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Upper Rear Shock stud stripped - over torque
<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1 itxtvisited="1"><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --><TABLE width="100%" border=0 itxtvisited="1"><TBODY itxtvisited="1"><TR itxtvisited="1"><TD vAlign=top itxtvisited="1"> Just joined. Missed the all caps "CAUTION-DON'T OVERTIGHTEN." And, I misread the Haynes manual and tried to put 77lbs on the upper mount. Now the stud or nut or both are stripped. Bracket is riveted to the frame and I cannot get the nut to back off the stud. Does anyone know how to get it off now.
I think if I could get the nut off, I could build it up with a couple of washers and use remaining threads on the end of the stud and put 46lbs on as prescribed.
Otherwise it looks like have to grind off the bracket and fit something new in place.
They make a tool called a nut splitter. It drives a hardened wedge into the side of a nut and breaks it. This should relieve most of the tension on the nut and let you put a small screwdriver behind it while you twist it off with your fingers.
You could also try heating the nut, using vice grips to hold the stud. You might get lucky using an impact wrench, hold it so there is tension on the stud where it contacts the bracket and pop it until it breaks loose.
Once you get the nut off, you might try using a die to fix the threads if they aren't buggered too badly.
Thank you both. I plan to contact the dealer tomorrow, but will also track down a nut splitter at the parts store, right? Will definitely need to get a die...I already saw one shred of steel emerge from the nut/stud.
They are new shocks. Both are rear shocks. Both are the upper mounts - stud welded to bracket which is riveted to the frame.
The lower mounts are fine. Even though I overtorque those (got them to 46lbs now), they are bolt and nut, so even if you screw them up, it's easier to reach and fix.
get a good die set and you might be able to clean the threads but I bet you will have to take the shocks off and use a die on it and change the threads to a different size nut.
Shock is brand new. It's not damaged. Just not torqued on right because I overtorqued and stripped the nut/bolt. Hoping the nut splitter and die will fix it up.
Now, the nut actually has the washer (concave, right) that is integrated into/part of the nut. If I end up tooling the stud down one side, is a normal galvanized washer and nut going to suffice?
Yes, the built on washer is just to make it less likely to loose. It's a real pain to deal with customers calling in demanding a 10 cent washer be mailed to them with a 50 cent stamp. To eliminate not shipping a washer with the nut, you combine them. When I was building kits we had to put the small parts in little bags and tape them to the parts so they wouldn't get "lost" or "not shipped".
I did run into bilstien not shipping a few nuts with some of our shocks. The fixed us good, they sent me about 25 packages nuts/washer. If it were me though, I would spend the extra pennies on SS washers and lock nuts.
Good to go. Building the shopping list: Nut splitter, die set, new nuts, stainless steel washers and lock nuts. Thanks. I will let you know how it turns out. Gathering tomorrow and working the problem on Vet's Day.
From one vet to all you out there, Happy Veteren's Day. 11th hour, 11th day, 11th month. Also, Marines, Happy 233rd Birthday tomorrow.
signed, Navy guy stranded inside the beltway (3yrs) for a few more days. IRAQ in January. Take care.
Someone suggested I just leave it alone...that the nuts are on there and to monitor the nuts, but that they will not back off the stud since I stripped them on there. This is, of course, against my type-A personality (it has to be perfect, truck broken, must fix), but is it fine the way it is (until I change them again in 40-50k miles)?
Don't feel bad, I couldn't leave it like that either. One day I would have to take it off and I will have forgotten why it's so hard. It's easier to tackle it now than in months after a little corrosion sets in.
Type A strikes again - removed nuts - installed new ones!
Originally Posted by ReAX
Don't feel bad, I couldn't leave it like that either. One day I would have to take it off and I will have forgotten why it's so hard. It's easier to tackle it now than in months after a little corrosion sets in.
First off, thanks to all that replyed. It was a HUGE help. Second, I could not live with having ANY stripped nuts on my FORD.
Went out Monday eve and got the nut splitter and die for the 12x1.75 threads. It was not easy, but I got the old nuts off, recut the threads and installed and PROPERLY torqued down the new ones - 46ftlbs, Andy!
Truck now has 4 new shocks and a new steering stabilizer. The other shocks had 90k miles on them.