DeTomaso Mailing List: September 97, Message #21
     



From: MikeLDrew@aol.com

Subject: Re:  Re: Shocks

Date: Mon, 1 Sep 1997 15:43:34 -0400 (EDT)



Capt Mike Drew

150 Westgate Dr.

San Francisco, CA  94127



Home:   (415) 334-7860



E-mail:  MikeLDrew@aol.com



All,



Discussing the removal of front shocks, the following was said:

<snip>

> I released the lower ball joint and it pulls right out. 



<snip>



It just seems that ball joints intimidate most people so they'll disassemble

just about anything else before tackling releasing a ball joint.  :-)



>>>I had to remove my Carrera front shocks because they had been installed

*upside down* by mistake (not by me!)  I didn't have to bust any ball joints;

in fact, I had to put a jack under the bottom of the spindle to raise it

slightly to take the tension off; similarly, when re-installing, I had to

jack the spindle about an inch to raise the shock high enough to get the top

bolt in.  Maybe stock springs/shocks are longer?



Also, last summer I spent almost *five* hours trying to remove a ball joint

on my GT-350.  Had the pickle fork in there, pounding and pounding and

pounding with a giant mallet, to no avail.  Sucker was in there tight.



Or so I thought.



Turns out the block of wood I had placed behind the a-arm (it's a strange

setup, but it's a required part of the procedure, trust me) had slipped out

of position, and I'd been pounding the pickle fork against the block of wood!

 I repositioned it to where it was SUPPOSED to be, gave one solid whack and

the whole thing flew apart, just like it was supposed to.  Mauled the rubber

boot quite a bit though... :<(



The other side went MUCH faster! :>)



Mike, still learning (often the hard way)









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