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I know this is a common modification but I haven't really seen any write-ups on this so I figured I'd contribute. Enjoy my fancy drawing too:
About a month ago I put new front struts and mounts on my '89. I used Festiva struts (KYB brand 232021/232022) and Rio mounts (Gabriel 143227). I wanted to wait before posting this just to be sure everything is holding up OK and so far so good!
My camber changed by 0.2 degrees but is still within specification. I was able to reuse the original Festiva tophats with the lower portion of the old plastic bearing. I did have to make a couple of minor modifications though:
1> Since the hole in the Rio mount bearing is wider than the strut shaft I wrapped a bunch of nylon tape around the strut shaft to fill in the gap. I'm not 100% sure this was necessary but it did help to keep it centered during installation.
2> There was a little bit of a taper on the end of my strut shaft (just below the threads) that just barely fit inside the bearing in the Rio strut mount. (I used KYB struts so other brands may not have this taper) Between my tape and this taper I'm confident the strut will stay centered in the bearing in the Rio mount.
3> Instead of using the top nuts that came with the struts instead I used two extra lug nuts that I had laying around. I don't remember the exact thread pitch but it was pretty standard (12X1.5?) Again this was with KYB struts so other brands may have different thread sizes. The tapered end of the lug nut also barely fits inside of the strut mount bearing which helps me to be sure things are and will stay centered in there. Since the lug nut does not have self locking threads I used some Locktite just to be sure. I'm not positive this is necessary but well worth it for piece of mind.
4> I never did find my old Strut mount bearings. My Festiva had replacement (albeit very old and worn) Monroe struts in the front but still had the original strut mounts. I don't know if the installer of those struts forgot to put the bearings back in or if they just disintegrated over the years but all that was left of the old plastic bearings was the bottom piece that locks into the "tophat" section that the top of the spring sits in. The very outside edge of the plastic bearing base was cracked so I was able to just "peel away" that extra plastic so the end product fit perfectly on the inner race of the bearing. If your old bearings are intact you may need to physically trim the diameter down a bit to achieve the same results.
5> After you tighten the top nut and make sure the strut shaft is centered in the bearing then pay close attention as you release spring tension. Make sure the whole thing stays centered otherwise the plastic base can come out of the "tophat" resulting in the spring being "cocked at an angle" at the top. This could result in damage to the plastic base and cause friction and potentially binding of the bearing. Once everything is centered the top strut mount should spin very freely and everything should look perfectly straight. The install it on to your car and enjoy!
About a month ago I put new front struts and mounts on my '89. I used Festiva struts (KYB brand 232021/232022) and Rio mounts (Gabriel 143227). I wanted to wait before posting this just to be sure everything is holding up OK and so far so good!
My camber changed by 0.2 degrees but is still within specification. I was able to reuse the original Festiva tophats with the lower portion of the old plastic bearing. I did have to make a couple of minor modifications though:
1> Since the hole in the Rio mount bearing is wider than the strut shaft I wrapped a bunch of nylon tape around the strut shaft to fill in the gap. I'm not 100% sure this was necessary but it did help to keep it centered during installation.
2> There was a little bit of a taper on the end of my strut shaft (just below the threads) that just barely fit inside the bearing in the Rio strut mount. (I used KYB struts so other brands may not have this taper) Between my tape and this taper I'm confident the strut will stay centered in the bearing in the Rio mount.
3> Instead of using the top nuts that came with the struts instead I used two extra lug nuts that I had laying around. I don't remember the exact thread pitch but it was pretty standard (12X1.5?) Again this was with KYB struts so other brands may have different thread sizes. The tapered end of the lug nut also barely fits inside of the strut mount bearing which helps me to be sure things are and will stay centered in there. Since the lug nut does not have self locking threads I used some Locktite just to be sure. I'm not positive this is necessary but well worth it for piece of mind.
4> I never did find my old Strut mount bearings. My Festiva had replacement (albeit very old and worn) Monroe struts in the front but still had the original strut mounts. I don't know if the installer of those struts forgot to put the bearings back in or if they just disintegrated over the years but all that was left of the old plastic bearings was the bottom piece that locks into the "tophat" section that the top of the spring sits in. The very outside edge of the plastic bearing base was cracked so I was able to just "peel away" that extra plastic so the end product fit perfectly on the inner race of the bearing. If your old bearings are intact you may need to physically trim the diameter down a bit to achieve the same results.
5> After you tighten the top nut and make sure the strut shaft is centered in the bearing then pay close attention as you release spring tension. Make sure the whole thing stays centered otherwise the plastic base can come out of the "tophat" resulting in the spring being "cocked at an angle" at the top. This could result in damage to the plastic base and cause friction and potentially binding of the bearing. Once everything is centered the top strut mount should spin very freely and everything should look perfectly straight. The install it on to your car and enjoy!
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