How to change front struts!?!?!?!?!
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
iTrader: (4)
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
From: Springport Michigan
How to change front struts!?!?!?!?! I am trying to figure out how to change the front struts on my Trans Am. So far I have the strut and spring out of the car. I can't seem to get the shock to come out for the life of me tho.. I compressed the spring till it could swivel freely... then I loosened the nut on the top(which snapped off because of rust) and then I figured I could just drop the shock right out. But apparently it isn't that easy. I beat it with a hammer and tried many different ways of prying the shock out and to no avail.
So is there something I am missing or any special tricks you know of? I tried searching.. but searching doesn't seem to work anymore for some reason.
So is there something I am missing or any special tricks you know of? I tried searching.. but searching doesn't seem to work anymore for some reason.
The nut on the top should be the only thing holding it. If that has broken off, you really have nothing in your way of removing the two. Have you decompressed the spring? I remember when I did mine, once I took the nut off I would decompress the spring, and it would push the "cover" at the top.
Hope you get it fixed.
Hope you get it fixed.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
iTrader: (4)
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
From: Springport Michigan
I decompressed the spring... and it didn't pop off the top. I really have no idea why it wont come off... I even tried hammering the **** out of it and still nothing.
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 119
Likes: 0
From what it sounds like....and not to be the bearer of bad news.....the shaft of the shock rusted to the inside of the shock mount. Mine did this on one side and it was a pain in the ***! The reason is theres a steel sleeve that runs through the shock mount that the shaft of the shock runs through, if the nut rusted and broke off, I would say without a doubt this is the problem. Only real option is to get a new shock mount and cut through the shaft on the shock with a cutoff wheel. Might as well buy a new isolator as well. Good luck!!
of the 2 f-bodies i have installed springs on, they have both been totally rusted out and ruined. the first time i got replacement struts and all the parts (bottom spring perch, strut mount, and dust cover) and the second time i cut the nut off after trying to get it undone un successfully. the individual parts ended up costing alot once you added them up. i would try to cut the nut off.
I'm all for doing stuff myself, but sometimes a little outside help is needed. In this case, spending a few $$ to get this part of the job done is a wise investment, compared to getting yourself torn up by a spring that suddenly lets loose.
Trending Topics
From what it sounds like....and not to be the bearer of bad news.....the shaft of the shock rusted to the inside of the shock mount. Mine did this on one side and it was a pain in the ***! The reason is theres a steel sleeve that runs through the shock mount that the shaft of the shock runs through, if the nut rusted and broke off, I would say without a doubt this is the problem. Only real option is to get a new shock mount and cut through the shaft on the shock with a cutoff wheel. Might as well buy a new isolator as well. Good luck!!
~Jim~
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
