How is it possible?! Lol.

After a bumpy ride home in the 72 Vista Cruiser one day, I changed the shocks in it, no problem. They're just right there. Very easy to access.

So that gave me the idea to change the rear shocks in my 85 Custom Cruiser and without even looking at anything, I bought the shocks and took them home and went to work. Or.... I tried.

The upper bolts for the shocks are fastened by two side by side nuts between the body of the car and the wheel well; a passageway in which I can BARELY even fit my hand! A wrench is impossible, even a small one and even an offset wrench. A socket is unwieldy and incredibly difficult to maneuver. If I go around the back of the wheel well, I think I might be able to unfasten the inner nut, but the outer is impossible to reach with any tool. Any tool that I have or know of, anyway.

Please help me with this if anyone has any experience with these cars. The ride is getting a little rough in The Destroyer and I sure would like to get this done before Mardi Gras. Is there a special tool that will help me access the nut to unfasten it, and then to replace and fasten it again? Remember, both nuts are placed in a small passageway between the body of the car and the wheelwell that is so small I can barely fit my hand in there.

Thanks in advance!

 

Looking at the '81 manual ... A socket, a universal joint, and a long extension should get the job done. Have you lifted the car by the axle or the frame?

 

I lifted from the frame.

My manual says nothing about what tools to use. It just says, "unfasten the nut and viola!"

The passage is so small though, that even if I could get a universal joint in there with a socket, there isn't enough room for them both to fit and stand on the nut.

I have a tool that just came to mind though that I will try. A long handled ratchet with a swivel head. I will try that and hope for the best.

 

Any joy?

 

Negative. No joy yet.

Ran into a fuel line snag when replacing filter. Will get into the wheelwell as soon as I can get it started and turned around! Lol.

 

And it was not pleasant.

Relearned a valuable lesson in life. Do not quit until you have examined the problem from every possible angle and aspect.

This whole time, I had the car jacked and was looking at how I could get to the mounting nuts from the outside of the wheel well! (Body side) After being defeated and sitting back with a cold brew, thinking about things, I realized that I might be able to get at the mounting nuts from underneath the middle of the car!

So I jacked the rear so high in the air I could get under there comfortably (using jack stands, of course!) and low and behold, where I could not get a wrench, nor a socket, nor even my fingers from the outer side of the wheel wall, from the inner side, I could get a socket in there and even maneuver the ratchet to loosen the nut and remove it with my fingers!

Once I realized this, it was simply a matter of dealing with 28 year old rusty nuts and bolts, since I KNOW I never changed these shocks in the 11 years I've had the car and I don't think the previous owners did either.

In conclusion, never look at a problem from one angle only. To get to these upper mounting nuts on the rear of of a mid 80's full size GM wagon, you must jack the rear as high as you can safely, and get to the nuts from the inner side of the wheel well. From there, they are FAR more accessible.

Thanks!

 

Sweet