Strut assembly, middle of the project, question

Freakin' rusty trucks man. I'm replacing my front shocks and I can't get them out. All the nuts are off. Do we really need to take the sway bar links to get it out??
My bolt and nut are just spinning! And I can't take them off.
Truck is currently jacked.. FML. Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

If you meant the sway bar link ball joint end to the spindle, there should be a place to stick an Allen key in there while you turn the nut. Or at least I think so.

You just took the 3 nuts off the top plate right?

should need to loosen the LCA bolts and then remove the 2 bolts in the bottom holding the lca to the spindle. Have something to support the wheel hub. You’ll be able to drop the lca down then the coil over should come out.

Hope this helps.

 

Yes. You need to remove the endlinks from the spindles or there won't be enough play in the LC to drop the shock out. See the above post. Use an allen key to hold the endlink shank in place while you turn the nut.

 

If those end links are original the Allen probably wont work. Back when I had a swaybar I just put a pair of visegrips over the boot.

Doesnt matter now that its at the scrapyard

 

I had to use vice grips on the sway bar endlinks to keep the stud from spinning as the allen head easily strips. That pretty much destroys the endlinks so after I finished the job I chose to order and go back in to replace with MOOG greasable end links which have a flat for a 14mm open end wrench on the stud rather than the allen key. Way easier now to remove them and retorque, and they're even easier than the u joints to grease. They're also much cheaper than OEM from Rockauto or Amazon, no issues a little over a year later.

 

Depends on the condition. I just replaced mine at 155k and the allen key was fine. Not a whole lot of rust even though the truck has lived its life in the midwest and now on the east coast.

 

A bit of PB Blaster and a sharp pick to clean out the allen key hole may help.

I've got a set of the Moogs I bought for my 2012 and never installed. Luckily it's the same part for the 3rd gen.

 

I got through the fronts. Had to take the truck in for the rears. Thought it would be easy peasy, one nut. They cut the top off with a torch!

 

Not surprising ...when I replaced my rear shocks I had to use and angle grinder to cut off the rears.