Broken shock mounts
 

2003 Blazer ZR2 4WD

Has anyone had any success replacing the rear upper shock mounts that are riveted to the frame? Will they come off once the rivets are out or are they welded to the frame anywhere? One of the shock mounting tabs has broken on mine. I was out at the pick-a-part trying to drill out the rivets on one, and it was a bear (they don't allow the use of cutting wheels). I ran out of time, but before I give it another try another day I wanted to see if it's even removable or if I'm wasting my time. I haven't been able to find any aftermarket ones anywhere either.

So in case anyone is wondering, here's what I have found out. I went back to the junkyard and was able to drill out both rivets on the rear upper shock mount. The one that rivets through the frame rail freed up that side of the mount. Drilling out the interior side one did not. There's clearly some additional spot welding of that shock mount to the crossmember, so that interior rivet seems like overkill. As it turns out the reason there are no part numbers or aftermarket versions for those shock mounts is because they are considered integrated into the crossmember as a single part. Amusingly, GM Parts Direct still has that crossmember (12383967) showing available as a special order part for a paltry $600. The crossmember is also riveted to the frame, so it will be equally a pain to exchange should I decide to tear out the entire crossmember from a donor car. The fuel tank straps also bolt into that crossmember, so at the very least the tank would have to be supported if not dropped completely in order to swap crossmembers. It's all pretty stupid and I'm going to look into some kind of halfass repair to the existing mount before going down that road. I have no welding experience, no access to a welder and live in an apartment so have nowhere to plug one in anyway, so options will be limited. I don't think JB weld is gonna cut it though.

Did you ever figure this out? I'm trying to replace the rear shocks on 03 blazer zr2 and top bolts just keep spinning...

My situation was extremely difficult because the bolt holes had rotted out, and took a ton of work. If I understand yours, it should be super easy. The top mounts have small threaded clips that go over each of the bolt holes and secure the bolts in place. They may have shifted or are missing, but that's not a problem. You should be able to feel around over the top of the mount. If the clips are still there, you can reposition them back over the holes again. If they are missing, just use some locking nuts instead.

I had a situation similar to Don3D where one of the top bolts kept on spinning. The clip was there, but the ears had rotted of the clip so it was no longer held to the bracket. But it was still threaded onto the bolt and behind the bracket so the shock could not be removed.

I used a prybar to hold the clip against the bracket while turning the bolt. I also used alot of penetrating oil. This worked, but it required alot of patience and it took probably close to an hour.

I found a replacement clip at the auto wreckers and painted it before installation, so that hopefully it will be less likely to rot for next time.