I was having some trouble getting the rear shocks in last night.
The bottom of each shock went in fine (they are Spax). When I went to
install the tops, the nut/washers/bushings "stack" was just short enough
that the lower of the two jam nuts is recessed below the "deck height"
of the bodywork. For those of you who haven't been there (yeah, right),
the car is double-wall construction there, the shock mounting surface
and then a second layer about 1" to 1.5" higher; this is what the rubber
finisher plug fits into. This is also what's p*ssing me off.
I cannot get my bicycle pedal wrench down in there w/out it
sticking up at an angle that fouls the upper jam nut (both are 9/16"
wrench size, BTW). Nor could I get a crow's foot wrench in (circular
hole perhaps 1-1/2" diameter). Ideas? Cut the car? Use _one_ Nylock nut?
Catellated nut and drill the shaft for safety wire? Weld the ^@#)+/!? I
don't think there's enough threads on the shaft to permit adding washers
to raise the nuts, and I'm not sure the rubber finisher would fit then
anyhow (and it's darn close to the folded soft top). I was thinking
about making a special tool out of an old 9/16" deep well socket with
enough metal cut away to permit getting at the upper nut, but you'd have
to cut too much to have a useful tool when all is done. Another thought
might be to grind away enough of the upper nut to make it a 1/2", use a
thicker lower nut and one of those 'drop' box-end wrenches.
Also, I wrote:
>Another torque question: anyone know what the
>specs are on theleaf-spring "shackle bolts" are at
>each end of the spring?
Still hoping someone knows. I was going to guess 40-45 ft-lb,
but I'd rather be sure.
Lawrence R. Wright
Purchasing Analyst
Andrews Office Products Div. of USOP
larry.wright@usop.com (new)
Ph. 301.386.7923 Fx. 301.386.5333
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