The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1957 3/4 ton front shock removal

The upper mount on the front shock is attached to the frame (I believe it is an OE mount). My trouble is gaining access to the Nut side of the bolt to remove. The inner fender is in the way preventing me from getting a socket on it. Does the truck need to be jacked up completely so that there is no load on the shock?

Welcome to the Stovebolt!

Shocks typically dampen vibration. They don't hold load.

Sometimes, when socket don't work, a combination wrench will. I'm not familiar with the 1957 model but most shock mounts are usually riveted on?

Mario - the shock mount plate originally had a fixed stud on it that the top end of the shock mounted on, if yours has a bolt with a nut the last person to change the shocks snapped off that stud and replaced it [common occurrence] - as MN suggests, you should be able to get a box or open end wrench on the nut - and of course you're working from under the fender, not under the hood

Bill

Thanks for the responses. I believe it is the original upper and lower shock mounting studs. I have attempted to include a pic of a similar bracket.

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y393/Mario572/bracket.jpg

It does appear to be a fixed stud. In that case, does the eye of the shock with the rubber grommet simply slide on and off the post? My better judgement is telling me that is not the case but can't see how else it would work. The retailer I am going to buy the shocks from tell me that there is an $8 installation kit for the front shocks (they are sending a pic of the kit).

that picture is the lower mount that attaches to one of the spring U bolts .... yes, the shock with a rubber grommet in the eye slips on the peg, the install kit should have the grommets and nuts, and may include grade 8 bolts to replace snapped off posts

the shocks should be front shocks Monroe 3100 or Gabriel 82047 and the shock mount bolts are Monroe #AK 32, work top or bottom

Bill

Thanks Bill! So nothing goes on the tire side of the mount stud right? The peg that is there, like the one in the picture, isn't thredded on the tire side - so it won't accept a nut. Once I push the rubber grommet past the end cap and onto the smooth peg shaft - it will be held in place by the end cap and the pressure from the shock? Sorry for all the rookie questions!!

the peg in your pic needs to be removed from the bracket, put into the shock eye, then nutted back onto the bracket - that end plate should prevent the shock eye from going on or off the peg, and you won't get the rubber grommet over it - the 57 should have the peg as part of the bracket [welded or swedged] with the nut on the other end so the peg can't be removed, but the nut and a flat washer are removed to get the shock eye off .... the other possibility on yours is the peg is original and part of the bracket, but the threaded end was broken off when someone tried to loosen the nut, in which case you'd need to replace it with an appropriate sized bolt

Bill

Thanks again for all the help. I finally got the shock off tonight. I just shot some WD40 on the rubber grommets and wiggled them off the posts. Here are what the posts look like. Is this OE? or somebody's retrofit somewhere along the way?
(lower mounting stud pic) :
http://s1272.beta.photobucket.com/user/Mario572/media/100_1186.jpg.html
(upper mounting stud pic) : http://s1272.beta.photobucket.com/user/Mario572/media/100_1182.jpg.html

I can't say it's not something original, but nothing like any I've seen and not like the assembly manual drawings - needs something on the end to hold the shock on the peg, friction won't do it

Bill

I'm with Bill- looks like the threaded portion was broken off the upper stud.

To me, it looks like the factory pressed flange at the end of the stud went away. The quick and durable fix is to remove the stud and replace it with a double nutted bolt making sure to have a washer under the bolt head and next to the nut ( sandwich the shock.) I've also made a stud out of a bolt by cutting off the head and threading the end for a nylock nut. Makes it easier to remove the shock in the future instead of having to remove the whole bolt. Very important to have smooth shank inside the shock sleeve and not threads.

I was thinking of cutting a short piece of the threaded section of a bolt and welding it to the end of the pin. I don't want to lean too hard on the hex end of the bolt that is there if it is welded or swedged to the bracket. Also debated drilling a small hole through the end of the pin that would accept a cotter pin.

It's difficult to get to with wrench but I did it on my 57 1 ton it was a bugrr