Ultimate Street suspension guide

[Dragonhealer]

Sorry for the confusion, I thought he was still working on the upper nuts
My apologies, I must read more carefully.
Sawzzall is probably the best bet, then repair the captive thread after drilling out the bolt remnant.
At the MAP gas stage, all I can offer is prayer, be safe!

[fudge]

does anyone know the size of the lower strut mount bolt head? I used 14 mm and 9/16 on the first one and I think those are a wee bit too big. I'm going to go check the other side now to see if they fit tightly

[mikemounlio]

I think i used a 14mm. I can say that you should be using a power tool on this bolt tho. A power tool will remove the bolt much easier then doing it by hand and with less risk of stripping the head or the threads.

[mikemounlio]

Also not all 14mm are the same. I have 2 different brands of tools. One is always a bit tighter the the other in my case. If you have another socket try it. try a 12pt. try a 6pt. a shorty vs a deep well.

[fudge]

hey I got one of the back ones done! woohoo! I ended up filing the bolt head down until I could hammer on a 1/2 socket on and impact it with no mercy!!! damn deez nuts put up a hell of a fight! Can't wait to finish the other one tomorrow and then the front!!

[firebush357]

hey I got one of the back ones done! woohoo! I ended up filing the bolt head down until I could hammer on a 1/2 socket on and impact it with no mercy!!! damn deez nuts put up a hell of a fight! Can't wait to finish the other one tomorrow and then the front!!

You might want to go ahead and soak everything in the front with some PB Blaster to make it a little easier when you get to it.

[fudge]

guys I keep stripping nuts somehow. I never got the other back lower strut mount bolt off but my front parts came so I've been working on the front. I stripped one of the 14mm nuts that holds the front strut mount to the body and I just cannot seem to get it because it's a tight spot. Working on cars is stressful! I might end up taking it to a shop just to have them take the stripped nuts off...

[nitrofarm]

guys I keep stripping nuts somehow. I never got the other back lower strut mount bolt off but my front parts came so I've been working on the front. I stripped one of the 14mm nuts that holds the front strut mount to the body and I just cannot seem to get it because it's a tight spot. Working on cars is stressful! I might end up taking it to a shop just to have them take the stripped nuts off...

Welp... you got lots of people here that can help you. But if your getting stressed and need to take it to a pro. Do it,nobody is going to Judge you for that(your trying). If you still want to DIY post a pic. I'm a little confused what your talking about. Sounds like the Upper Strut mount,your talking about? Thats the only thing I can think of that touching the"Body".

[fudge]

Welp... you got lots of people here that can help you. But if your getting stressed and need to take it to a pro. Do it,nobody is going to Judge you for that(your trying). If you still want to DIY post a pic. I'm a little confused what your talking about. Sounds like the Upper Strut mount,your talking about? Thats the only thing I can think of that touching the"Body".

tbh I'm not really stressed, just annoyed and I feel stuck especially with the rear lower strut mount bolt. Yes the upper strut mount I just used the same phrase from the guide. I want to do it myself but I am losing confidence and today is my last free day of spring break

[FestYboy]

I think it's time to address the tools and method, not the user. Post pics of what you used and did to get to the stripped nut. If you don't learn what's going wrong and correcting it, you won't be able to move forward. We're here to educate.

[nitrofarm]

Which nut are you trying to get off? I thought you said earlier (in the post i quoted below) that you had the top ones off?



Were both talking about the lower strut mount bolt right? The metal bushing on the strut siezes to the bolt. Rubber connects it to the strut so it doesnt turn but absorbs everything from your impact gun. If you burn it off then the bushing is loose from the strut but still stuck to the bolt. The OD of the bushing is much larger than the OD of the hole the bolt needs to come out through. So when you go to loosen the bolt off the captive nut the bushing just presses against the strut bracket.
Only possible way to still save the bolt is if you cut the strut off then put vicegrips on the bushing and somehow got it loose from the bolt like that.

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I used a Clamp to press it out.

[nitrofarm]

[QUOTE=fudge;737304]tbh I'm not really stressed, just annoyed and I feel stuck especially with the rear lower strut mount bolt. Yes the upper strut mount I just used the same phrase from the guide. I want to do it myself but I am losing confidence and today is my last free day of spring break
Fudge try getting a flat tip screw driver UNDER the bolt while someone turns the nut. Sometimes you can get lucky this way.Use a hammer to tap the screw driver.While a helper slowly turns the nut. Your trying to apply upward pressure so the nut can grab onto good threads. Otherwise cut it off-

[firebush357]

We tried to put Rear Coilovers on my little brother car last night but it seems like any bolt we try to take off of his has to be cut off... Rust makes things difficult sometime but with the right tool and some patience you can make it work eventually. I ended up using a Torch to break the bolt loose but then It got stuck inside the strut it self so I cut the Strut down by the base for more room and then took a Reciprocating Saw to the bolt. I did end up having to cut the bolt on both sides of the mount to get it out though.

Nuts and Bolts can be replaced, Don't be afraid to cut them off.

[nitrofarm]

We tried to put Rear Coilovers on my little brother car last night but it seems like any bolt we try to take off of his has to be cut off... Rust makes things difficult sometime but with the right tool and some patience you can make it work eventually. I ended up using a Torch to break the bolt loose but then It got stuck inside the strut it self so I cut the Strut down by the base for more room and then took a Reciprocating Saw to the bolt. I did end up having to cut the bolt on both sides of the mount to get it out though.

Nuts and Bolts can be replaced, Don't be afraid to cut them off.

Do you have rust from the humid salt air?

[firebush357]

His car was pulled behind an RV for many years so there is a good chance it went up north at some point. and then stored in a swamp from the looks of it. There is no frame rust but all of the bolts are super hard to get off. It took us a Breaker Bar and a 2 foot pipe to get the Front Driver Lug Studs off... My 93 Florida car no rust at all, so I don't think the humid salty air causes much damage unless your right on the beach or something.