So today i tried to remove my rear shocks. The lower bolts were ok, but the uppers were next to impossible to bust. So after two hours of tryin, i gave up. I was using a Mac Tools impact that a mechanic buddy of mine borrowed me, but it wasnt getting the job done. With some research it only puts out 650 ft/lbs of torque.

So after that, and a brief conversation with my Awesomely loving wife, I am in the process of ordering an Air Cat 1150. http://aircat.com/products/item/47/ This bad boy claims to put out almost 1300 ft/lbs of nut-busting torque. I have been reading up the reviews and most if not all seem like they love this little bad boy.

Anyone ever heard of them / have one?

What is your preferred impact wrench?

 

My favorite is my Ingersoll-Rand 2135Ti. I'm not sure what it's rated at, but it's got plenty of power.

 

the top has basically a wing nut that rubs against the frame and prevents it from spinning. cut them if you have to. buy new bolts from the factory for the rear shocks. anything aftermarket will not fill in the gap inside the shock properly and will squeak/sound like its bottoming out over every little bump

 

Breaker bar with a cheater (a piece of pipe) over the handle. And sometimes a torch.

I have a Harbor Freight 1/2" drive "Earthquake" air impact. For my needs it works just fine--600 or so ft. lb. is plenty for things like lug nuts, exhaust clamps, etc. And at less than $100 the price was possible.

I don't think I'd buy a specialized tool to remove two bolts that probably just need a little persuasion with a breaker bar.

 

+1 on the breaker bar with a cheater. it was the only thing that worked when i did my brakes in the fall. If you are thinking on reusing the bolts, why not a good quality penetrating fluid, then your impact that you have should do just fine. Even when using a breaker bar with a cheater, a good penetrating fluid goes a long way to saving the bolts.

Using heat can possibly destroy the bolt, needing you to get new ones anyways. A bigger impact can possibly twist the bolt if it's stuck on it's nut with rust and you'll just be doing more damage.

One last option, if you are trashing the shocks and getting new bolts anyways, use a torch and cut through the top shock mount and the bolt. Suspension shops around here do that most of the time anyways due to the salt on the roads in winter, they don't even bother to save the bolts. The nuts get rusted on pretty tight. I've seen many twisted bolts due to rusted nuts in my time on many of my old trucks i've had before and had to get new bolts. On my old 88 chevy, I had to get all new bumper mount bolts (picked up grade 8 hardware instead of the stock dealer bolts) due to twisting when my bumper brackets themselves fell apart due to rust. All my bolts were starting to twist when i was taking them out, and that was even after spraying them a few times with a good penetrating fluid.

 

I have a craftsman impact wrench, but it barely wants to remove lug nuts, so i am borrowing a wrench from a buddy, and I believe that if i have to borrow a tool more than 3 times a year, its gonna find its way into my tool box by or shortly after the 3rd time.

I am keeping the oxy-acetelene torch on HOT stand by, but ill give the WD-40 penetrating oil (new stuff) a try. and use my shop air compressor to see if that makes much of a difference. may have to go to ace and get new bolts for that just in case Murphy decides to pay me a visit. (little #?*!er)

The other reason that i am buying a new one, is that i am starting on the easy shocks. I am gonna do the front ones when i get the rear done. I heard that the lower strut bolts are a B with an ITCH. IF i need to replace them, what should i do? GO to the dealer and get new bushings as well? or is that even possible? They have been removed in the last 6-8 months and my lower controll arms have been replaced at that same shop visit. I am hopeful that i will be some what successful to get them to pop loose.

I am putting on some anti-seize on all of these bolts when i reinstall things. I hope that that is a good idea.

 

If you have had them out within the last 6 months, you should be able to get them out again. I had a shop install my new struts specifically so they could deal with that lower bolt. When I installed my leveling kit a month or so after the new struts, the bolts came out pretty easily. My rear shock upper bolts came out pretty easy too. I believe I just used a socket wrench and a combination wrench. But my truck did not have rust on it.

Don't waste your time with WD40. WD-40 is awesome stuff for some things, but as a penetrating oil, it sucks. Pick up a can of PB Blaster. That stuff works like magic!

 

THis stuff is specifically penetrating oil. I agree, Normal WD-40 is good for some things, not all, but this is supposedly formulated to be a penetrating oil.

 

I got my shock bolts out with 2 breaker bars, and some Liquid Wrench. Wasnt to hard todo, and I had OEM shocks, with LOTS of rust.
I put one bar so it wouldnt move, or if it spun some it would press against something and stop, and used the other to get it loose.
It is also easier to install the new one by jacking up the FRAME not the Axle (My manual said axle) so it was abit of a PITA to get the new ones on, But not impossible. I used a floor jack and crowbar to get it up and aligned.

 

I used my shops forklift. (dont worry i didnt get the axle off the ground while working under it.) Picked up with a 4x4 on the hitch reciever.

THe WD40 penetrating lube worked ok i guess, they did break loose. I wound up having to use a ratchet strap to compress the passenger side to make the bolts line up right.

The Monroe coil-overs are AWESOME!!!