I can't seem to get the nut on top of the shock to break lose. I have tried using cise grips and a huge pipe as a break, but it won't budge. Anyone have suggestions? Can a shop get this off easier with their tools? Any help is appreciated! Here is a picture for those that are confused on what I'm talking about.

 

It's just a nylon nut, isn't it? I've never had too much problem getting that nut off. Are you able to hold the center good with those vice grips?

 

It's a metal nut. I am clamped on the grips and have a buddy with the wrench and still nothing

 

One of mine came apart real easy, and the other one had to get cut off. Didn't matter much to me, I was replacing the shocks anyways.

 

I just did mine and we cut it off. Ended up breaking the strut mount too. Don't do that, they're about $50 a pop.

 

were did you get strut mounts for 50 bucks a pop brand new. because i work at a dealer and cost is 125.00 each. i was able to save my mounts though i cut the nut off with a cut off wheel because i switched to qa1 s all the way around

 

Bought my shock mount through Napa for $60ish.

 

anyone know how I can get by without having to buy new shocks/mounts? I don't really have the cash right now for either...I just wanna break this nut loose and finish the swap

 

did u load it down with penetrating oil??? i got some stuff at advance auto called PB Blaster and it's great stuff. another option would be to pull that black piece down and put the vise grips on the actual shock and take a impact gun to the nut. i've had to do this on my explorer, they were big vise grips too and i had to have help from a buddy so i could hold them while he used the impact

 

If you're not worried about damaging the old shock, get yourself a chisel, and go at it with a big hammer --- just beat on it with the chisel until it falls apart. Not the most elegant method, but you won't mess up the strut mount. Unless of course the sleeve of the strut mount is also rusted onto the shock, which happened to one of mine. Once the nut is off, you'll know real quick, the strut mount should slide right off.

 

That's how I did it. Didn't have to worry about damaging the mount.

 

I'd try this but I'm trying to keep the stock shocks for now

 

throw stock shocks out

 

Did yours start off looking like this?






It finished off like this.



I had to trash the shock.

 

yea I'm realizing I need to just order new shocks...only problem is the Bilsteins from Strano are apparently backordered until June or July

 

Wow, that's exactly what mine started out like...and ended up!

 

Compress the spring as far as possible. Then get a vice grip hold on the shock rod below the rubber mount. Hit the nut with a air gun or socket wrench.

 

Autozone, I made the mistake of going to the dealership thinking there weren't aftermarket ones but there are. Dealership wants $167 each, autozone $47 each.

 

I cover that nut with grease after replacing them. Some nut splitters will fit in there enough to get the nut off.
the mount holds water so thats why I cover them in grease to keep the rust from happening

 

I just did this a week ago and mine were an absolute nightmare. My suggestion to you is take them to a shop that does suspensions...I took mine to STS and paid $40 to have them spend 2 mins taking both assemblies apart effortlessly. I did manage to get the driver's side nut off...i parked my truck (95 Yukon) on the shock assembly and put a 1/2" socket wrench on the nut, then a 4-foot breaker bar on the wrench, and me and a buddy pulled like crazed donkeys on the thing for about 10 minutes and it finally budged. I got the nut off only to find that the shock mount was rusted to the shock shaft. That's when i gave up and went to STS.