Stuck shock nut suggestions?

[mike759]

I’ve got an odd one for yall this morning,
The stud on my my front driver (LHD) shock stripped before actually tightening. Ironman warrantied the shock which is great but now I can’t get the old nut off. Tried a nut splitter and those suck. I can fit a grinder/cutoff wheel in that space but would really prefer not to. Is it worth going at this with a chisel? If anyone’s got any out-of-the-box ideas I’m all ears.

 

[frawstme]

If an extractor socket doesnt work I would just use a nut splitter. It's small enough to fit in that space easily and would remove the bolt in like 30 seconds

The extractor on an impact would be my immediate go to though

edit:
i failed to read your post fully, you tried that. i apologize

 

[mike759]

If an extractor socket doesnt work I would just use a nut splitter. It's small enough to fit in that space easily and would remove the bolt in like 30 seconds

The extractor on an impact would be my immediate go to though

edit:
i failed to read your post fully, you tried that. i apologize

All good, the nut splitter barely made a mark on the nut before rounding itself out. What makes the whole thing tricky is all the important brake bits preventing an impact from getting in there. I could remove the booster and all but I’d rather not

 

[12bit]

Maybe a dumb question, but have you already tried holding the flat edges on the top of the stud with a small wrench while turning the nut?

 

[frawstme]

All good, the nut splitter barely made a mark on the nut before rounding itself out. What makes the whole thing tricky is all the important brake bits preventing an impact from getting in there. I could remove the booster and all but I’d rather not

oh, from the angle of the picture it looked like a straight shot. I guess a swivel adaptor would make the torque wrench lose a lot of it's power but it's still worth a shot trying with a extractor.

Im not familiar with the 80 series suspension, does that shock spin when you tightened the nut or its held in place? is that part of the problem?

cheap nut splitters like the one i linked probably would be prone to stripping but the kit that my shop uses will absolutely destroy any nut that it can grab, probably not worth investing in something like that for occasional use though

 

[Broski]

Sawall long blade carefully

 

[MissahPapaJ]

Is the upper shock dust / rock shield or what ever it’s called metal or plastic? If it’s metal just get someone to assist you with a large pair of pliers or strap wrench ( get creative ) and while they’re holding the upper shield get up there and slap it with a impact or long ratchet…. Wham, bam Christmas SPAM

 

[george_tlc]

Are you saying that the threaded part that the nut is mating with has stripped? 'cos the rest of the stud thread looks good?

If it's truly a stripped thread, then an impact or anything else won't do anything since it'll just spin.

I'd use a cutting wheel on a dremel. Smaller than trying to get a 4" ginder in there and much safer to the surrounding area. There are nice cutoff wheels - not the thin ones that snap when you look at them. Will take a while, but it'll get through enough of the nut to then chisel it 'open/off'. i.e. make the cut vertically (so dremel horizontal) along the side of the nut. It'll cut into the shock washer/rubber, but your throwing all that out anyway with a new replacement shock.

But, you are sure that the nut/stud thread area is stripped?

cheers,
george.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Get a better nut splitter.

I've had to use a nut splitter on 80serie shocks
Yeah, they suck a bit, but I've always been able to make them work

 

[mudgudgeon]

I don't see s hammer and chisel working because of lack of access, and the shock rubbers will cushion your blows

 

[mike759]

Thanks for the replies. What happened is the washers didn’t seat correctly to the frame of the truck and I kept cranking on the nut until something in there stripped. I had a 9mm spanner on the top part of the stud so I know it’s not just spinning in the shock housing. I like the dremel idea maybe I’ll invest at harbor freight

 

[CrabCake]

You should be able to get a dremel down there with a cutoff wheel...I have a whip extension for mine to get into tighter spaces, think dentist drill with a cutter disk on the end! Even a few slits in the nut can weaken it enough to get a nut splitter or long handled chisel to work.

Most likely you bottomed out the nut on the threads and sealed it's doom.

 

[Kernal]

If you haven't used a dremel type tool, this cutting disc works well for mild steel IME.
There are small kits that have this disc and the adapter needed to attach it to the tool

Tips: don't put sideways pressure on the cutting disc as it plunges into the cut and wear safety goggles/glasses as the discs can come apart

DREMEL® EZ Lock Metal Cut Off Wheel Cutting | Dremel

What can you do with it?|For slicing and cutting metal including hardened steel. Ideal for cutting, grooving and trimming all kinds of metal. Cut-off wheels ma

www.dremel.com

 

[LongDuck]

Also, with the Dremel method, be sure you manage sparks well, as it's going to throw it's fair share while you cut. This would have been my first step actually, as I could carve a 6" model of the Statue of Liberty out of solid steel with my 40yo Dremel and a cutoff wheel.

It's an investment you'll be using a lot once you see how quickly it works,

 

[Shipwreck]

What happened is the washers didn’t seat correctly to the frame of the truck and I kept cranking on the nut until something in there stripped.

I had a similar problem with the washers for the ironman shocks. The centering lip of the washers are too tall. When you place the washers above and below the cruiser's shock mount, the raised centering lips touch and prevent the rubber bushings from compressing onto the mount.
When you get your replacement shock, grind a millimeter or two off that lip before installing.

 

[mike759]

I had a similar problem with the washers for the ironman shocks. The centering lip of the washers are too tall. When you place the washers above and below the cruiser's shock mount, the raised centering lips touch and prevent the rubber bushings from compressing onto the mount.
When you get your replacement shock, grind a millimeter or two off that lip before installing.

Yes, thank you sounds like I’m not crazy! If I face the same issue with the warranty shock I’ll try this out.