The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk ’41 Rear Shocks

Does anyone know if there are rebuild kits available for the lever type single action rear shocks on a ’41 ¾ ton?? Have any of you had one of these apart? What am I going to find inside all of that grease and road dirt?

Kip, I wonder if those things are loaded? you know like a brake can on a semi.I've never tried to take one apart. But knowing my luck the thing would explode, and hey-take it easy on me, the rest of you. Just trying to be safe.

http://chevy.tocmp.com/1941shop/41csm054.htm

I can't recall if I've ever seen rebuild kits for these...shouldn't be too much to it. I know you can buy replacement fluid.

they do take a "special" kind of oil.

Kip,

Rebuild service is available from some of the places in the links, but the service is spendy, if I recall...

I see them on E-bay quite often...might be a solution to get a couple of cheap ones..

What kind of problems are you having with the ones you have?

46;

Not really having problems, just not sure they are (will) work as good as new. I was thinking of rebuilding them.

mmcdaniel69;

You bet they are "loaded" Mine are single action and there is about 20 pounds on the foot long arm. Must be a rather large spring in there !!!

I've never done one on a chevy. but o/h a few on MG's and they were not so bad.

Kip,
I did all four of the ones from my '40. The only thing you need to prepare for when you do this is when you take the little cover off. It's held on by three small screws. There's a spring loaded piston inside and it's going to want to make that cover fly across the room. I didn't find quite that much pressure on it. But if you can just ease that cover off, allowing the piston and spring to unload, then you shouldn't have any problems at all. What I found inside was some thick, black, oily gunk. I rinsed the chambers out really well with alcohol and used a bottle brush to get them really clean.

Also, I couldn't find any supplier of the cover gaskets. I just went and bought some cork gasket material at Napa. The fill plug, really just a big screw, takes a lead gasket. Again, couldn't find a supplier so I got some oversized lead washers from another Bolter here. I had to cut and trim them to fit. Inside the fill chamber is a little relief valve of sorts, if I remember right. you can clean it up with alcohol as well.

The "special oil" I bought from Jim Carter turned out to be "Gunk" brand Hydraulic Jack Oil. You'll probably be able to find it cheaper at Napa or ????

One last thing, after all the work I did to redo all four, two started leaking through the pressed fitting where the arm attaches to the lever inside. So, basically, I still have to buy two rebuilt units ... at about $120 a pop. But, now I kinda sound like an expert on these things, huh? It was a good exercise and the way I look at it I'm really not out anything other than some time, gasket material and oil, which I'll need anyway. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

3 Girl's Dad:

I kinda expected to find a piston, spring and some rubber cup type seals much like a brake wheel cylinder. Looks like you only found pistons and no seals. Maybe in the next week or two I'll have a report.

Thanks to all for the "advice"

Yeah, Kip, all that's in those things is the spring and piston. No other seals. The piston has a pretty tight fit into the cylinder. Have fun.

Boy I know now!

Just trying to pass on a few of the lessons learned from my go at it. Guess I got a little long-winded, huh?

heck no, all good info

Yeah, I guess I approach these kinds of things from the standpoint that if I were asking the question, what kind of answer would I want. I'd rather give too much than not enough info. It's also a good test of what I learned. There's probably something I forgot.

I think bowtie bits has the rebuild service for those shocks... maybe Jeff has a source for parts.

How hard is it to use the newer style shocks? I know you would have to build some brackets, or find something at the junkyard. Anyone done this?

ballo4 - Welcome to the 'Bolt, first off!

I'm not sure how difficult it is to switch over to gas shocks, but I know a lot of people have done this. My '40 had been switched over at some time in the past but had no gas shocks on it when I bought it. What year is your truck? We'll give this thread a bump and see if anyone has the know-how to help you out.

Merry Christmas.

Its a 41 GMC with a ballanced 270 electronic ignition, AL. intate and cast iron headers and a boby that is just as it was when it came out of my wife's dads wheat field.

ballo4 - Being that it's a '41, you'd definitely have to come up with an aftermarket method of switching over to gas shocks. If I can dig up the parts I took off my rear axle you are welcome to them for the cost of shipping. I may have tossed them, though. I'll let you know.

Hay that would be great, and postage is no problem. Thanks and Merry Christmas

Try the Filling Station in Lebanon OR. If I remember correctly they have a rebuild kit for the old lever action shocks. I may have some extra parts laying around here also let us know what you need.

www.fillngstation.com