Shock mount pita
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From: PA
Shock mount pita
Drivers side shock mount will not budge. The only heat I have is a propane torch for plumbing. Any suggestions? What is my plan B if it never comes out? Got a brand new in the box Milwaukee sawzall with a 9" diamond diablo blade I was saving for the trailing arm bolts.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,390
Likes: 315
From: Belmont Michigan
I had the same problem on my '75 last winter. The passenger side came out easily, but the driver's side was rusted/frozen from the mouse pee dripping on it from the mouse who lived in the trailing arm. I actually bent the end of the shock mount from all the hammering. I ended up cutting through the shock mount on both sides of the strut arm and buying a new LH shock mount for $40. I would recommend getting more sawzall blades.
Did you soak it good with penatrating oil for a couple of days?
Did you soak it good with penatrating oil for a couple of days?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Soak it with ATF/acetone, mouse milk, or Hoppe's #9 gun solvent. If you can, immerse the whole think in a coffee can full of one of those and let it soak for a day or two. Put a big C clamp on the strut arms just above the shock mount for support. I used a nut, turned around backward so the castellation was toward the shock on flush with the end of the mount and hit that. I've heard, no personal experience, that a 3/4 iron pipe cap will work too.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,264
Likes: 3
From: Vero Beach FL
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From: PA
Midshark; soaked with PB for a week, passenger side fell out, driver side stopped all production! Convincing myself to cut it, but worried about alignment issues after replacing the strut rod. I don't know much about that stuff and need to learn the impact of my actions prior to chopping.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From: PA
TimAT; going to soak the mount in a zip lock of brake fluid and hope for the best. Tried to buy a pipe cap but the local ace hardware said that plumbing threads were different (than the castle nut I handed to them) and sent me home with nothing?! I ended up threading on a normal nut and smacked it with a sledge 40 or 50 times. One out, one stuck!
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From: PA
Roco71; I'm nearing the cutting option. Thanks for the link, my initial search lead me to that thread, but I recall reading that resurrecting old threads is frowned upon so I started this one. I got the zip lock/brake fluid idea from that one.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Not to rain on the parade, but I don't think brake fluid will have the rust penetrating quality you need.
The problem is the sleeve inside the rubber on the lower end of the shock is rusted to the shock mount. The brake fluid will kill the rubber, but I don't think it'll do much on the rust.
The problem is the sleeve inside the rubber on the lower end of the shock is rusted to the shock mount. The brake fluid will kill the rubber, but I don't think it'll do much on the rust.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Correct- put a c clamp just above the shock mount so it is solid when you strike it. If you have help, have the helper put a big hammer on the clamp to back it up. It's possible that with no support, you can break the bearing housing if the rear breaks free and the front does not.
The clamp makes the whole thing more solid- the bearing housing is cast, but it still will bounce a little when you hit it.
The clamp makes the whole thing more solid- the bearing housing is cast, but it still will bounce a little when you hit it.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 45
From: nassau co. new york
use a small 2 arm wheel puller and tap in halved lock washers in between the strut rod end supports and the strut rod end.this will help deliver maximum force to the shock support.i have avoided much collateral damage by doing things this way.i do not use a bfh for anything nor a pickelfork for that matter.a c3 guy from the past suggested molding hd foil wrap around the assembly and soaking it with pb blaster for a few days.the foil kept the blaster where it could do most good. good luck.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
TimAT; going to soak the mount in a zip lock of brake fluid and hope for the best. Tried to buy a pipe cap but the local ace hardware said that plumbing threads were different (than the castle nut I handed to them) and sent me home with nothing?! I ended up threading on a normal nut and smacked it with a sledge 40 or 50 times. One out, one stuck!
I've heard that Lennox blades are great for sawing through grade 8 bolts so if you can get the sawsall in there you can probably saw the bolt off.
Rick B.