Repair-It

Seems like my rear shocks have seen better days. As I said in the power steering line repair thread, the right rear in particular seems to perform poorly in a bumper bounce test.

Looking back on some old e-mails, it looks like in 2007 I did a warranty replacement of the front shocks, the B46-1104. Seems like Bilstein had to approve of the warranty claim, then I had to place an order for new shocks and return the old ones to Shox.com (the vendor). At least I think that's what happened. The front shocks were $77.95/ea. Pretty sure I've done a warranty replacement on the rears at some point but I can't find e-mail evidence.

Shox.com carries a set of 4 (1104 and 0929) for $319 which is not bad at all. I will have to contact them.

Reply from Shox.com already:

Yes if you have your receipt you can can contact Bilstein direct 800-537-1085. Beware they have been enforcing their "normal wear and tear" disclaimer on their warranty. If you have to buy them, use BE5-E250(same shock for less $$) $75 ea.

Mark

Hmm.

I have some very bad news. I am sure my rear shocks are not working like brand new. But it turns out that is not the problem with my right rear not damping properly. I have a much more serious issue.

Here's the driver's side upper shock mount area, where it attaches to the frame. You'll notice this is quite rusted, especially by that body cushion. But it is still attached... Bonus rust through: Bonus frame rust shots: The area at the top right is supposed to be open. You can tell because it is nice and smooth. The area down from that (center/left) is NOT supposed to be open at all. Passenger side. Getting closer to the issue, just procrastinating because I already knew the truth... Alright. Sit down for this. Passenger side upper shock mount. The upper mount is attached to....nothing at all. It's hitting the body actually. Which is what is clunking now. Notice how the body is actually in incredible shape in this area. The body actually limits the shock so I guess it provides some compression damping, but zero rebound. I guess it will eventually punch a hole in the body but not sure how long that would take.

Could I fix this? Yeah I guess I could weld a plate in there, drill some holes and mount the shock. But I think it's time to stop fixing this car...of course I just fixed a bunch of stuff but fortunately it cost me almost nothing.

Naturally I'm pretty bummed about this as even though I knew this day was coming, it still sucks.

I don't know how much longer I will drive the car for. I thought I had more time than this....I guess I would have said that up until something happened, so there you go.

Of course the engine still runs great. Did a nice snappy quick peel in the driveway while parking it. 312k.

The upper mount is attached to....nothing at all. It's hitting the body actually. Which is what is clunking now.

I thought that sounded like shocks... Too bad it is this serious. I wonder if a metal plate with a couple holes drilled in for the shock and bolts would get you through the winter... So high stress driving... It should prevent the shock from going through.

Well it is shock related but I thought you said it was a failed shock. I think my shock is fine. The car failed...very different repair...

If I really, really wanted to save this car, I could cut the back half of the frame off and graft a good back half on. It's been done. I don't have the facilities or time for that. And it's not like the body is perfect - it has quite a few issues going on. Though at least the frame would be solid.

This is giving me some motivation to prevent rust on the Roadmaster (and other vehicles). Whether I do a rust paint type product or just some annual oil type spray, I need to do something, even if I don't drive in the salt. This is the worst thing that can happen to a vehicle. Though it's not like I didn't get good use out of the Caprice. 25 years and 312k is more than most people would expect from a car, rust or otherwise.

The other thing I was saying to my father in law is, it is good I bought the STS and Roadmaster. It goes a very long way toward cushioning the blow here. I have a lot of other things to focus on and prevent being as distraught as I might have been. I say that now...we'll see what happens when the actual day comes to dispose of it. Also not sure exactly what that means just yet. I still have to harvest some parts off of it. I would love to see the engine and trans live on somewhere but I don't think that's realistic.

kevm14 wrote:I would love to see the engine and trans live on somewhere but I don't think that's realistic.

Nope, those are the wrong parts to save. Should there be another thread with parts to save? Also, you will get maximum scrap value if the engine and trans are still in the car.