Jack Worstell Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Knee action shocks used in late 1930s/early 1940s Buicks...what's the right fluid to use in these ? Jack Worstell jlwmaster@aol.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Jack, hydraulic jack oil works. I have one that about three years after rebuilding began leaking. Long out of warranty. It would not hold the hydraulic fluid. Has been working two years on one fill of 90w gear oil. Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Hydraulic jack oil is what most guys use. Mobile 10 or 20 grade is readily available.One guy on a Packard forum said that his shocks were leaking slightly so he wrapped string tightly around the shaft at the housing,sort of as a makeshift seal.He claims it is still working. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Motorcycle dealers sell the proper (right viscosity) shock fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconriley Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Motorcycle fork oil. It is available in a few grades, and is what I use in hydraulic lever arm shocks. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 21 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Jack, hydraulic jack oil works. I have one that about three years after rebuilding began leaking. Long out of warranty. It would not hold the hydraulic fluid. Has been working two years on one fill of 90w gear oil. Ben With oil that thick, doesn't it ride like a brick? Shock oil is pretty thin (obviously thin enough to run out through the seals). I tried a jack oil that had some kind of seal conditioner when my shocks were leaking. It didn't help the leak but the car rode great while the oil was in the shocks. Had them rebuilt last winter by Apple Hydraulics and I'm very happy with the results. I'm pulling the rears and sending them off ASAP as well. Anyway, hydraulic jack oil or motorcycle fork oil is good and my mechanic recommended something like straight 20W. All probably OK as long as your shocks don't leak. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Matt, the slightly rougher ride is better than the floaty ride when the shock is empty. I have too many other distractions at this time to remove it and have it redone. The rebuilder, in CA, offered to redo it for 1/2 price even though past warranty. I just hate the downtime. May leave well enough alone as long as it works. Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 8 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Matt, the slightly rougher ride is better than the floaty ride when the shock is empty. I have too many other distractions at this time to remove it and have it redone. The rebuilder, in CA, offered to redo it for 1/2 price even though past warranty. I just hate the downtime. May leave well enough alone as long as it works. Ben Ben, I picked up a couple of spares and had them reconditioned and fitted them when I had the time and inclination. If your man is prepared to do a 1/2 price job it may be worth poking around that stash of parts and sending a core off to him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynaflash8 Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 I've kept ever pair I've removed and replaced since the 1960's. The problem is most of the fronts have seized up and Apple says they can't rebuild if they are seized up. I had a pair of fronts rebuilt a couple of years ago in NJ (not Apple) and I kept the old shocks on the shelf. They had come from J.C. Whitney back in the late 1960's as rebuilt and cost me $22.50. They were still okay, but I was rebuilding the front end and even had new springs made since my car wasn't delivered with sidemounts and I'd never changed the springs. My how times have changed. Originally there was different valving for different models, but now you just be happy to put 1948A shocks on the front of any 1939-1953 Buick and be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 People have recommended motorcycle fork oil. I looked that up. There are about a hundred viscosities of it available, from different manufacturers. This page is interesting: http://mahonkin.com/~milktree/motorcycles/fork-oil.html So you need more information to decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Worstell Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 Spinneyhill.........so which fork oil out of 8 pages is the right one.......?? Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now