REAR SHOCK UPPER NUTS: Anyone use a nut splitter? (1 Viewer)

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gopriest31

gopriest31

Joined
Oct 12, 2004
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These upper rear shock nuts are really driving me bonkers. I havent tried a long pipe wrench with a cheater bar around the shock to get the old ones off. May try tomorrow. Dont have a chain wrench and have to borrow a pipe wrench.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used a nut splitter to split the old nuts off.

After trying today, Im still baffled at where I will get room to swing any cheater bar. Guess the spare and rear portion of the exhaust will have to come down

This is one of the lousiest designs for serviceability I have ever seen
 
You could certainly try one. There's no room for a cheater bar, most common approach is to get the wrench on the nut and then crush the shock with a pipe wrench or pliers and rotate the shock.
 
You don't have to take the exhaust off. I used open end/GearWrench from Sears for top nut and big pipewench on shock.
On one side the Gearwench can be wedged against frame, looking through crack in wheelwell. The other side think I used the BIG screwdriver wedged to hold wrench end. Be careful of the ABS wires up there, would be easy to break if you lost your cool. :mad:
 
Thanks- One more question

Do you do the pipe wrench deal with the lower bolt removed and the shock in the compressed position? Im assuming that you crush the dust shield against the main shock body with the pipe wrench and turn it that way. Am I correct?
Thanks!
 
I did it with lower end of shock free and extended.
 
Mine were soooo... corroded that SAW-ZAL was the only way to go (cut thru the bolt)
FYI I must have replaced struts for my self and my friends about 100 times on all kinds of different vehicles and this is the worst access and design I have ever seen(as if they never needed any service...) - in short my Billies are never coming out !! :)
BTW I keept my exhaust pipe on so that was one +
 
Holy schnikees! my originals are riding better by the day the more I hear about this... haha

I also have the salt corrosion probs on this 98' also. Sawzall may work also, or maybe a cutoff wheel on a die grinder. Thanks for the help guys. To think, I thought mounting a starter under an intake manifold was a lousy design........

Thanks !
 
gopriest31 said:
Holy schnikees! my originals are riding better by the day the more I hear about this... haha

I also have the salt corrosion probs on this 98' also. Sawzall may work also, or maybe a cutoff wheel on a die grinder. Thanks for the help guys. To think, I thought mounting a starter under an intake manifold was a lousy design........

Thanks !
Click to expand...

i would rather replace the starter twice than go through replacing the shocks again...

it was one of the most frustrating things i've done...
 
Come on....it's not THAT bad.

I got it done and I never changed any shocks before. I used a large Vise Grip to hold the nut (it wedges against the frame and prevents it from spinning) and a big pipe wrench on the shock body. I did remove the shock from the lower mount.

Good luck.
 
haven't had a look at those things in a while, but I would guess that a recip saw or Dremel would take care of that end very quickly if the nut is stuck - if you don't want to keep the shock.
 
mtnracer said:
Come on....it's not THAT bad.

I got it done and I never changed any shocks before. I used a large Vise Grip to hold the nut (it wedges against the frame and prevents it from spinning) and a big pipe wrench on the shock body. I did remove the shock from the lower mount.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

try living in the NE and removing rusted nutsz
 
burp43 said:
Can you even get a torque wrench in there when you put the new ones on?
Click to expand...

put a set of locking pliers on the nut (make sure it doesn't spin on the nut) and spin the shock. I used a moist towel over the shock tower and spun it until I almost passed out.
 
And for those who paid a shop to install, plan on getting under there to retighten the rears within a few months or revisit your shop-they will need retightening. I had a new set installed back in December, just crawled under there and wrenched the rears tight yesterday.
 
whew

Well, I just went through installing billies, and am getting ready to do a timing belt/starter. Glad to hear that some people think the shocks are more of a pain.

To me the critical piece to the puzzle was getting a 22mm gear-wrench from sears.

I like the comment that someone made about turning the shock till he was about ready to pass out. I relate.

Hope these Bilsteins are worth it.

PS: I looked into drilling holes as in https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/379202-10-minute-rear-shock-install.html, but my floorpan doesn't look like the one in that thread... or I was looking at it wrong. I went back to the strap wrench method.

I had three done in about an hour, but that last one (drivers rear) took forever. hours.
 
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