The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Front lever shocks on 49' 3600

I'd like to retain the stock shocks if they are expensively workable. I know I can get them rebuilt for around $300 for the pair but I will convert to gas shocks before I spend that much. My question is what is 'normal' action on these. They have the single screw out plug on the bottom and both are much stiffer to push the arm down than up which seems backwards to me. I flushed one out and put fresh hydraulic jack oil in it and it behaves the same just a little stiffer on the down stroke. Are they suppose to be the same resistance travel both ways? Or am I experiencing what is normal? Thanks for any help.

Stock equipment I believe was a single action shock, but they
were available as a double action shock also. Sounds like you
have the stock single action shock.
The shock would allow the axle to respond to a bump and dampen
the rebound.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, looking in my shop manual they are a double action because they have pistons for both the up and down stroke but a single external control valve for the rebound piston only. An optional shock had external control valves for both the compression and the rebound pistons. Just seemed strange the resistance on pushing the arm up is much less than pushing the arm down. But taking the effects of the leaf springs trying to push the arm downward and how rapidly the pistons would oscillate by road motion...I'm thinking this is by design and my shocks are working ok. There isn't much to them to go wrong and they were still holding fluid so leakage is not a problem.

It looks like the standard 1949 3600 shock absorber was single-action; however, two styles of double-acting cam-and-lever optional shock absorber were available.

Yep, mine are the double actions shown in section 2-8 of that manual you linked to Tim.

Well I went ahead and took the end caps off and flushed them both and checked the action of the valves inside(verified they weren't leaking or sticking). Made some new end cap gaskets and put them back together with fresh oil. replaced the rubber bushings for the arms and links......I'm going to run with them.