[VAC] Re: SHOCKS

["T. Byrd" <tbyrd@xxxxxxxxx>]

Having just gone through a complete axle rebuild myself, I know how much
fun all of this is. The shock studs on my '58 also looked like 5/8"
diameter studs with 1/2"-20 coarse thread nuts (if memory serves). The
shocks looked like the original shocks, though they could have been 20
or 30 year old "youngsters". I didn't even attempt to remove the nuts, I
just split them off with a Nut Cracker. It costs about the same as a
shock at Napa ($20), and it saved me a world of frustration. Much less
that the $50/hour a welder would have charged to put a new stud back on,
not to mention the hassle of having to tow a partially crippled trailer
to the repair shop. To use this thing you slip it over the nut, tighten
the "tooth" down onto a flat spot on the nut, and then use a 3/4" open
end wrench to tighten it down until the nut pops. A little penetrating
oil still doesn't hurt to loosen up the rust on the stud, then a wire
wheel mounted in a drill cleans the threads nice and pretty. You can get
new grade 5 or 8 hardware at Napa to replace the nuts, and don't forget
to grease up the threads on the stud and the nuts before you replace
them to prevent this from happening again.

Good luck to you guys!

--
Ted Byrd
1958 Overlander