LM - Shock Absorber Question

[JP_REX]

I'm planning to replace the rear shocks on my 67 tomorrow, and I need a little information.

Is the shock the hard stop for the spring so that the shock holds some compression in the spring at full suspension droop? If so, then I would think that you would have to compress the spring before installing new shocks, but I didn't see any mention of that in the shop manual. Do you have to compress the spring before installing the lower shock bolt or can you install the shock with the suspension unloaded?

Thanks for the info!

John

[davemotohead]

The shock acts like a travel stop on LM cars, change them with the car on the ground,If you have it jacked up and remove the shock it will fly apart from the spring pressure.

[JP_REX]

Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I did exactly as you described and replaced the shocks in no time. I was really surprised how fast I got the job done.

For those of you looking for LM rear shocks in the future, I used Gabriel 69606 ($28/pc from Autozone, less at RockAuto). They are almost an exact fit. The only thing special I had to do was tap the sleeves for the lower bolts out of the old shocks and push them into the lower bolt holes on the new shocks. The sleeves were held in the old shocks by rubber bushings, but I drilled out the old rubber and then was able to easily tap them out with a hammer. The sleeves slid into the new shocks with just hand pressure. With that very minor modification done, they fit just like the old.

This is one of the few times I've got a part from a local store that actually fit my Corvair.

John

[bbodie52]

I checked, and these shocks are available at Amazon.com. With current discounts and free shipping, the sell for $19.65 each!

Gabriel 69606 Ultra Passenger Car Shock
by Gabriel
Price: $23.01 & FREE Shipping on orders over $35





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Order Summary
Items (2): $46.02
Shipping & handling: $10.89
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Total before tax: $36.82
Estimated tax to be collected: $2.48
Order total: $39.30

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