In replacing the rear shocks, we had a bit of a sidebar with managing to lose on of the rubber bits...no big deal, the shop got a much-needed cleaning, we found the piece, and things went smoothly from there. However once we got the top bolt which holds the shock assembly together, the mounting plate was wiggly (and I couldn't quite get the nut tightened to the torque specs my manual says for the life of me). Since we had been distracted for several hours, my help (husband and father-in-law) insisted that the looseness sho

 

In replacing the rear shocks, we had a bit of a sidebar with managing to lose on of the rubber bits...no big deal, the shop got a much-needed cleaning, we found the piece, and things went smoothly from there. However once we got the top bolt which holds the shock assembly together, the mounting plate was wiggly (and I couldn't quite get the nut tightened to the torque specs my manual says for the life of me). Since we had been distracted for several hours, my help (husband and father-in-law) insisted that the looseness should not be there and that the stopper was supposed to be placed in a convex, rather than a concave, position. They figured they were right since the mounting plate no longer wiggled once we took of the bolt and flipped the stopper over to a convex position, and so we put the shocks back in. It was late, and so replacing the other shock was put off until this evening.

When we began to disassemble the shock assembly to replace the shock absorber on this side, I was amused/annoyed (at the boys) because well...the stopper was in a concave position as I'd expected. After much discussion, and attempt to decipher the diagram in the shop manual (sadly, I only have the Haygens one since the good one is a mass held together by power steering fluid due to my grandfather's er....poor judgement), I insisted that we put the stopper on this side in exactly as it had been when we took it off.

I figure this way ONE of them needs to be redone, but not both, but I wasn't going to change the one from yesterday only to find out that I was wrong and have to do BOTH of them over again.

So I need the knowledge of people who know much more than I. The shocks I replaced are obviously not the original ones (since they're also Tokicos). So did the person who put the ones I'm replacing in put this part in wrong? Or can I gloat to "my boys" that I really do have a clue what I'm talking about when I say the mounting plate is supposed to be slightly wiggly.

Is this part supposed to be in a convex or concave position? Because well....one of them is wrong, and I want them to both be done correctly.

Also, does anyone have a better suggestion to keep the piston stable enough (better than I can do with a screwdriver) that we can get the nut torqued to the right specifications?

The reason I don't trust how the shocks WERE is that the maintenance which has been done on this car previously makes me worry - front wheels are on the WRONG side, has supposedly had its 60k service but still has original hoses, etc.

I'm trying to make this car what it should be.

Mucho thanks to those willing to help.

 

Just so folks can see what I'm working on.....

 

*bump*

Anyone? Please?