Shock mount removal
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
Shock mount removal
Well my shock mounts are proving to be a real pain as have for many others! After reading a few threads on here I have tried to remove them and failed. After reading how a few burnt out the rubber and spread the center collar on the lower strut rod end. I decide to cut the rod instead and using a small grinder for the ends I was able to cut it w/o hitting the trailing arm and then turn it and make another cut to remove it and then the rubber, because I didn't want to burn it off and stink up my garage. Then I saw my center collar was solid with no slit to spread and spray pen-oil into, so I then cut it in half hoping the end would then tap out since I couldn't even get the nut off.
Well that didn't work!
I don't have torches and really don't wanna remove the trailing arm. I'll beat on it some more with a BFH, but I figured it was worth asking while I take a break.
Well that didn't work!
I don't have torches and really don't wanna remove the trailing arm. I'll beat on it some more with a BFH, but I figured it was worth asking while I take a break.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,453
Likes: 976
From: RI, Now Franklin/Nashville TN
Spray the crap out of it with pbblaster...let sit overnight. Do not hit the shock mount directly.Use a piece of wood to protect. Use brake grease on mount when's installing new shock. You may have to burn it off with propane or mapp gas if that does not work. You don't need a torch.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
Order new shock mounts. Chances are that your old ones are going to be unusable by the time you get them out. You can buy pipe caps at the local home center that will do the same job as the specialty tool that you can get from Corvette vendors.
The basic problem is that the shock bushing insert rust-welds itself onto the shock mount making it impossible to pound out the mount. Sometimes penetrating oils help but most of the time they don't. You will probably have to saw them into pieces to remove them.
If your trailing arms are in bad shape it might be worth it to take them off and trade them in to Van Steel for a set of rebuilt arms.
Getting shock mounts off is potentially one of the most difficult jobs on a C3.
Good luck.
Rick B.
The basic problem is that the shock bushing insert rust-welds itself onto the shock mount making it impossible to pound out the mount. Sometimes penetrating oils help but most of the time they don't. You will probably have to saw them into pieces to remove them.
If your trailing arms are in bad shape it might be worth it to take them off and trade them in to Van Steel for a set of rebuilt arms.
Getting shock mounts off is potentially one of the most difficult jobs on a C3.
Good luck.
Rick B.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,189
Likes: 830
From: Chapel Hill NC
2025 c3 ('68-'73) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C4 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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On some parts I had to apply PB blaster daily for a week, with pounding, before they gave up.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
I've been spraying all the bolts for everything with PB for awhile on the rear supension. Yah I'm pretty much screwed and decided to switch gears and mess with it more later. I got new offset TA's just don't have all the stuff to put it together and wanted some new spindles(tom's) but $ is tight atm. Forgot I read about the shock mounts being such a pita in my rush to get it done, wish I rem before I started taking it apart. I almost bought some last winter, but my C4 budget made me cut some stuff for my C3.
At this point I can't afford to replace everything that will crumble when I take it apart, so time to dust off the mustang.
edit: Also the strut rod bots were kinda greasy when I started and the car has only about 40k and been stored a lot of it's life(my dad bought it new), so I really didn't expect this much of a problem.
At this point I can't afford to replace everything that will crumble when I take it apart, so time to dust off the mustang.
edit: Also the strut rod bots were kinda greasy when I started and the car has only about 40k and been stored a lot of it's life(my dad bought it new), so I really didn't expect this much of a problem.
Last edited by BOOT77; Sep 17, 2014 at 01:03 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 54
Likes: 2
From: Milwaukee WI
The shock mounts are about $35 each on Eckler's I believe. When I removed mine I actually cut the mount on either side of the strut using a cutoff wheel. I then was able to spin the shock side (front side) of the shock mount, because only the rearward part of the shock mount has the flat. After that a punch through that hole knocked the other side out pretty quick. Yes, this was a "Bubba" method, and I'm not proud of it. But it did work with no damage to the trailing arm (just be careful with the cutoff wheel.)
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
My plan was to cut the center beat the shock side out and then air chisel the nut side out. Can't get the shock side out so looks like I'm gonna have to replace the TA and all.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,018
Likes: 582
From: West Monroe Louisiana
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Auto Zone or O'Reilly's and borrow a pickle fork and try driving out the
shock mount. It doesn't cost anything for the loan. You just leave a deposit
and when you return the tool, you get your deposit back.
Get a tie-rod pickle fork not the ball joint.
Here is a shot of how I did mine.
Donnie
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
edit: The camber rods that is
Last edited by BOOT77; Dec 28, 2014 at 11:28 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 113
From: Michigan
This might be too late, but you can try what I did. You can go to any
Auto Zone or O'Reilly's and borrow a pickle fork and try driving out the
shock mount. It doesn't cost anything for the loan. You just leave a deposit
and when you return the tool, you get your deposit back.
Get a tie-rod pickle fork not the ball joint.
Here is a shot of how I did mine.
Donnie
Auto Zone or O'Reilly's and borrow a pickle fork and try driving out the
shock mount. It doesn't cost anything for the loan. You just leave a deposit
and when you return the tool, you get your deposit back.
Get a tie-rod pickle fork not the ball joint.
Here is a shot of how I did mine.
Donnie
Let me be clear for any who read, because it took awhile before I found these details. On each end there is something that makes it so the mount will not twist and has to come out straight. So even if you cut it in half in the center, neither end will rotate. The castle nut end has a D lock & the mount L end has a knurl.
Mine was nowhere near as clean as that pic LOL Still not as bad as others I've seen. I had to cut the camber rod bushing end on the trailing arm, then cut the rod itself and twist it around some and made another cut to remove it. Cut the rubber off with a razor. Use a air chisel to separate & remove not one but two rusted sleeves(a sleeve in a sleeve on each end & this took the most time). Still with map gas and the air chisel I couldn't drive the shock mount thru so I had to make two cuts and take a center chunk out. I drove the D-lock end into the center and out with air chisel, next heated & drove out the knurl end from the D lock hole.
Hope this helps any who has rusted shock mounts.
edit: Oh and my cotter pins weren't gonna come out so I just cut the castle/lock part of the nut off and they came off with some muscle.
Last edited by BOOT77; Dec 28, 2014 at 11:26 AM.
