Hi,
Back in the game! Been a long extended winter/spring, but walking a little better again, so back out there. Differential is painted and IN. New shocks are IN.
But; was disappointed to have to drill 1/2" holes in my mounts for the repo (GM?) lower shock mounts, but.. I have the originals but pretty pitted, decided the smooth new ones were better for the rubber. Not a "points" car....
BUT, two questions:
1) I have the original spacers for top and bottom (original SHOCKS from the look of them. Stay in one place, compressed, too! :-) Got new ones from Phil Harris, and the width of the rubber bushings appears to be the same as that of my originals; or I should say the 'total width of the top and bottom mounts" with the rubber bushings installed, is the same width.
Assembling the TOP mount, EXACTLY as Shop Manual shows, with the correct 1/2" spacer on one side and the washer on the other, there is a LOT of space in there to move back and forth inside the crossmember. Is that right?? Leading to my next question:
2) how tight should both top and bottom nuts be torqued? On top (with those goofy 'wedged" heads on the original bolts), need to be pretty tight to keep them in place I would think. And no matter how tight you go, NOT going to put ANY compression on the rubber bushing since the shock is INSIDE the crossmember (and, very loose to slide back and forth on the bolt).
On the bottom however, the tighter that nut is, the more you are going to compress the rubber bushings (and yet you want the nut very tight, I would think, so it doesn't vibrate off).
I looked in the torque section of the Shop Manual. Of ALL the parts I've put on this car so far, with exception of the critical head bolts, I can't think of any other more "necessary" instruction/specification on how tight a nut should be than on these shocks, and yet there is NOTHING listed for shocks, while ever little bolt around the car has a torque (most unnecessary; at some point for mot parts, 'good and snug" is "good enough" (and I love my torque wrench, don't get me wrong)
So, any advice? Should I fill up the crossmember with spacers so the shock doesn't slide back and forth? Or is that designed to allow for it to self-adjust to being "straight" up and down? And for torque, I can't believe the bottom rubber should get compressed with overly tight torque if the top rubber bushings are completely loose, so maybe need to just snug up lightly and used a good thread lock? Again, shocked (bad pun) there is nothing in the Shop Manual about this most potential place for over or under-tightening a suspension part! Now, I have NEVER replaced a shock (did all my above ground work and my '97 van is still going at 270,000 miles), but without a hoist, always brought them in for mufflers and shocks... So, maybe this is such 'common knowledge" to anyone who has done ONE set of shocks, they didn't bother to include it back in 56 (mine is an early '57, made in Oct '56 with the older '56 style shocks front and rear).
Thanks!
Barry
Back in the game! Been a long extended winter/spring, but walking a little better again, so back out there. Differential is painted and IN. New shocks are IN.
But; was disappointed to have to drill 1/2" holes in my mounts for the repo (GM?) lower shock mounts, but.. I have the originals but pretty pitted, decided the smooth new ones were better for the rubber. Not a "points" car....
BUT, two questions:
1) I have the original spacers for top and bottom (original SHOCKS from the look of them. Stay in one place, compressed, too! :-) Got new ones from Phil Harris, and the width of the rubber bushings appears to be the same as that of my originals; or I should say the 'total width of the top and bottom mounts" with the rubber bushings installed, is the same width.
Assembling the TOP mount, EXACTLY as Shop Manual shows, with the correct 1/2" spacer on one side and the washer on the other, there is a LOT of space in there to move back and forth inside the crossmember. Is that right?? Leading to my next question:
2) how tight should both top and bottom nuts be torqued? On top (with those goofy 'wedged" heads on the original bolts), need to be pretty tight to keep them in place I would think. And no matter how tight you go, NOT going to put ANY compression on the rubber bushing since the shock is INSIDE the crossmember (and, very loose to slide back and forth on the bolt).
On the bottom however, the tighter that nut is, the more you are going to compress the rubber bushings (and yet you want the nut very tight, I would think, so it doesn't vibrate off).
I looked in the torque section of the Shop Manual. Of ALL the parts I've put on this car so far, with exception of the critical head bolts, I can't think of any other more "necessary" instruction/specification on how tight a nut should be than on these shocks, and yet there is NOTHING listed for shocks, while ever little bolt around the car has a torque (most unnecessary; at some point for mot parts, 'good and snug" is "good enough" (and I love my torque wrench, don't get me wrong)
So, any advice? Should I fill up the crossmember with spacers so the shock doesn't slide back and forth? Or is that designed to allow for it to self-adjust to being "straight" up and down? And for torque, I can't believe the bottom rubber should get compressed with overly tight torque if the top rubber bushings are completely loose, so maybe need to just snug up lightly and used a good thread lock? Again, shocked (bad pun) there is nothing in the Shop Manual about this most potential place for over or under-tightening a suspension part! Now, I have NEVER replaced a shock (did all my above ground work and my '97 van is still going at 270,000 miles), but without a hoist, always brought them in for mufflers and shocks... So, maybe this is such 'common knowledge" to anyone who has done ONE set of shocks, they didn't bother to include it back in 56 (mine is an early '57, made in Oct '56 with the older '56 style shocks front and rear).
Thanks!
Barry
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