Strut changing?
 

I think I have an idea how to do it. This is what I think is right please correct me if i'm wrong.

Jack the car up.

Remove the wheel and jack the A-arm up To support/compress the springs

Remove The two lower bolts ad then remove the one top bolt.

Installing them

Bolt the bottom on first and then the top.

then lower the jack supporting the control arm and bolt the wheel back on.



Does that sound right?

why would u have to "compress the springs"? jack it up, remove wheel and just change them.. half hour done.

Have you ever changes struts on a thirdgen firebird?

***eager student voice*** ooo ooo ooo pick me, pick me ooo ooo ooo***


MAYBE SO THEY DONT SHOOT OUT OF THE CAR WHEN YOU TAKE THE STRUT OFF

Matt, I think you have it right. Not sure you can pull that off yourself with hand tools though. But you might get by without air tools.

Air tools a must. The bottom bolts can be taking of with a long breaker bar but will be tough. The top bolt will be hard beacuse you need to hold the stem of the strut while you break the nut loose. You just need to place the jack under the a-arm to keap the spring from coming out, dont compress it anymore just bring the sadle of the jack to the bottom of the a-arm.

Matt, if this can wait until fall you can bring it to my house and we can knock it out.

I would try and loosen the top nut first, then take the bottom ones out after. But if you can wait I can come over to Scotts house to help out.

I was going to get a 1/2 impact wrench from harbor freight for $20 bucks. I think its worth it because I can use it for my LCA's and Panhard bar too...

Cool. You'll need sockets too. IIRC the bottom strut bolts are like 22mm (I forget the top nut size) and the LCAs are like 16 or 18 mm. I'm sure someone here will correct/verify this.

You'll need a wrench for the lower strut bolts too.

LCA's are 18mm on the bolt and nut.

The panhard is like 21mm or 22mm

Im kind of scared to do the struts my self so I might take you up on your offer Scott. Struts are like $110 so thats not a big expense, But I see a lot of little repairs the car needs as a big $ problem.

Save yourself the trouble and go buy a set of spring compressors for $15 at any auto store. When I was doing mine last summer, we had so many half *** rigs to try and get them out breaking something. This was with 4 guys trying to push/pull/hammer/pry the damn things out. Ended up buying the compressors anyway....makes it a one man job.

To do struts on a 3rd gen you dont need spring compressors at all. they are not coil over design like the 4th gen.

I'll keep suspension advice to 4th gens in the future...

Third gens have a spring that is not attached to the strut like a standard strut design. the spring is further into the chassis, and the strut is farther out.

Yes Matt, thats exactly how I would do it. If you need help, let me know when you want to do this.

Ill probably be doing this Monday. I just ordered struts and lca's and a panhard bar, Ill probably do the lca's and panhard bar first and get the impact wrench on Saturday..

I just need to get the struts and lca's done before the nats or else I cant go.

Matt, from what I am told LCAs are your issue. Struts won't make your car undriveable - no more than fat & skinnies will, lol.

Trust me, My struts are an issue, My mom said if the struts aren't done before the Nats I'm not going..

I could compress my shocks with out using any force. My struts are 10x worse then my shocks were.

No dice.

Leverage, Liquid wrench, WD-40 NOTHING HELPED ME get the bottom bolt out... Blow torch time...

8 foot cheater pipe.. :D Works everytime and put it on the nut side first. You might have to take the brake stuff off to get to it tho.

I was thinking about taking the brake "stuff" off but it looks like the bottom bolt also holds the brake "stuff" up???

your working on the front struts?

not of the brake stuff is attached my the 2 strut bolts, however there is a brake line bracket bolted to the strut

those bolts/nuts are VERY tight and the nuts are locking type. A impact wrench will make short work of them. Or a very long cheater pipe

this son of a bitch is frozen on.. the passenger side is off but Im waiting for the socket that goes on the top of the strut.. My grandpa was just here and he left to go get a big ass wrench. If He cant do it i'm screwed :(

Yep the brake stuff. lol Aka the caliper. That is what 160 some hours at work in two weeks and then going balls to the wall on the car for 2 days straight do to ya..

Anyways, pop the caliper off (two 3/8th's allen key bolts) hold it on there. Like I siad, break the nut loose first then hammer on the bolt... Leave the nut on there for a few threads tho. More surface aera to hit and you wont damage the threads of the bolt.

Redneck way of doing, but.... it works