you can get a punch about the same diameter as the bolt heads up in there, use the punch against the bolt head and smack it as hard as you can with a heavy hammer a couple of times. Of course, try not to mess up the head while doing this. When you are ready to try to remove the bolts, make sure to tap the socket on to the bolt head to insure maximum engagement. I used a 3/8 inch air impact gun on my bolts and started out by giving the bolts one shot in the direction to tighten them, then switched directions and all 4 bolts spun right out. Mine had what you call a considerable amount of corrosion on them and I was plenty worried about breaking them off but they all came out OK. Good luck with you project!
 
  • Like
Reactions: matkal, RussTJ and Thumma47
Holy cow... that rust is so bad it's probably dangerous. Kroil is going to be your best friend here. That and maybe and slightly oversized socket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thumma47
Top Bottom
Back