Strut Replace

I think all you need to do is rotate the top mount to the proper "time".

As long as it's safe, I guess just put up with unwiedly 🙂 

@galo OK. So there is no way to get things lined up till you get to the car? That is what I am seeing but given the rear geometry guess and check gets REALLY difficult. I do appreciate the post!

No, unless you have a real good eye! I just get the 3 studs in the holes, loosely screw the bolts on, then position the bottom "in" the hub. This is a little difficult...those struts aren't exactly light!

@galo But how go you rotate the bottom? That worked on the fronts but not the rear (for me). Gotta say I felt a little less manly after holding the bottom with one hand. Yep!

Posted by: @desertwanderer

@galo But how go you rotate the bottom?

The strut should rotate on it's shaft. I know my Koni inserts did(2 installs, 1 remove...don't ask) and the c-o's I put on my current Spyder. It's been 11-12 years(+ a good bit of vodka) since I built the Koni inserts, so I'm not remembering the install all that well.

And yes, holding the strut while starting the nuts is definitely tough.

@galo Neither of my back ones will rotate. Not the new ones I built or the old ones that came off the car. Maybe I need vodka!

Posted by: @desertwanderer

Maybe I need vodka!

Always

@desertwanderer,

When I did mine last summer, by far the most difficult part was getting the springs on the struts. I also noticed the rears seem to have no rotation.

However, I don't remember it causing any trouble. Once I coaxed the strut assemblies under the towers with a bit of "cuss grease", I put the nuts on loosely and was able to rotate them and get the knuckles lined up. But my memory is poor... I am sure the fronts do rotate, less sure about the rears, but I have no recollection of my soul losing any hit points so it must have been "easy". Having the immovable car mounted to the strut mounts made it simple to rotate the rest of the assembly. The pistons do rotate.

Perhaps you don't have the springs nestled in the cups just right? That was a little fiddly, tougher when the spring tension is released. The whole job is "fiddly", actually. Easy, but took this newbie forever. The hardest part, actually, was getting the stiff boots inside the springs while the compressors were still on. That was a total PIA.

@nottamiata Appreciated. I had much the same experience except that I did Superpro bushings first and perhaps I was getting tired by the time that I got to the struts. I will try again, I echo your same comments re the boot!

I swapped a set of struts and a set of coilovers between two of my spyders yesterday.  The struts easily rotated on the car.  I always install the strut into the tower first and put the nuts on hand tight then rotate the bottom.  I've always been able to get them to rotate by grabbing them with both hands.  If you can't rotate with both hands, you could try sticking a long but thick screwdriver through on of the bolt holes for the knuckle and using that as leverage.  Stick it all the way through though as to limit the chance of bending the ears, but you shouldn't have to apply that much force anyway to get it to rotate.

@nocoolname Thanks! I think I am just hesitant to apply force and this is my first strut install. I will go in armed with your thoughts. Who was it that said that "Anything that can't be solved with a hammer is an electrical problem." Was it Corky?

Again, thanks!

@desertwanderer,

Don't listen to me, but the way I see it, one nasty pothole will stress that assembly more than your efforts ever could. Now, the force vectors are different and it it designed for the direction of the piston, but I cannot imagine being able to bend any of the metal in the strut assembly with a screwdriver that is less than two feet long. You're going to be careful, yes?

Once you have the top in the tower, you should be able to turn it "easily", IIRC. I think that typical hand strength is not enough grip when the thing is on a workbench and the springs are not compressed (there's a hint...), but a fixed end will give enough support to turn it with far less leverage than it would take to bend the knuckle tabs.

I suspect the spring ends may not be nestled properly in the little dips on the spring plates, but I cannot your work from here. I re-used the spring cushions (yeah, yeah...), which made that task very easy.

Posted by: @nottamiata

 

I suspect the spring ends may not be nestled properly in the little dips on the spring plates, but I cannot your work from here. I re-used the spring cushions (yeah, yeah...), which made that task very easy.

I did make sure of that. I will report back. Thanks for the input!