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Hi All, one of my winter projects is to replace the front lever shocks in my '39 Six. A P.O. has jury rigged a pair of tube shocks as a 'cheap fix' for the worn out lever units original to the car. I will send mine to Apple Hydraulics in New York and get them to bebuild - my question is: How big/difficult a task is it to R&R them?? I have perused the pictures on Apple's site and it would appear there are 4 significant bolts holding the body to the frame and 1 large bolt throught the 'upright spindle' (not sure of the nomenclature here) that need to be removed to get the shock free. Other than these being on there since Roman times and probably horribly frozen, is there anything else one needs to do to effect removal?? I intend on jacking the front end up so as to compress the spring - is this correct or would I be 'loading' the connections?? Any tips from 'those who have done it' would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Chris

You may need to remove the inner fender panel on one or both sides. The four large bolts hold the shock body to the frame, and a single bolt attaches the outer end of the shock arms to the king pin support. You may find washers between the bottom of the shock body and the frame. Make a note of where they go and how many are at each bolt, and put them back exactly as they were so the shock body will sit flat on the frame. You'll need to support the kingpin support and brake drum when you take the single bolt out, and you will find a special "pilot" washer in each of the shock arm ends. These are to adjust the wheel alignment and you need to remove and keep track of them and put them back exactly as they were. They have different bolt hole offsets and need to be kept in order. The 4 shock body bolts may come out easily, since most of them have been more or less oily most of the time. It may be possible to spray penetrating oil on the lower ends of the bolts by spraying it up toward the top of the coil springs inside the frame. *!!Be sure the weight of the car is resting on the springs and that everything is supported securely!! You cannot remove the single bolt at the outer shock arm ends unless the weight of the car is resting on the front springs!!*

See shop manuals for more info.

As a safety, I would chain or use a heavy duty strap to secure the lower "a" to the frame. It's just a belt and braces to keep the spring where it should be in event the weight comes off of it for whatever reason.

Txgoat,
That is a very comprehensive and instructive reply - thank you! I will follow your instructions to the letter taking pictures and making notes as I go. I have a '38/'39 owners manual but I will have to try and access the shop manual on here as I didn't think the owners publication covered them. Thanks again. Chris.

Noted Kev - good advice; I'll do it. Chris

The springs can be very dangerous, so use care. The spring pressure will have to be taken off the kingpin support in order to remove the shocks. If you can secure the lower control arms to the frame before lifting the front wheels completely off the floor, that will do, as long as everything is fastened very securely. You need to see some clearance between the upper strikeout bumper on the frame and the shock arm before taking any bolts out. You need very secure blocking since you will be removing large bolts and you will be halfway under the car while doing the work.

PS: The shaft ends at the inner ends of the shock arms are of two different sizes, and one particular size should be toward the front of the car when the shocks are installed. On each shock, one shaft end is about the size of a dime and the other is about the size of a nickle. The larger end should face the front of the car on both sides. (This is on the 1937 120, check manuals to be sure)

Absolutely no reason to remove the spring to take off the shocks. Kev gives a good safety tip regarding making sure the spring doesn't come out, but I never did that and had no problem.
I highly suggest you go to post #50 in my restoration blog, where I start with my shock removal. All you need to do is put a jack stand under the suspension, as if the car was sitting on the ground.

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... ic_id=4307&order=ASC&status=&mode=0

Also, I suggest using Five Points Classic Auto Shocks, a family-owned shop that's been refurbishing all types of early lever-action shocks for well over 25 years. Father/son shop: Jerry & Mathew White. San Diego

When I did mine, I believe I put the jack stand directly under the spring on the lower A-arm. Then, I used a heavy-duty ratchet strap that went through the jack stand and up and over the frame. That kept everything together as a unit, and the spring compressed at its normal "resting" position regardless of what happened anywhere else.