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I remember , many years ago, that I had a problem in using any socket to fit on the outside  two bolts which hold the main body of the lever  type rear shock absorbers. The bolts are very close to the main body  They  are pushed through the body and then fixed with a self locking nut. on the inside of the chassis bracket.  I have removed my back  axle for a service and it was very difficult to undo these two bolts. on the RHS. I did not need to remove the LHS yet. When I fitted it in the past, I had used Allen key head  bolt and a self locking nut. It was very hard to undo because it needed a long lever. to get any movement at all.  It was a long time since I fitted these special bolts. Has anyone got a better answer that will unlock easily after another 20 years. It did feel that it had a cross thread but they could not both be installed wrongly and it did unscrew in the end.

Please advise any suitable answer.

Thanks Richard & B.

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What tool did you use to tighten/untighten the bolt ? If you use a Allan bolt drive hex toolbit going through a 1/2" square drive onto the caphead, as long as you can get a ring spanner onto the self lock nut at the rear you can use a breaker bar on the drive to get the torque needed.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114836389351?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item1abcc83de7:g:tpsAAOSwfVpYt10A&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA4FDfMJmzvg57v6lNHFH5arlW5AkJouhBePQKR1U54auGgLWj4H7RSSkL1HnPcbV8x27rD20LbndmX6zj6fkcmItO0KmXh7bnpvuf2mrR71Fyqwoya%2FPUThebliTeTiGJTDpM3W2n4kMCNcqrqXac19sMs7IJtL05pKoBDHmymAcXP%2FoAE0%2BzmtKsE51iUI1N1EMundptU0%2BXPSNkIQ7z8p2Ya4blc8UESB6HiQC8jjtavTb115R6AXRUYlt48Wwdys8h8bTtUQ6miIJ7tCZvebfVb%2FEBqn0aYFLQMPIQnSuT|tkp%3ABFBMyK2X5PZf

Mick Richards

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Allen key drive bolts is a good route to go.   Here you can get them in stainless. 
 

https://www.westfieldfasteners.co.uk/A2_ScrewBolt_SHCap_UNFine0.3750.html

 

Peter W

 

PS.  My car has M10 bolts as the holes in chassis and shock got worn oversize when a shocker mounting bolt was left loose.

 

Edited by BlueTR3A-5EKT
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Class A2 stainless steel is quite soft. I would be using grade 12.9 socket head bolts. And you need imperial sized bolts not metric. They are available because I’ve used them in a number of key locations. 

Rgds Ian

PS Stainless steels can be subject to stress corrosion cracking which is why they are not recommended for safety critical applications without a lot of care in the material selection. I’m talking about the nuclear industry here 

Edited by Ian Vincent
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Richard,

As usual, the forum has come up with several answers to your problem.

I think your best option is NOT to use stainless steel bolts.

As Ian says:

“Stainless steels can be subject to stress corrosion cracking which is why they are not recommended for safety critical applications without a lot of care in the material selection. I’m talking about the nuclear industry here.”

With the possibility that Mr. Putin may soon be dropping a nuclear bomb on London SW6 (Other nearby postcodes may also be affected) I think it best to keep your decision to a Non-Stainless bolt.
Be happy in the knowledge that while the whole of SW6 (and other nearby postcodes) may well be totally destroyed in the near future, your rear shock absorbers will still be attached to the chassis.

Charlie.

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14 hours ago, Ian Vincent said:

Class A2 stainless steel is quite soft. I would be using grade 12.9 socket head bolts. And you need imperial sized bolts not metric. They are available because I’ve used them in a number of key locations. 

Rgds Ian

PS Stainless steels can be subject to stress corrosion cracking which is why they are not recommended for safety critical applications without a lot of care in the material selection. I’m talking about the nuclear industry here 

A few years ago I had the laborious task of replacing all the suspension bolts on a TR6 where someone had fitted cheap stainless throughout

Stuart.

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20 minutes ago, stuart said:

A few years ago I had the laborious task of replacing all the suspension bolts on a TR6 where someone had fitted cheap stainless throughout

Stuart.

Yep same issue I came across when removing the rear spring front mounting bolts of a ‘professional’ rally prepared TR3A.  The front spring eye bolt had not, as is usual, seized in the chassis but was bent, so could not be pushed back through the chassis to allow the spring to drop out.    Lifting the body saw it removed after cutting flush to the chassis.


I notice that the specialists do not offer stainless spring eye mounting bolts now.

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2 minutes ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

Yep same issue I came across when removing the rear spring front mounting bolts of a ‘professional’ rally prepared TR3A.  The front spring eye bolt had not, as is usual, seized in the chassis but was bent, so could not be pushed back through the chassis to allow the spring to drop out.    Lifting the body saw it removed after cutting flush to the chassis.


I notice that the specialists do not offer stainless spring eye mounting bolts now.

I do remember them being offered and the seller should have known better.;)

Stuart.

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I have found the new Allen head bolts that I needed to replace all four on my lever arm shock absorbers. The new ones are the same thread as the existing but the self locking nuts were damaged and were very hard to undo and will not move more than 1 hand turn so I bought some new ones which fit smoothly on the new and old bolts. So the old nuts are damaged.

How did they become damaged when they have not been touched for 20years and the shock absorbers are well connected ?

Finally the link , which connects the lever arm to the plate under the spring , is proving very difficult to disconnect. It is now on the work bench for some close treatment. The nut comes off easily but the link connection will not move in the lever arm. It has been soaked and hammered. I may need the disc cutter unless someone has some advice for me.

Thanks Richard & B

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1 hour ago, Ian Vincent said:

If I recall correctly, it’s a taper fit Richard so you may need a ball joint separator. 

Rgds Ian

It is a taper fit so hammering is unlikely to shift it - you do need a ball joint separator as Ian suggests, unless you are good with two hammers hitting the joint simultaneously from opposite sided - Ed China on wheeler dealers always made it look easy, but having damaged so many joints in the past, I invested in a ball joint separator many years ago and I've lost count of the times I've used it successfully - something like this but I think mine is bigger:wub: 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134068211811?epid=1823806265&hash=item1f37169063:g:x5QAAOSwrUliFNrn'

I don't find the wedge shaped chisel types very good at all

cheers Rich

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8 minutes ago, rcreweread said:

It is a taper fit so hammering is unlikely to shift it - you do need a ball joint separator as Ian suggests, unless you are good with two hammers hitting the joint simultaneously from opposite sided - Ed China on wheeler dealers always made it look easy, but having damaged so many joints in the past, I invested in a ball joint separator many years ago and I've lost count of the times I've used it successfully - something like this but I think mine is bigger:wub: 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134068211811?epid=1823806265&hash=item1f37169063:g:x5QAAOSwrUliFNrn'

I don't find the wedge shaped chisel types very good at all

cheers Rich

Yep 2 hammers works for me.  Leave the nut on finger tight to protect the thread.   As the shocks are off I’d whack them from one side rested on the the anvil top, same way I get stub axles out of v posts.

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2 hours ago, Richardtr3a said:

I have found the new Allen head bolts that I needed to replace all four on my lever arm shock absorbers. The new ones are the same thread as the existing but the self locking nuts were damaged and were very hard to undo and will not move more than 1 hand turn so I bought some new ones which fit smoothly on the new and old bolts. So the old nuts are damaged.

How did they become damaged when they have not been touched for 20years and the shock absorbers are well connected ?

Finally the link , which connects the lever arm to the plate under the spring , is proving very difficult to disconnect. It is now on the work bench for some close treatment. The nut comes off easily but the link connection will not move in the lever arm. It has been soaked and hammered. I may need the disc cutter unless someone has some advice for me.

Thanks Richard & B

I suspect Richard that you have a different sort of lock nuts fitted...and didn't know it. All together now to the tune of "Fools and Horses"

There are 

Aerotight Nuts

Nylock Nuts

Conical lock nuts, Tri-lock nuts, Top lock, Stover lock nut, and Griptite nuts....and VAT, no money back no guarantee etc... this website is useful for explaining more about just some of them.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=ideas-and-advice/locking-nuts-guide#Different_Types

Unless you can be assured that the nuts are NOT self locking in some manner I'd relax about it, sometimes it's easier to just decide ...Tis Magic not for the likes of us to understand.

Mick Richards

 

 

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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3 hours ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

Yep 2 hammers works for me.  Leave the nut on finger tight to protect the thread.   As the shocks are off I’d whack them from one side rested on the the anvil top, same way I get stub axles out of v posts.

Temporal malformation at it's best. The shock of the two hammers sends a "ripple" (a temporary malforming of the surfaces) through the locked tapered surfaces at a molecular level shocking them out of stasis with one another which releases the taper. It's a similar effect to having two absolutely flat surfaces being stuck together by excluding air from the surface, called "ringing."

You don't need to bludgeon them into submission just a sharp crack between two braced surfaces does the job. 

Mick Richards

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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Richard in the event that you aren't successful with the two hammers approach, my technique with a ball joint splitter is to wind it up until I've got a bit of tension on the joint and then give the end a sharp rap with a hammer.  That usually works and saves overloading the splitter.

Rgds Ian

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Thanks for the advice. It was cold and wet outside and the garage is a bit small to have the car inside and  is too close to the workbench vice. In the end I took the shock absorber/link to my local village garage and left it there for a few days.There is no hurry because the rear axle is a week late after maintenance work in the midlands, and will not be here until next Friday evening. I called by the  local garage this afternoon and the chief mechanic had separated the shock  absorber from the link. So tomorrow, if it is not raining, I will be outside with a wire brush and cleaning the chassis and shock absorbers.

Looking forward to summer 

Thanks Richard & B

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Now that I have removed all the old grease and mud,  the shock absorber looks fine. Except that one  of the two fixing holes for the mounting bolt has damage on one side so that the hole is not round.

The bolt head has a small recess in the s/a and therefore has very little direct contact. What's the belt way to locate the new fixing bolt so that there is no movement.

Please let me know

Richard & B

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On 3/30/2022 at 8:04 PM, Motorsport Mickey said:

suspect Richard that you have a different sort of lock nuts fitted...and didn't know it. All together now to the tune of "Fools and Horses"

 

Del Boy often sorted out his Problems and I have now found some special washers in the plastic box on the second shelf in th garage. These will help me lock the shock absorber in place.

However the other side may feature in the next episode.

Richard & B 

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