Need help with shocks

[Robrt32]

I searched shocks and went through the first 3 pages and saw nothing similar to my problem.... The dang bottom stud on the left side broke soon as i touched it with a wrench.. It broke even with threads right where the bushing starts... I see no way to replace it.... Any ideas?

 

[tigercat]

easiest would be to go to pick and pull and get a new (used) radius arm

 

[Robrt32]

Ohh boy, I was thinking more in line of cutting it out and welding another stud in there...Anybody ever done that before?.. Or cutting the head off of a bolt and welding it to the end of the bushing..

 

[Maniak]

Its a pretty common occurance.. Especially in the rust belt.. some people drill it out an dput in a a 5/8" bolt (I don't recomend).. Help (dorman) makes a bolt in lower shock mount.. Just grind down/knock out the old one. I'm actually using a chevy 3/4 ton rear lower shock mount which is bigger than the normal one you get from the "help" section at the auto parts store.

Here is a thread on changing a broken lower shock mount on a 1st gen.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219180&highlight=replace+shock+mount


~Mark

 

[Four0Sport]

that is a great write up.. reminds me why i spray all my bolts down with PB days b4 i start a project.

 

[pugsy]

I drilled mine out and used a bolt through the radius arm and have not had any problems. However, I don't offroad or subject it to hard hits....it might not hold up in heavy duty situations but for what I need, it works.

 

[Robrt32]

I'm gonna ATTEMPT to weld a bolt on the end , if that doesn't work that WILL be the route i take... Thanks for the link...

 

[Maniak]

I'm gonna ATTEMPT to weld a bolt on the end , if that doesn't work that WILL be the route i take... Thanks for the link...

The first couple times I broke the one on the passenger side we took the replacment mount from dorman (help section), cut off the threaded end and welded it to the Arm.. It seemed to do pretty good.. I was breaking them because my shock mount was too low for the length shock we were running..

Once we went to the 3/4 ton mount it never broke again (only had it on a year or so).. Since then we switched to a modfied f-250 upper mount and put on really long shocks..

~Mark

 

[Robrt32]

WELL, I had trouble with the over head door ... It would NOT open..Welding leads wouldn't reach to the other door where i had the truck... I had no other choice but to grind it off, go to town and get the replacement from the 'help' section.... It wasn't that bad... all fixed

 

[smbracing]

my '94 had a bolt in stud when I bought it, and I changed the shocks a few years ago it had loosened up and slopped out the hole in the radius arm, so I put in another new bolt in stud and welded it to the radius arm also, seems to have held up well. If it were mine I'd lay a bead of weld around it and be done with it, either that or check it for tightness every so often.