The Ford Barn

Beater · 12-11-2017, 08:08 PM

ok so today i stumbled on to a box full of of abour 15 A shocks. all are in need of a rebuild by the looks of them. a buddy says you used to be able to buy kits and do this? i havent looked yet are kits avalable for these?

SeaSlugs · 12-11-2017, 10:00 PM

biggest trick is getting them open. Ive got 4 id like to give a whirl at opening mainly out of curiosity sake of whats in it. I know one of mine is junk as it was disconnected and wiretied to the frame rail when we pulled the truck outa the weeds. Last i heard it takes about 20-30+ cores to find 4 that are rebuildable...

if they turn with some resistance or not at all and not a solid ball of rust you may have hope - if they are loose and spin freely probably worn out inside.

Beater · 12-11-2017, 11:22 PM

well ill unscrew the covers and look n see I guess didn't find much online about how to what to look for

vulture · 12-12-2017, 09:15 AM

Toss them in the BBQ and bake them a bit , this will help loosen the rust grease or dirt ..

JaxFLG8r · 12-12-2017, 10:41 AM

As Vulture said, put them in a BBQ or small fire (outside) and let them cook for a while. Then take them and plunge them in a 5 gallon bucket of water. They will open right up.

Try one before cooking to see how hard they are to open up. We had a three foot pipe wrench on one and could not get it to budge. After cooking and shocking with cold water, it opened up with an oil filter wrench.

put a brick or some rags on the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket before you drop the red hot shock in. They are very hot, and will melt the bottom of the bucket if you don't put something on the bottom.

Beater · 12-12-2017, 11:47 AM

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thanks for the advice

George Miller · 12-12-2017, 12:41 PM

mistake on my part

burner31 · 12-12-2017, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vulture

Toss them in the BBQ and bake them a bit , this will help loosen the rust grease or dirt ..

AMERICA
Where you BBQ it, shot it, or hit it with a bigger hammer.
God I love this Country!

kenparker · 12-12-2017, 01:25 PM

tried that bbq thing once upon a time. 'cept instead of bbq bricques I used coal gathered from the rail road track near a refinery. got the coal red hot and put the two shocks in to get hot. Got sidetrack talking to my neighbor over the back fence and forgot about the shocks. When my neighbor finally asked "whatacha cooking" I turned around and fished the shocks out of the coals. oooooops. the shocks had melted into a ball of steel. dat wus sum HOT coal. Never tried again. ....and dat mi frend at my story for da day. ken

SeaSlugs · 12-12-2017, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaxFLG8r

put a brick or some rags on the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket before you drop the red hot shock in. They are very hot, and will melt the bottom of the bucket if you don't put something on the bottom.

is this from the voice of experience?

JaxFLG8r · 12-12-2017, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

is this from the voice of experience?

Yes sir...The bottom of the bucket started leaking after the second of about ten shocks. I only had one 5 gallon bucket, and had to make a quick duct tape repair, added a couple of bricks at the bottom and finished the job.

Beater · 12-12-2017, 07:42 PM

well I think ill do some cookin on sunday hahaha

JaxFLG8r · 12-13-2017, 08:47 AM

Pictures attached. If you look close in the fire picture, you can see a shock nestled in the coals.

Be safe. The shocks get a good "shock" when you take them from the fire and put them in the water.

Neil Mylar LakewoodCA · 12-13-2017, 09:05 AM

Two things I learned to determine initially if shocks are rebuildable:
1. Make sure shaft is centered and/or not wobbly In the cover hole.
2. Unscrew the fluid filler plug. Turn shock upside down and tap it. If rust comes out, that's a very bad sign.

Beater · 12-13-2017, 02:37 PM

thanks for the advice. where do you guys go for the rebuild kits?

100IH · 12-13-2017, 02:53 PM

All of the top suppliers have the kits and small parts, including books specifically on how to do shocks. Do yourself a favor and read the book and then start on the shocks that don't pass the test laid out in post#14. Your are going to find out that there some special tools needed to dismantle these babies with out destroying them. Better to destroy one that is junk anyway. There is a lot to know and many wrong ways to go about it. Read everything you can find first.

jrelliott · 12-14-2017, 11:07 AM

Send them to someone who has the tools to properly rebuild them. The tolerances inside them were very critical for proper operation and if they have rusted inside due to the glycerin absorbing water, then they may not be rebuildable . That is the reason it takes so many cores to get usable shocks. John Holland in Ohio rebuilds them and others.

12-11-2017, 10:00 PM	#2
SeaSlugs Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central, IL Posts: 3,968	Re: lucky day....i think ? biggest trick is getting them open. Ive got 4 id like to give a whirl at opening mainly out of curiosity sake of whats in it. I know one of mine is junk as it was disconnected and wiretied to the frame rail when we pulled the truck outa the weeds. Last i heard it takes about 20-30+ cores to find 4 that are rebuildable... if they turn with some resistance or not at all and not a solid ball of rust you may have hope - if they are loose and spin freely probably worn out inside. __________________ 1929 Model AA - Need long splash aprons!

12-11-2017, 11:22 PM	#3
Beater Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Southern Alberta Posts: 582	Re: lucky day....i think ? well ill unscrew the covers and look n see I guess didn't find much online about how to what to look for

12-12-2017, 09:15 AM	#4
vulture Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: In the shop Posts: 359	Re: lucky day....i think ? Toss them in the BBQ and bake them a bit , this will help loosen the rust grease or dirt .. __________________ Wanted Roadster Pick up thank you COLOR]

12-12-2017, 10:41 AM	#5
JaxFLG8r Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 74	Re: lucky day....i think ? As Vulture said, put them in a BBQ or small fire (outside) and let them cook for a while. Then take them and plunge them in a 5 gallon bucket of water. They will open right up. Try one before cooking to see how hard they are to open up. We had a three foot pipe wrench on one and could not get it to budge. After cooking and shocking with cold water, it opened up with an oil filter wrench. put a brick or some rags on the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket before you drop the red hot shock in. They are very hot, and will melt the bottom of the bucket if you don't put something on the bottom.

12-12-2017, 11:47 AM	#6
Beater Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Southern Alberta Posts: 582	Re: lucky day....i think ? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) thanks for the advice

12-11-2017, 08:08 PM	#1
Beater Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Southern Alberta Posts: 582	lucky day....i think ? ok so today i stumbled on to a box full of of abour 15 A shocks. all are in need of a rebuild by the looks of them. a buddy says you used to be able to buy kits and do this? i havent looked yet are kits avalable for these?

12-12-2017, 12:41 PM	#7
George Miller Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NC Posts: 2,975	Re: lucky day....i think ? mistake on my part

12-12-2017, 01:25 PM	#9
kenparker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Van, Texas Posts: 1,122	Re: lucky day....i think ? tried that bbq thing once upon a time. 'cept instead of bbq bricques I used coal gathered from the rail road track near a refinery. got the coal red hot and put the two shocks in to get hot. Got sidetrack talking to my neighbor over the back fence and forgot about the shocks. When my neighbor finally asked "whatacha cooking" I turned around and fished the shocks out of the coals. oooooops. the shocks had melted into a ball of steel. dat wus sum HOT coal. Never tried again. ....and dat mi frend at my story for da day. ken

12-12-2017, 07:42 PM	#12
Beater Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Southern Alberta Posts: 582	Re: lucky day....i think ? well I think ill do some cookin on sunday hahaha

12-13-2017, 09:05 AM	#14
Neil Mylar LakewoodCA Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lakewood, CA Posts: 1,346	Re: lucky day....i think ? Two things I learned to determine initially if shocks are rebuildable: 1. Make sure shaft is centered and/or not wobbly In the cover hole. 2. Unscrew the fluid filler plug. Turn shock upside down and tap it. If rust comes out, that's a very bad sign. Last edited by Neil Mylar LakewoodCA; 12-13-2017 at 09:14 AM.

12-13-2017, 02:37 PM	#15
Beater Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Southern Alberta Posts: 582	Re: lucky day....i think ? thanks for the advice. where do you guys go for the rebuild kits?

12-13-2017, 02:53 PM	#16
100IH Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 970	Re: lucky day....i think ? All of the top suppliers have the kits and small parts, including books specifically on how to do shocks. Do yourself a favor and read the book and then start on the shocks that don't pass the test laid out in post#14. Your are going to find out that there some special tools needed to dismantle these babies with out destroying them. Better to destroy one that is junk anyway. There is a lot to know and many wrong ways to go about it. Read everything you can find first.

12-14-2017, 11:07 AM	#17
jrelliott Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pine, AZ Posts: 794	Re: lucky day....i think ? Send them to someone who has the tools to properly rebuild them. The tolerances inside them were very critical for proper operation and if they have rusted inside due to the glycerin absorbing water, then they may not be rebuildable . That is the reason it takes so many cores to get usable shocks. John Holland in Ohio rebuilds them and others.