Capital Corvette Club

C3 Rear Shock Removal

Tools required for this job - Air hammer, two types of chisels, hammer, good side cutters, shock mount removal tool, safety glasses, oxy-acetylene torches are a nice to have thing.

The shock mounts are "splined" and only go in one way!

Removal

- Remove cotter pin, it's usually rusted in there, if you break the ends don't panic, you can use a small punch and punch it through, or drill it, sometimes this works too! Take your time.

- Remove the nut that holds the bottom of the shock, you can remove the shock if you need too but it's not necessary. Remove the bottom of the shock from the mount. Loosen the shock mount bolt, "the one facing the rear of the car".

- This is were you language may change colors!!!!!!!

- Install shock mount tool if you have it, I made my own, or if you don't have any tools, now's the time to get the 5lb sledge! If you can support the front of the spindle do it. Tap the thread part of the shock mount. (The harder you hit it the more you will ruin the threads and the mount will flare out and not fit in the hole it supposed to come out of.) The important thing here is to get the mount moving.

- Once the mount moves, use lots of lube - "WD-40" or whatever. You can tap it back in from the front.

- When you get it moved far enough that the flared area is close to stopping just cut it, then use a straight punch and punch it through.

- Inspect the bushings in the strut rod, shock bushings, and spindle.

Re-Assembly

- Before re-assembly clean parts and inspect make sure there nothing cracked or broken.

- Look at new parts make sure left and right shock mounts go in the proper place.

- I always brush "anti-seize" on the parts, so if you need to pull it off it will be easy.

- You may be able to save the old mounts, but for the price and they are already off, put new ones on and keep old ones for spare.

- After all the parts are on just "snug" them till the car is off the stands and sitting on the floor at normal height, then tighten all the hardware. If you tighten everything now, the weight, when the car is off the stands will cause stress on the bushings.

Note: This has been prepared as a guide only. If you would like to offer any constructive criticism to improve the article - please feel free to contact me by clicking here...