Well,on to the next adventure-- My passenger side knee action shock appears to have leaked all fluid out which ran down onto the rear shocks and solidified to a sticky goo-----I put fluid in these shocks some 8-10 years ago and have never seen any sign of leakage till now. Drivers side shows no sign of leaking. Can these be rebuilt professionally, if so by who,and finally is it something that A shade tree guy should attempt ? Thanks everyone for your help yet again...
They're not actually "knee-action" shocks...that came later in the '30s. They're "single acting" shocks, and yes you can rebuild them. It's not that difficult. The Filling Station sells the rebuild kits. They're a pretty simple hydraulic system and the instructions that come with the kits are very good. As I recall, you do need to have an acetylene torch to do part of the disassembly -- it's been a few years since I did a set. It also would probably help to have a hydraulic press.
The kit contains all the gaskets and seals needed, and the link bushings and pins. They come in kits for 2 shocks and for 4 shocks. If you're going to do it, I recommend that you do all four shocks.
Thank you for that info Chip. Well, unfourtunatly,I do not have an acetylene torch or hydraulic press . My shop is pretty much an old wooden garage and a half dozen toolboxes....That being said,is there a shop that does the rebuild,or can I purchase NOS or repops anywhere ?? Maybe JYD can do them---he can rebuild anything!! LOL---Thanks again all.
The Filling Station and Chevs of the 40s both have a rebuild service for lever action shocks. You send them your shocks and they return them after the rebuild.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
I converted my 38 to modern tube shocks. If you can find a set of 39 front shock mounts you can use them or there are some vendors that sell conversion kits or so I've been told. I used 39 mounts on mine. Below are pictures taken of the mounts I purchased before they were removed from the donor.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
WOW Tiny,What a sweet deal that is man ! They look perfect ! Boy do I wish I lived closer to Detroit,I would grab up all that stuff !! Thanks for the lead friend,Jay
My expectation is that any shock of that age would need rebuilt.
My limited experience with this style shock is that the old cork seal gets hard and allows the fluid to leak out. The surface of the shaft is damaged due to the lack of oil and the hard seal. If the car sits a while the shaft surface develops rust.
Just replacing the seal does not fix the leak. The shaft needs to be resurfaced. Typically that requires spray welding and machining/grinding to provide a new surface for the seal to work against. That is why the rebuild is relatively expensive.
