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GTV Shock Absorber Replacement
I only write all this in case there are others out there who, like me, are apprehensive about DIY shock absorber replacement because of the possibility of having to partially disassemble the rear suspension. The method I describe here might not work with all brands of shock absorbers, on the other hand, the temporary use of longer rear shock cap hold down bolts might just save the day as it did for me.
I recently decided to replace the old (VERY old, as in, 30 years!) Koni shocks on my 1971 GTV. I obtained the appropriate KYB replacement shocks from International Auto Parts. Not having done this before I needed to figure out exactly how to go about the replacement process. I have all the tools needed for most jobs and metal car ramps, jack stands and floor jack to get the car in the air.
I hate using the floor jack under the aluminum rear end center section to lift the back of the car (seems like it would stress the case flange??) so I back the rear wheels of the car onto the ramps and use the floor jack to raise the front which I place on jack stands under the inboard end of the lower A-arms.
R&R of the front shocks was straight forward and uneventful. After mounting the top end of the shock I used the floor jack under the bottom end to slightly compress it (less than 1 inch) and slide the bottom bushing onto the mounting bolt (pin) on the lower A-arm. Aligning the jack with the direction of the bolt allowed me to compress to shock and roll to jack forward carrying the bottom shock bushing easily onto the bolt.
My real concern was the rear shocks. I've read suggested procedures and talked with a couple of people that made it sound a little difficult, e.g., removing the rear axle limit straps, dropping the rear axle, or dropping the control arm, etc., etc.....had me a bit worried. It turned out that no such measures were required, only a little ingenuity.
I first removed the nuts from the bottom of the shocks. Then I removed the back seat and the shock cap access panels. After removal of the top cap hold down bolts the old shocks came out very easily, they had no resistance left in them. The new shocks, of course, were longer and stronger than the old ones. I set the new shocks in place with the rear wheels still on the ramps and the shock top caps installed. This left the top cap about three inches above the deck mounting surface. I could not push the shock down (compress) with one hand while trying to get the hold down bolts started with the other hand, all while hunched over in the back seat area.
So, let's use the floor jack under the rear side jack socket to raise the body to the extent of the rear axle limit strap, just until the tire starts to lift off the ramp...ah ha!, now the gap was only slightly more than the length of the cap hold down bolts, about 1 ¼ inches (the bolts are only ¾ inch). What if the bolts were only a little longer??
Went to Lowes and got two of the appropriate metric thread bolts 1 ½ inches long. Used these to pull the top cap down keeping it level by only taking a couple of turns on each bolt until it was down against the mounting surface. With the shock now compressed and the cap snugged in position I removed the long bolts, one at a time, replaced each with the original ¾ inch bolts and then removed the floor jack to lower the body. Repeated this procedure on the other side, installed the lower shock mounting nuts and done....rear shocks replaced without dropping the control arms or any other challenging procedures.
This may not be an original idea, I don't know, but in my research it was never mentioned to me. I hope it helps others.
(Why didn't I just leave in the longer bolts instead replacing the originals? ....that wouldn't be right!)
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