Yabo

At least on early cars (I have no experience with late -- post 86 -- cars) you can do your front struts essentially keeping your alignment perfect, or pretty close.

Estimated time: 30 min to remove insert (for first timer)

1. Remove wheel.
2. Use 2 spring compressors, one on each side (please use heavy duty compressors, as to not injure yourself).
3. Compress Spring 1-2 inches (or enough that it's upper seat looks like it would clear it's spot in the upper strut mount.
4. Remove upper strut nut -- impact gun helps.
5. Using screwdriver, or some other form of pusher, push the top of the strut (where you just removed the nut) and compress it into the insert, all the way until it is out the bottom of the upper strut mount.
6. While the strut is compressed, tilt the sprint and strut assembly outwards in the wheel well, clearing the upper strut mount. The strut will tilt on lower ball joint and outer tie rod end joint.
7. Remove upper strut mount (4 bolts that hold it to the strut tower)
8. Move strut assembly back into the strut tower hole. Use channel locks, or stilsons wrench and undo the strut insert cap (move bottom boot to get to this). Loosen it all the way till it comes off.
9. Go back into the engine bay, grab top of strut through the shock tower hole, and yank it out. Insert will come out in your hand. (I put the nut back on the top of the strut to give something to grip to pull on.

Install is reverse of removal.

You do not touch any camber adjustment, nor do you touch the control arm or anything else. Hence, the alignment should be exactly where it was when you started.

Yabo

Bump with how-to now that i figured it out

KuHL 951

Sorry for the late response. I did this on the 83 from great instructions provided by Legoland. On the early cars with the threaded caps you and do this on the car without removing or loosening the lower strut which effects the alignment. Here's the method in a nutshell from me the way I did it and both struts took under 90 minutes start to finish.

1. With the car on ground with tires. Remove the top strut nut( I prefer an impact wrench)

2. Jack up front of car on stands high enough to clear wheels by a few inches. Remove the wheels and sway bar drop link.

3. Use a bar or lever to push down the control arm far enough to drop the strut shaft from the upper mount and carefully pull it clear of the front fender. I did it by myself so it's not that difficult.

4. With the strut clear of the fender you can pull the spring easily. Remove the threaded cap on the housing. Check the level of the existing oil in the housing with a pipe cleaner or something. Have lots of rags ready and pull the old inset out because it's messy and smells like Rhino poop. In my case I got as much of the old Swepco cooling oil of the housing as I could. I installed the new insert and enough MT-90 to get duplicate the old oil level and installed the cap. If you plan on changing any upper mount components now is the time.

5. Now is the hardest part IMO. You can do the next step two ways. Put weight on the control arm and carefully slip the strut assembly back under the fender. Take a jack and raise the control arm or remove the jackstand and lower the car very carefully with a GOOD sensitive jack. I used the raise the control arm method and guided the shaft back into the upper mount. Make sure the spring is in the lower detent correctly and re-installl the upper strut nut by hand.

6. Put the wheels back on, lower the car, bounce it several times to make sure it seats, and use an impact on the upper nut.


I was amazed how well this worked and Legoland gets all the credit

Yabo

Honestly, I think my way is easier.. less prying and such.. But either one works. its somewhat the same idea. I guess yours doesn't involve needing spring compressors

KuHL 951

Whatever works is fine with me. I just hate spring compressors. The prying is nothing more than a 24" bar you wedge beneath and press down with your foot as you clear the upper mount, takes 30 seconds tops. A good part of my time was cleaning up the strut cases, calipers, and springs. Both methods keep the alignment true and that is the beauty of it

Yabo

Sorry to bump this, but just adding a note.

My way works good, if you are dealing with stock performance shocks like KYB.

If you're putting in bilsteins, like I was, you'll find that when you compress it once it is installed and move it into the wheel well, you'll be screwed as far as compressing it with your fingers between the spring in the wheel well to get it back in the strut tower once the upper mount is installed. I had to fight with all my might to move it down a quarter inch and get the spring hat over the shock so i could pull down on the hat and get it under the bushing. I actually had to disconnect the sway bar and push down on teh control arm like kuhl mentioned to get the hat under because I just couldnt get the bilstein to compress at all by pulling down.

Just a fair warning! but it got done with no alignment loss so I win!

FRporscheman

OMG......

I tired the "swap inserts w/o screwing up alignment" thing a few months ago. It was BS because I couldn't get the insert to swing out past the fender. I just disassembled everything and realigned it.


I didn't even think about using the strut tower hole. Ingenious! Thanks Devon!

KuHL 951

Sorry Arash but it's not BS. Either you did something wrong like not disconnecting the sway or you didn't leverage the control arm down enough. I cleared the fenders on the 83 with no problem. You only have to clear it to briefly when getting the spring and insert out/in. Coming out through the strut tower hole does sound easier except for using a spring compressors inside the wheel well.

Yabo

Oh Steve,, where and how did you use the pry bar? I saw no way of getting the top of the shock, uncompressed, down enough to get it out the fender.

Although maybe it owuldve helped if i completely removed the sway, I only undid the nut at each control arm.

KuHL 951

My old Sachs struts were totally shot and had leaked. The shaft just about dropped on it's own back into the case with little effort. I replaced them with gas-filled shocks making compressing the shaft a lot more difficult for the re-install. I just took a 1" x 24" steel box tube I use for a cheater bar, laid it over the top of the steel arm and sat on the bar while pulling the assembly free. I can't recall if I was able to remove the spring while in the fender well or not but the early cars don't have a fenderliner. I do recall it wasn't difficult at all and I think I pushed the strut to the rear first. I think the key with Legos method is you can remove the upper nut with the car parked when the spring is compressed. After you jack the car up the spring is loose and can be removed when the control arm is pushed far enough down. I did pad the fender edge as the clearance was very tight. To guide the new shaft back in I just sat on the bar and guided it through the top as I let up weight on it. Using your method I can't see where you even have to use compressors at all if you can get the shaft clear of the upper mount. This method has been done by many people here

I've looked for the original thread where Lego posted the method. There's really no right or wrong way with either method as long as the alignment is maintained. All I could find was this and it was after the work was done:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...light=Legoland

FRporscheman

Steve, I wasn't saying the procedure was BS - I know it has worked for people. I was saying my situation and not being successful was BS. A big ol' load of BS I didn't need that day!

Come to think of it, I did not remove the sway bar completely, I only undid the control arm part. It was still in the way a bit. Next time I'll try removing the sway all the way, and if that still doesn't work I'll try the strut tower hole method.

But I really just hope there is no next time.

UncleMaz

Did the Frank method today, with Frank (actually Frank did the Frank method to be frank). One side took less than ten minutes. We didn't even take off the wheel. The other side took a little longer as the strut shaft was binding and we weren't sure what it was. Thanks Frank. Thanks Rennlist. Michael

trailpimp33

What about using the cars weight to compress the spring, then when the strut nut is off raising the car. But instead of unbolting the sway, just taking the top mounts off and pulling everything throught the top?? Would this work as opposed to swinging everything out of the way??

Takavor23

o_O I have to do my front replacements on my 83 tomorrow, if things go well I'll tell you which worked for me.

Van

If you're undoing the upper strut mount from the chassis, you will need an alignment - there is enough play in those holes that it won't go back in the exact position.

The only way to use this method is to undo your sway bar (and be careful of the brake lines!) and get the strut to swing all the way out past the fender lip. This is how a lot of racers change springs quickly.