Struts and mounts

If you know how to work EBay you can get some great deals from reputable vendors. Often times people don't know how a free market place works and how to avoid bad situations. You need to understand EBay rules and the fine print.  If you do have an issue EBay can be used as a third party mediator to your advantage.  No charge backs crap or excessive fighting with the seller. Just present your case and if you do it right it will be resolved and in your favor with a quick resolution.  

Because EBay has such great mediation I would only buy expensive items though them like JDM engines and transmissions. 

When it comes to selling it can be a little more tricky but if you are honest about the items faults and blemishes on the listing you will not have issues.  I have often found that those that hate selling on EBay often times try to get away with falsifying the condition or not disclosing certain faults.  What I generally do as a buyer is contact the seller and ask specific questions so its on recored in the EBay messaging system which can be used against them during mediation. 

Can somebody help me understand the boots and bumpers, please? In the diagram at Norwalk, the fronts have the bumper riding at the top of the boot, but in the rear it is at the bottom.

To my mind, that would trap water, and possibly grit along with it, inside the rear boot as soon as any hole presented itself.

"Well, just replace the boot!" you say. Not so fast... it is part of the OEM strut mount.

I did not get OEM rear mounts, so I am trying to figure out how to properly install the boots and bumpers in front (seems obvious --> same as OEM parts diagram, but please tell anyway) and especially the rear, without creating "cup o' mud" traps.

Thanks 😁

I don’t know the answer to your question but if you plan to do the work yourself please be very careful because the spring is under pressure and can cause injury when removing the top nut.  If you have that figured out and plan to use a  spring compressor I would caution you again and have a shop do it. There have been instances of the spring compressor slipping. It sent my friend to the emergency room.   

Spring Compressor Warning Redux:

I have used spring compressors more times than I can recall.  Generally speaking, there are two kinds of spring compressors:  pretty expensive ones (that none of the big box auto parts stores are not going to have in their "Free Tool Rental" fleet) https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-641429-Tool-Strut-Coil/dp/B00OCEGONM/ref=sr_1_41?qid=1566410155&s=automotive&sr=1-41 ; and cheap ones that are generally available almost anywhere, https://www.amazon.com/AMPRO-T70569-Coil-Spring-Compressor/dp/B00A8FNQ1M/ref=sr_1_22?qid=1566410311&s=automotive&sr=1-22 .

After having a spring compressor fail in the 1980's --- and put a lovely hole right through my metal wheel well, I started using 3 (rather than the two normally used) of the cheap spring compressors.  Getting 3 sets of the compressors is both time consuming and fairly difficult.  On some vehicles, there simply was not enough room to put 3 sets of compressors within the confines of the wheel wells.

Yes, there are times with the 3 spring compressors when one of them either fails and/or becomes disconnected. But that just confirms for me that using 3 of the cheap spring compressors does provide a little extra insurance.

Hope this helps!

That first spring compressor you linked  is the one I would use.  I have used the cheaper ones before but after the horror stories one of which was someone killing their cat I just don't want to go out like a punk and will just take the assembly  to a shop.  Its the same with jack stands and other equipment where saying safety first is not cliche.  Try to save a few bucks ends up in hundreds of thousands in medical bills and most of all looking stupid when your tale is passed around. 

All of the above is why many people just bite the bullet and pay to have their struts installed.

I am planning on chaining the spring to my workbench or putting a steel bar through it and clamping that, and the strut, to the bench.  I will be sure not to stand down-range on either end when I compress the springs. Will not use sketchy compressors, nor do stupid shi-, uh, stuff like using an impact wrench to tigthen the clamps, doing them unevenly, etc. "Think like a pyramid builder". Slowly and carefully, and quit if it looks dodgy. Not a big fan of pain and I like being able to count to ten.

Appreciate the warnings, however. If I had a spare set of springs, I would have my guy do it for me ahead of time, but I am doing this work during labor day weekend, hopefully, and his shop will be closed. Removing the whole assembly from the car to swap the springs onto the new struts, not compressing any springs while still on the car.

You might want to check out this video. Unless you already saw it.

@mrsponz

I have seen that one. Thanks for posting it. Good video overall, i think its the same guy that did the soft top drains vid i mentioned elsewhere. That one also has one eyebrow-raiser:

In that case, it was bringing the garden hose into the car and turning it on. In this video, it was the pituful precaution of burying the thing. LOL, that would just blind you with sand while it rips the flesh off your arm/face/ leg anyway. Cover your new part with sand! NO THANKS... But aside from that, seemed OK overall. Not a terribly complex job, really.

But I'd still like to understand the proper dynamics of the rear boot and bumper behavior. Theres a good pictorial on the old mk2-oriented site, process looks much like the front.

BTW, back in the late '70s I had just set a compressed spring on the ground I took off of the nearly 3 ton 1974 Lincoln Continental I was trying to restore.  Walking through the raised garage door, I heard a slightly audible tinkle as a small piece of metal fell on the concrete garage apron nearby.  Almost simultaneously there was a deafening "Sprong" sound.  Afraid to turn around, I just stood there ................. for what seemed like hours, but was surely just seconds.  Then I heard the loud crash as the Lincoln's coil spring landed (and left visible damage) on the concrete about 12' away from the car.

I narrowly dodged a bullet on that one.

NottaMiata,

I think you are proceeding in a way that should allow you to change your struts safely.  Good Luck!

Paul