I'm trying to remove and replace my front shocks on my 99 Dakota. I'm having trouble removing the top nut. The "flats" top of the shaft just keep rounding off when I'm using an adjustable wrench, and pliers don't work either. The nut is pretty nicely rusted on, and i've been putting PB-blaster on it daily for about a week and letting it soak in. Any suggestions?

Also, I'm having trouble getting to the bottom nuts. Are these the "flag nuts" that some people have been talking about for the Rams, or do you actually have to hold the nut as well?

Thanks,
Chris

 

I did this about 90K miles ago so I don't remember all the specifics but I do remember having trouble getting the top nut off. I think I ended up using a torch to heat it up and the it also helps if you can get a 6 sided socket on there to prevent the nut from rounding off.

 

the bottoms are just bolts the nuts are tapped into the control arm,
the uppers are a little tricky, you can either clamp some vise grips to the shaft with all the torque you can, then try to either loosen the nut or, cut the shaft.
another trick if you have an impact wrench is to try to tighten the nut, until the shaft breaks

 

Alrighty. Thanks guys. I'll try this again tomorrow. I appreciate the help!

 

sure,
and a warning, the shaft is hardened steel, wont cut like butter

 

well, I tried it all today again. the bottoms came off, no trouble. the top however, i still can't get. i got vice grips on the stop of the shaft holding it in place, but that just twisted right off. now i have no way to hold the shaft. I tried heating it up with a torch, and that didn't help. I'm hopefully going to borrow my friend's impact wrench and try your tightening suggestion. This is a 2WD model, so the shock is inside the coil spring. How can you get around the control arm to get underneath the nut to cut the shaft?

 

try clamping the shaft thats inside the coil, or you could cut through the nut on the top

 

Thanks for your advice. I tried clamping the shaft through the coil, but that just continually slipped. I ended up cutting a V shaped relief cut in the nut, and using an impact wrench that I borrowed from a friend.

Thank you for your help. Without it I would still have 4 old, shot shocks, instead of 4 new ones.

 

well, good for you,
i have 2 old about to die shocks and thats it,dont need no stinking front shocks

 

Mine came off easy. I did what batty said and used vise grips on the shaft.