shock absorber removal '53 super

[WillBilly53]

hey everybody. long time no see.

i've been moving around, actually NAOMI and i have been moving around. finally settled for while here in north carolina.

anyways,

i'm back to work again on naomi, my '53 super.

i've removed the engine and tranny and i'm sending those both to local places to be professionally rebuilt. and i'm currently in the process of removing every thing in the engine bay to clean it up/repaint.

i'm trying to remove the coil springs and the shock absorbers on the front end.

i'm having trouble removing the shock absorbers, i've removed the two bolts on each absorber towards the inside but it seems there is one on the outside hold ing the coil spring to the chassis. i'm having a hard time getting my socket wrench, with an extension, up in there.

anybody got any ideas? i've pb blasted it also.

thanks in advance,

-will.

p.s i'm taking my dad to flint!

[Mrbuick714]

I have removed many,just the right socket,extension,and an 18 inch breaker-bar ,and off they come.I still have a rebuilt pair left over (Didn't need them on my low-miles '41) Will sell them to someone for half current catalogue price !

[WillBilly53]

tried the breaker bar. no dice. i rounded out the SOCKET.

could there be tension on the shock absorber? i sprayed a ton of PB up there also. but to no avail.

i'm gonna buy some new ones. could i just drill through it? or hack it of with a grinder? i'm getting very frustrated. please help!

[Guest 53and61]

I've done this only twice, i.e. removed and replaced only 4 front knee-action shocks, but the big bolt inside the spring was always easy, maybe because of oil constantly creeping up there from the leaking shocks. I'd try a hex socket (not a 12-point) made for an impact wrench with an appropriate extension and an impact wrench if the breaker bar fails. Sometimes the impacts will break loose a bolt that constant force doesn't. If that didn't work I'd remove the spring to gain better access to the bolt head and then cut it off with a cutting torch. You might want to keep the shock cores intact for future trade.