I'm trying to remove the bolt that holds the lower end of the shock in place. The back is spinning and it's rounded. I see a slight flat side but that seems oddly ...hokey to try and get, what, big ol' channel locks on it while running an impact hammer on the nut end? How do smart people free up their A-Arms to swing down? I tried latching vise grips on the inner collar in between the rounded end and the nut, but no luck.

 

Just cut it off, the new shocks should come with new mounts.

 

Interesting. I recently did the front shocks on my 71 98. At the time I noticed my rear shocks were just like yours. Rusty, worn & needing replacement.

I should check the bottom mounts of my rear shocks. I bet they have similar hardware.

x2 on using a hacksaw to remove the hardware

 

I wasn’t planning on replacing them. So cutting isn’t my top idea. I’m adding lifts under the coils….

 

Then put a wrench on the flat area on the opposite side.

 

You can use a grinder on the nut seen in your last picture. Then just replace the bolt and nut with Grade 8 hardware from your local hardware store.

 

Replacement lower shock mounts are readily available.

 

Thanks for the link Joe.