Any tips for freeing up model A shocks that have sat for 20-30 years? I took off the fill plug and they are dry as a bone. Replacements are expensive and I don't think rebuilding them is an easy chore. Any help would be appreciated. I have one soaking in wd40 right now.
Orange, check out this link: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1205/hreb.html There has been alot of disscussion about this on fordbarn, in the Model A forum.
maybe soak em in PB blaster for a few days..than heat em up a bit and see if you can get them to move.
Orange, Here is another link to the fordbarn. One of the guys on there built his own tools to work on A shocks. http://www.fordbarn.com/aforum/messages2/394827.html
I've rebuilt quite a few of the old Houdaille lever shocks. Their 60/40 action works quite well, and I am running a set on the back of my AV8 now. It's not that hard to do, but it's a dirty job. I really doubt you'll be able to get your shocks working without a rebuild. Here's a tech article I did with lots of good info on how to work on them: The key to restorable Houdailles is having shocks that were frozen in place with just enough rust to keep the rotor shaft from turning. You can usually replace all bushings and seals and have a good set of shocks. If they're free, they're probably too worn to rebuild. With modern neoprene O-rings to seal them at the shaft and between body and backing plate, and modern hydraulic fluid, they worked perfectly (the original Ford shocks used a water/glycerine/alcohol mix. Glycerine is nothing at all like nitroglycerine and much less hazardous than ordinary hydraulic fluid. It is flammable and like any flammable substance can be induced to explode if you work at it (I suspect the "explosions" I read about were pressure vessel effects from not letting the stuff vent properly). Soaking for extended periods and brute force may eventually work, but there has been NO indication that heat will damage the shock and it is normally the only way to get the assembly apart. Remove the fill plugs and if possible the needle valves and drain out any liquid inside the shock (The shock will build up pressure and possibly explode IF NOT VENTED; see above). Use caution with heat and wear long sleeves and safety glasses. BE SURE TO REMOVE THE RESERVOIR PLUG AND NEEDLE VALVE. An oxyacetylene cutting tip does a nice job or heat the entire shock in a charcoal grille. Don’t use the family barbecue because of the nasty outgassing. Immediately quench in water (use a METAL bucket). After a few seconds while still very hot, take the shock to the vise and disassemble- it will probably come apart by hand. Oxy Torch Method It takes a lot of heat, about 15 minutes per shock (a little to get the lock ring and reservoir cover off, and ALOT to break the inner cover). Mount the shock in a holding fixture or secure with a couple bolts clamped in a vice. Use the cutting tip and heat the lock ring and loosen with a small punch in the spanner wrench hole and tap clockwise. Heat the reservoir cover around the thread area with a torch. The cover is steel and the body is cast so the cover expands faster than the body. Get a band all around the cover to show dull red dull red as the torch passes over. If you use a strap wrench, grab above the threads to avoid squeezing the cover into the body and turn counter-clockwise. You can also remove the cover by tapping all around with a small hammer with glancing blows. Heat the inner cover concentrating on the outer diameter around the hex portion so that most of the hex nut gets red. Heat a full cherry-red (TOO MUCH HEAT I THINK, BUT TURNS OUT TO BE THE WAY I GOT THEM LOOSE). The problem is the large contact area between the inner surface of the cover and the stationary dams and if the shaft does not rotate, the cover may also be frozen to the bushing. When loose, remove the cover with a 1 9/16” socket or a pipe wrench. Do the needle valves the same way. Get the shaft good and hot about an inch from the end and work the valve back and forth until it is loose. Heat on the Grill Method Heat in an outdoor grill (in the ashes) until bordering on red hot (30-45 minutes). Do it outdoors as it will stink badly as the rubber seal and old sludge burn off. General Notes DO NOT MIX INTERNAL PARTS BETWEEN SHOCKS CW/CCW is direction of force (ie AC is passenger rear) from MARKING on my shocks. The resistance in the shock is 40% on the up stroke, 60% on the down stroke. The down stroke determines ac or cw. If the notch in the shaft for the lever bolt faces left, the shock is a CW unit (pass side front, driver's side rear). If it faces right it's a CCW (driver’s side front, pass side rear). The lead "plugs" at the dams will come out sometimes but that doesn't seem to be a big problem in the pressure. The staked pins on the inner cover are air bleeds for venting the pressure chamber. DO NOT attempt to remove them until you have taken off the inner cover as this can damage the wing shaft OR make it impossible to remove the cover. Note their orientation (inner/outer, clock position and location on cover) and tap inward with a punch to preserve the staking that secures the bleeds against the inner chamber working pressure. Thoroughly clean the small vent groove and reinstall. J&L tool has a tap 3/8-20 for about $8 that will do the needle threads while the gland nut is 1/2-20. Rebuild kits are avaiolable from most of the Model resto places. The lead BBs go at the base of the dams in all four corners. As a check on proper assembly - on a CW unit, the fill valve should be at the 5:00 position - on a CCW unit the fill valve is at 7:00.There should be vent plugs at 11:00 and 1:00.The notch for the arm will be on the same side as the check valve. When you install the cover, the filler plug should be ~11:00 on CW units, and ~1:00 on CCW. To fill a shock, remove the plug and add oil until full. I use the stuff that Snyder's etc sell. I assume any medium bodied hydraulic oil would work. Back out the adjustment and pump the lever through its full sweep. The level in the shock should drop; replenish as needed. As the shock wing chamber becomes full, resistance should build, but with the needle open, won't get too high. If resistance goes up in both directions, then the internal check valves are blocked. When the level doesn't drop any more, put the plug in and turn the needle valve all the way closed (clockwise. Don't over tighten). Pump the shock lever again. There should be minimal resistance when the lever is moved in the direction it moves when the associated wheel rises. (CW for Driver's side front and passenger's side rear, and CCW for the others). It should be VERY stiff in the opposite direction. essentially "locking up" immediately just like a ratchet, and "leaking down" slowly. With ~25 foot pounds applied to the shaft, it should take 30-40 seconds to leak down to meet Ford's original specs (anything better than 12-15 seconds is pretty good). Be sure to open the needle a bit before driving the car. If the "lock up" is spongey, then the shock is not full internally either because of low oil, blocked vents, or defective fill valves. If the resistance is perceptable, but low in both directions with no lockup, then the unit is leaking internally, or the directional valves are jammed open. If the resistance is HIGH in both directions the directional valves are stuck shut. If the needle valve doesn't make any difference, then the internal check valves are stuck open. If the oil proceeds to run out the shaft (or other places) then the cover needs to come off (at least) and the seals replaced. If the shaft is not TIGHT in its bearings, or has a pitted surface where the cover seal rides, it'll just start leaking again soon.
Hey thanks to all. Sounds like a lot of work but sure is a lot cheaper than replacing. Those things are crazy expensive. Gashog real nice write up. Thanks a bunch.
Glad to help! If you have a torch, you can do a pair over a weekend. The rebuild kits are pretty cheap. Getting them apart is the bear.
I have a 1935 5 window Ford. My front shock (one is missing!) is frozen. I've unscrewed the filler and filled it with PB Blaster. I read here that heat in the only way to have a chance at freeing it up. Through an odd coincidence, while I don't have the right front shock, I do have a lever shock from a 1950 Austin a 40 which Apple Hydraulics says they will accept as a replacement. Do you have success freeing up your shocks? Thank you.
If you use heat / torch, be sure to remove the fill plug before applying any heat. I know someone that didn't remove the plug, and the shock exploded, causing sever damage to him.
Thank you! I've removed the plug, drained the lubricant(?) and filled it with PB Blaster. And put it aside until tomorrow. It's a bit hard to wait. I imagine everyone feels that way.
And...my wife has a cousin who lives in Waynesboro (small world!)...he came back to St. Louis last November to work on the Ford. It had not started in 51 years. I was afraid the engine was frozen. His cousins took it down to Steeleville Illinois on Saturday, and he drove out Sunday night. On Wednesday, he told us to come down. We made it an event. He pressed the starter, a blast of smoke came from the tailpipe, and a significant belch of rust hit the garage floor...but it started! 51 years. And purred.
There is a lock ring behind the outer reservoir cover, that can be backed off. It has small holes in the outer edge that you might be able to get a punch and loosen it. Some people use a large pair of grips to get the cover off but it will mar it if it's too tight. Once you get the reservoir off you will need a 1 and 1/2" deep socket to remove the flange cover. It will take some muscle to get it off. Don't mix the shocks up, anti-clockwise shocks are on the left front and right rear and clockwise shocks are right front and left rear. Most, but not all are marked with a punch on the mounting ear with CW or AC. Replacement parts are available from Bratton's Model A.
Thank you all! Advising to temove the fill plug before heating was the safety tip I sensed was what I needed to know. The gases released during heating were smoke drenched and finally the remaining fluid boiled and caught fire through the opening. But I attached a long aluminum rectangular shaft (the shock was in a vise) to the arm...and it slowly moved, back and forth, stiffly...but it moved. I'll repeat in a few hours. Thank you all!
Here's the short story of a long reply. My Ford was missing the right front. The hydralic rebuilders in New York have one. By a gift of some sort, I have a knee action from a 1950 Austin A40 that they will accept as a replacement for my purchase of a rebuilt 35 shock. So I will do that. The one I have moves, but I don't have the experience to know if it moves correctly. Once I get the right front from Apple Hydraulics, I will compare. Then I will decide about whether I will rebuild what I have or send it to them. Thank you and I will keep you updated.
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