I am trying to replace the rear shocks on my '72 GS. I have no idea on how to hold the bolt hear on the top of the mounting bracket. I have soaked the not with CRC Rust buster several times and still nothing will break loose. The bolt just turns. Do do I get to the bolt heads so I can remove the nut and bolt? I thought about grinding the nut off, or torching the nut off or splitting the nut but that still leaves access to the bolt head problem still not solved. Thanks, Lou
They make a special wrench for that. If you have distributor wrenches, you can use those. You can use a flex combination wrench, I think.
I used if I remember(it's been a while) a 1/2" wrench to hold the nut while I used my Milwaukee impact to remove the bolt. Mine were bolted with the bolt upward, nut on top. I remember it being a bit of a pain but I WAS able to get the wrench on the nut. Now, mine is a CO car so rust wasn't too horrible of an issue. If you can at least get it a bit loose(if not all the way) you may be able to get a Dremel with a cutting wheel in there & cut the bolt. Obviously use caution with fuel lines/tank being there. Worse comes to worse use the Dremel to cut the shock mounting holes enough to get it free from the bolt, remove shock, then you have clearish access to the hardware. Note: I've changed my system a bit & now use whiz(flange bolts/nuts) with the bolt coming downward from the top. That way if the nut happens to come loose the bolt stays in. The flanges on the bolts/nuts can help with removal. Hope this helps. Kyle
Thanks for the tips. I found how to get at the top side. The bolt are installed from the top. I like the idea of the flange heads on the top. I can get a 1'2" box end wrench on the bolt head but I can't hold that and work the impact wrench with the extension adapter. Time to call in a favor to get an extra hand to help out. I found I had to access the bolt head from the center of the car. I could only see that by a lucky glance across the bottom of the car. Plain as day....then. Cheers, Lou
