A soft jaw clamp is a clamp that's used to hold the shaft of a shock without damaging it. It's needed to remove the eyelet of a shock, and sometimes needed to remove the piston head.

I'm going to explain how to make one out of a piece of aluminum. A piece of an old crank arm works well for this.

You can buy these pre-made, but they're pretty expensive and hard to find. This one works almost as well as the store bought tool that I use.

Here are some pictures of the completed tool:

Here's how to make one. You'll need the following tools:

• Hacksaw
• Dremel
• Sanding drum bit, polishing wheel for dremel
• Aluminum stock, approx 1”x1”x1/2”, piece of crank arm works great
• Drill with ½” bit

Steps:

1) Cut crank arm, leaving a one inch solid piece
2) Drill with ½ bit
3) Cut in half with a dremel or hacksaw
4) Sand and polish inside with dremel sanding drum and polish wheel

Then you can clamp the shaft to remove the piston head and continue on with your Manitou/Progressive shim mod:

5) Clean the shaft and soft jaws with rubbing alcohol
6) Clamp the shaft VERY TIGHT to stop the shaft from turning within the soft jaw. Do not allow the shaft to spin within the clamps. If you start turning the wrench and the shaft begins to slip, stop and tighten the clamp some more.
7) Now you should be able to remove the head