colin505

Hi all

Just in the middle of doing the rear shocks...need to remove the ride height adjuster to use on the new shock. It is rusted on and will not shift. Have used penetrating oil and judicious hammer action, but it does not want to shift.

Help. Anyone else had a similar experience, and what did you do to around it.

Read an old thread about a guy having to take them to a machine shop to get them off...ouch!

jpitman2

On mine I had to cut them off with an angle grinder.....one cut may do it, I had make two opposite cuts to drop mine. New nuts are not that hard to come by, and some 911 ones will fit, but check that they properly engage the perch. In the end I had to use two pieces on each - one that fitted the thread, one that fitted the perch but not the thread sitting on top of the first one. You will never need them at the bottom of the thread, so it doesnt affect anything badly.
jp 83 Euro S AT 48k, M474 Bilsteins...

Garth S

Depends a little on what shocks you have on the rear: if Bilstein, IIRC, the nut is threaded on the shock body. With the galvanic action of aluminium (nut) to steel, straight vinigar may help loosen the aluminium oxide. If the steel body is also rusted, they may never come off.
If the shocks are Boge, the nut is on a ~3" long threaded steel sleeve slipped on over the shock body. You may be able to use a wood block and hammer to beat it loose - then, with a hacksaw blade, carefully cut the threaded sleeve away: maybe you can save the nut.
Otherwise, new/used parts from our very friendly 'big 3' suppliers.

colin505

They are Boge ones, and yes the threaded sleeve seems originally to have just slid on.

Surprising how rust and time have welded it in place. If I cut the old shock in half then I could probably get a tubular drift behind it. But I was hoping that such drastic action may not be necessary.

Mike LaBranche

Yeah, after all this time those threaded sleeves are really _on_ there. A press with a collar will pop them off without damage usually. Beating on them with a hammer of any sort simply mangles them. After wrestling with a couple for a _day_, I went the get 'em used from Large3 and blow off the old ones route from there.

DR

EASY, take a hack saw ( I prefer a metal band saw) , cut the shock body completely in 2 just above the adjuster sleeve, then crush the shock body inward and the sleeve will fall off.

Beware there is oil inside and it will get a little messy.

Gretch

Ummmmm....youve done this before, huh Dave.........

DR

>Ummmmm....youve done this before, huh Dave.........

More times than I can remember.

Beating, prying etc. on the adjusters usually just ruins them... I learned that years ago after the first few times. Now if they don't come off by hand I don't try anymore, just reach for the trusty Porta-Band, hold the shock over the oil drain cannister and .... ZIP. :-)

DR

Oh, a little Tip concerning the Rear Height Adjusters.

ALWAYS free up the height adjuster nut with the coilover on the 928 (preferably weighted) before you remove the coilover. Just a few turns are usually all thats needed. Once the adjuster assembly is off of the shock it is much harder to free up the adjuster nut if it is stuck.

Mike LaBranche

Precisely how I ended up getting the 2 off I started on. Wish I'd started there instead of arriving at it 6 hours later. lol

colin505

Thanks for all the replies, especially to Dave and to Dozman. Here is what I did:

1) Cut the shock above the height adjuster.

2) Tried collapsing the shock inside the sleeve but it was too hard.

3) Put an impact driver as a spacer down the shock tube, then got a 3 legged puller around the adjusting nut and onto the top of the impact driver.

4) Full stretch with the puller and it still wasnt shifting so out with the blow torch. lots of heat around the sleeve and voila!!

Now that is 1 down , 3 to go.

Great help guys!

DR

Hi Colin,

You are very welcome.

> Tried collapsing the shock inside the sleeve but it was too hard.

BTW, you should add a pair of 14" Channel Lock pliers to your Christmas Wish list :-)