Guest Jeff_Miller Posted January 18, 2013 Posted January 18, 2013 As part of a king pin replacement project that seems to be becoming a whole front end , I took my front shock off to clean it and found that it was leaking oil from where the arms connect to the main body.I haven't looked much but I seem to remember seeing a number of posts that indicate I should find a professional to rebuild them. Can anybody share their experiences and recommendations for people that you thought did a good job at hopefully a reasonable price? Its starting to look like it will be about $200 a shock (ouch).Thanks,Jeff
FLYER15015 Posted January 18, 2013 Posted January 18, 2013 Jeff,You are right. Apple Hydraulics gets $195.00/side for the front, and $165.00 for the backs. That is unless yours is a 80-90 series. Then the fronts are $365.00 a piece.Don't know any one who has done the fronts at home. Maybe you could be the first, and we can all learn from your experience.Mike
FLYER15015 Posted January 19, 2013 Posted January 19, 2013 Ben is right. Old Tank shows how to rebuild the rears, and he's got a really neat arm puller.
Guest KeithElwell Posted January 19, 2013 Posted January 19, 2013 I rebuilt my '36 series 40 fronts myself several years ago but I have put very few miles on them. I wouldn't want to rebuild another pair. I had to machine several parts and find suitable seals and o-rings.
50jetback Posted January 19, 2013 Posted January 19, 2013 (edited) If your not in a hurry - surface from Australia runs around 6 weeks1935 1936 All Ser Buick Shock Absorber Set New | eBayThese only fit 1934/35/36 Series 40, not all series for those years as stated in his advertisment. Edited January 19, 2013 by 50jetback (see edit history)
Guest Jeff_Miller Posted January 19, 2013 Posted January 19, 2013 So I did some more reading of older posts and Apple is by far the most recommended followed by five points classic. I also came across some discussions about basically emptying the shocks and refilling them with an oil that might cause the seals to swell a bit. Everything from jack and hydraulic oil to STP and motorcycle fork oil. Others recommend using a cotton string to act as a temporary seal although that feels more like a band aid that won't last too long.I'll need to give five points a call on Monday to see what their price might be as well as see if I can find anybody local that might perform this type of reconditioning. In the meantime, I happen to have some motorcycle fork oil and I'll give that a quick try to see if things might not be as worn out as I believe them to be.Thanks for all the feed back.Jeff
FLYER15015 Posted January 20, 2013 Posted January 20, 2013 Hold on a minute Jeff.The cotton string and fork oil was me, and meant only for the rears.It does not cure the problem, but it slows the leaks in my rears down to a drop or two per stop.Meant only to give me time to save up for a rebuild.Mike in Colorado
Dwight Romberger Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 The hydraulic jack oil was my disaster. Don't try that.
Daves1940Buick56S Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 Dwight:Why? What happened? And what did you end up using instead?Cheers, Dave
Dwight Romberger Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 Hi Dave,The hydraulic jack oil had a sealer in it. For a couple of days, it seemed to work, no leaks. However, after a few days the sealer ruined the seals and all the fluid from all the shocks leaked out on the floor.I bit the built and sent them to Apple. They did a wonderful job, but very expensive.Dwight
Daves1940Buick56S Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 Wow! I got hydraulic jack oil for mine but have only put in a small amount up to now. They are not leaking as far as I can tell. Will the oil container indicate if it has sealer? Any particular chemical I should look out for?Cheers, Dave
Joseph P. Indusi Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 I have used jack oil in my shocks on two cars and have had no problems with leaks. I use plain old jack oil and I do not think the bottle said anything about a sealer compound.Joe, BCA 33493
1937-44 Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 I've also used jack oil in my car for the last 35 years without issue. Carl
Dwight Romberger Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 This one definitely mentioned it had a "leak sealer" on the bottle. That's why I bought it. I'm sure that was the problem. I don't remember the brand.
Guest gmorse Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 Hello everyone, reading the above comments, I will add my two cents worth. I had Apple hydraulics rebuild my front shocks for my '39 series 40. After about 6 months, I noticed a very slight leak, not from the shaft, but from around one of the big caps that screw in place. I called Apple, and they sent me a replacement, and paid the shipping, once I had returned the leaker. No hassle whatever, of course I had to change them myself. I personally highly recommed Apple Hydraulics. Just my experiences.Gary
1937-44 Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 Hi Dwight, You might be right about the "leak sealer". I just checked my can and it states Hydraulic Jack Oil and Knee Action Shock Absorber Fluid, but makes no mention of any kind of sealer. Admittedly however my oil is probably 40-45 years old. Gary, That's good to hear. I'll keep that in mind if I ever need to have my shocks rebuilt.Problems can happen with anything, but when the company steps up and corrects the problem that's all you can hope for. Carl
Guest Jeff_Miller Posted January 25, 2013 Posted January 25, 2013 Well I did try jack oil but it made absolutely no impact on slowing the oil leaking around the shaft so off they went to Apple today. I tried to contact five points for a price comparison but apparently they don't work on Friday's. I talked with Apple before sending and they definitely sound like the place to go. They said 1 week in the shop so with shipping I should have them back in 3 weeks.Shipping is a bit expensive and I was surprised that FedEX was actually the cheapest option. The best part is that when I went to the drop off place and gave them Apple's phone number FedEX already had Apple's address in the system; apparently somebody else close to me has used their service.Jeff
Guest Ron3660 Posted January 29, 2013 Posted January 29, 2013 I have a good pair of front shocks that I just removed from my 1936 / 60. They worked fine and don't leak..I've been driving the car for the past three years and the shocks worked as they should. Located in central Ohio. clasic1936@yahoo.com Ron
West Peterson Posted January 29, 2013 Posted January 29, 2013 I had Apple hydraulics rebuild my front shocks for my '39 series 40. After about 6 months, I noticed a very slight leak....GaryApparently this is not uncommon with that company. I recommend Five Points.
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