I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem and if so any suggestions on how to fix it.
The holes on the body where the tops of the rear shocks come up through the body of my 82-z have Been broken away to the point where the shocks now completely pass through the body. {I can actually put a jack on the rear bumper and jack the body right off the shocks} The car has almost no rust at all on it and the breakage appears to be from metal stress and not corrosion seeming to have actually been ripped.
If anyone has had this happen to them i'd be very grateful of any tips on how the problem was fixed.
Thanks~
SilkWorm

 

Seen it happen from air shocks a few times. Weld a thick plate to create a much stonger mount.


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350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, currant red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

This happened to me, and yes, as a result of air shocks.

I didn't have a welder when it happened, and didn't even know how to weld, but I fixed them myself. Visit the Home Depot speed shop; you should find some steel stock in their hardware aisle. I bought a 6 foot length of 1/8" thick, 2 inch wide steel plate. I also bought a thin sheet of aluminum. I cut a strip of aluminum two inches wide, and went under the car. I bent the aluminum into a template that would fit the area of the busted upper shock mount. I took the template down and made two copies onto the steel. Then, I nested the two copies together, so I had a total of 1/4 inch of steel for the upper shock mount. Some thick bolts and locknuts anchored the steel plates to underneath the car.

The driver's side busted in '95, the passenger side in '96. I check them every now and then- the last check, early this year, showed no signs of stress.

If you want more detailed notes, let me know. I wrote it up a while ago. It's one of those things where you have to get under the car and fabricate it as you need it.

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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited August 28, 2001).]

 

same here only mine was from the cr@ppy streets(2.5"+ deep pot holes) here in chicago not air shocks.

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"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

 

had the same thing happen to me yesterday.. im taking some steel plate and making new mounts to be bolted and welded from the underside to help with the possibility of extreme stress on the mounts. just the one on the passenger broke.. ripped the shock through to the underside.