**Need some Help!!! (1 Viewer)

[waldrtw]

I have all of my new shocks on except for one. I cannot brake the upper stud bolt lose. I have tried a nut braker but have not had any luck getting it to get a good bit. Does anybody have any ideas? I am open to any ideas. I have had more trouble putting my shocks on the landcruiser then I had restoring my mustang and olds.


Tim

 

[Hltoppr]

Tim,

Have you tried holding the stone shield (or body; can't remember which right off hand) of the shock with a pipe wrench and either using an impact wrench or breaker bar to get it loose? They've always come off for me using that method.

Otherwise you might try heating the bolt and then cranking on it. Or out comes the grinder...

-H-

 

[alia176]

Are you talking about the dreaded driver side top shock nut? It helps to have a shallow 1/2" drive socket (not deep socket) and a wobble 1/2" extension (8" or so) and a impact gun. With one hand hit the gun, with the other hold the top of the shock housing steady through the wheel well. Christo uses a very nice swivel socket from Snap on that's worth purchasing just for this purpose! Wobble extensions are basically socket extension that allows a few degrees of movements by the socket. Poor man's swivel socket!

Another way: use a normal ratcheting wrench instead of the impact gun and have someone hold the top of the shock housing with a large Channel lock or pipe wrench, chain wrench, or a strap wrench.

Or, just use the appropriate sized box end wrench and have someone else turn the top shock body with one of the above tool!

Good luck.

Don't give up!

 

[Whale]

I usually, carefully, turn the brake master cylinder loose and gently push it to the side to allow good, solid access for an impact wrench without any swivels, wobbles, etc... just takes a few minutes and makes it MUCH easier. That is, assuming we are talking about the driver's side top mount...

JJJ

 

[Photo_Cruiser]

Dude

Use a splitter and just split the darn thing, It was tough to do solo, holding the shock with a pipe wrnech and reaching the nut. Just use a splitter, cut it off in 30 seconds, as you shouldn't be re-using it anyhow...

Jeff

 

[waldrtw]

I tried the splitter it will not hold on the nut. I did get it to work on the passenger side.

Tim


yes it is the drivers side.

 

[Landpimp]

worse come to worse and you don't care about the old shocks. Take a prybar and jam it up under the stone sheild, pull back on it hard, it will stop the shock from turning then you can get the nut off.

 

[cruiserdan]

Do exercise caution with extensions around the Brake master. It is easy to damage the master. Also, be careful around the ignition coil. I have had good luck grabbing the shock upper body with a large channel-lock plier to keep it from rotating.

D-

 

[REDDER1]

save the heardache.
just saw (or grind) the F'er off!

 

[MTNRAT]

pipe wrench on shock body.
Sean

 

[waldrtw]

I give the pipe wrench another try tonight!! and some heat on it



Tim

 

[shocker]

If all else fails, the "Remington 10 gauge" method always works

Seriously, I replaced my shocks about 2 years ago with OEM's, then went with OME's about 6 months ago. The top nuts came off ALOT easier after only being on for 18 months, as opposed to the old ones that were on for 6 years.

 

[Brentbba]

Do heed Dan's advice. Had my shocks replaced a couple of weeks ago and noticed them struggling with the same mount you are cussing at about now. As little as I can recall one was securing something while the other was using an impact wrench.

As Dan said, be VERY careful around the brake master. They loosened the bolt on the underside of mine and within about 3 hours - time for lunch - I had lost a substantial amount of brake fluid. It's a little bolt underneath the brake master below the fluid reservior.

 

[waldrtw]

I am thinking about drilling a hole in the shock (upper shield) and putting a large screw driver through to hold it. Think it will work! I don't have a pipe wrench that large!


Tim

 

[PHAEDRUS]

your more than likely going to either hit the shaft and not go anywhere or miss the shaft and tear at the casing. the stupid looking craftsman rubber band wrenches actually work well for this. otherwise brake out the die grinder and just remove one side of the nut and pry it open.
Dave

 

[Cruiserdrew]

There is a fairly easy way I have used now on at least 3 installs. Use a normal socket and a long breaker bar on the nut on top of the shock. Then use a chain wrench to turn the upper part of the shock body. It is rigidly attached to the stud on top, so it unscrews at the nut since you are preventing the nut from turning with the breaker bar/socket. This is way easier than trying to actually turn the nut in that confined area. Install the same way.

 

[Gumby]

Air chisel to split the nut.

In the bad old days when i was a shock and exhaust guy (about three weeks) we used to put a long extention on a socket and just bend it back and forth until the shock stud broke off. I could swap the fronts off a GM in about 10 minutes using this method.

The rears we put the impact on tighten and snapped the upper bolts.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Buddy holding a pipe wrench on the shock body, using a breaker bar on the nut worked for me. Put anti sieze paste on the shocks at reassembly. The person to benefit from this a year later was the Toyota mechanic when I just couldn't come to grips with the way the Cruiser moved sometimes and checked the P/Ns on the shocks my local dealer sold me. Turned out they'd sold me FJ80 shocks, so I brought it in and politely asked them to not only provide the correct shocks, but to also install them for free as well. They agreed after seeing the receipt.....

DougM

 

[Rogue]

[quote author=Cruiserdrew link=board=2;threadid=8711;start=msg75160#msg75160 date=1071275460]
There is a fairly easy way I have used now on at least 3 installs. Use a normal socket and a long breaker bar on the nut on top of the shock. Then use a chain wrench to turn the upper part of the shock body. It is rigidly attached to the stud on top, so it unscrews at the nut since you are preventing the nut from turning with the breaker bar/socket. This is way easier than trying to actually turn the nut in that confined area. Install the same way.
[/quote]

This is the same way I did it. Worked like a charm.

 

[informationjunky]

Blue flame lighter (Crack pipe lighter and no,I'm not a crack head) is pretty useful for high heat in compact area, worked on one side of our 80, I tried that after cutting the other off with dremmel.