I need to replace the front shock absorbers and need a cap nut wrench. Does anyone know where I can get one?

 

i think last time i used channel lock pliers on it, if you break the nut loose in the car, it makes life much simpler.

 

Since the nut is on the inside of the absorber mounting block, how do I get the pliers on it?

 

I just use a medium sized pipe wrench. Works great.

 

 

It took me awhile to figure out why what you were describing didn't compute. For '70 & '80 the nut on the top of the damper assembly is a "cap nut" that is recessed inside the tube. Nothing external for a wrench to get hold of. The shop manual calls out a special tool which is no longer available from anybody, including Mazda's tool supplier. To help anybody else that has a '79 or '80, my solution was to take a 1 1/8" deep well socket and saw off the end so there were two tabs to match the the two slots on the top of the cap nut. Buy a cheap socket so that it saws easier.

 

good info to know, congrats on the simple fix. now that you have that odd nut off is there a way to install a normal on instead?

 

The replacement shocks I got from Black Dragon, have real nuts included in the box.

The next problem to overcome is the shop manual says to put "rubber grease" on either side of the thrust bearing at the top of the assembly. Can't find anybody that's heard of that, either. I figure they specified it to minimize squeaking and sticking, so I'm going to use a high pressure rated automotive grade silicone grease.

 

i would too, best of luck

 

Would you try to check out if things are ok when finding a replacement for your Front Shock Absorber. In this way, you might get a hang of it to really have the right part for your car today. Also, you need to check the quality in order to really have the good part, or in your case, the Shock Absorber, in order to optimize your car's performance.