87 Shock and Strut installation tips

[ianc]

Hi folks,

I just did this last nite, so I thought I would post a little write up. Sorry, no pics; I didn't bring my camera to the shop! My car had the original Boge's in and I replaced them with Bilstein HD's in front and Sports in the rear.

The rears are pretty easy. Undo the tops first, since if you do the bottom, you will get the large bolt binding due the compression of the shocks. Tops are fairly easy; you need a 17 mm and a smallish crescent wrench on the shaft to keep it from turning. You have very limited swing with the 17, so if you have a ratcheting box end, that will make it much faster. You'll need to remove the air filter housing to get access to the passenger side top nut. The Bilsteins will have an Allen key hole in the top of the shaft instead of a flat.

The fronts are a little more involved, but still not too tough. Remove the wheel, then open the hood and undo the top nut. You'll probably need to use an air gun to loosen this, otherwise the shock shaft will just spin and there's no good way (well, except as mentioned at end) of holding it without cursing. Support the A arm with a jack underneath the ball joint prior to removing the nut. Once you get this nut off, you can push the insert shaft down through the hole to allow you to swing the strut out. You might have to tap it down with a punch if it's tight. Don't be afraid of beating it up, because it's being thrown away. Once the insert shaft is down through the hole, remove the metal dust cover from the shaft to permit access to the strut cap nut that holds the insert in. I found it easiest to then hand compress the shaft and put it back up through the hole again to make it easier to remove the cap nut. I used a large pair of channel locks to get this off. Once you get the cap nut off, push the shaft down through the hole again. With the Boges, there are a couple of washers on the shaft that need to be removed. Take these out (pry out with the screwdriver if necessary), and you'll see the actual top of the insert itself. Put a rag over the top of the rotor and caliper to prevent them from getting oily as you remove the strut. I tied one around the strut body as well. Have something handy to catch the oil as you remove the insert. By moving the strut outward, you can get just enough clearance to remove the strut past the fender lip. Do NOT stress the brake flex line. It may give you a bit more clearance if you use some vice grips to remove the little clip at the bracket where the hard and flex lines meet. Before you can get the insert out, you'll need to remove a small O ring at the top of it. It runs around the outside of the top of the insert and seals it to the strut housing. Use a small screwdriver or dentist's pick to pry it out. After that, the insert should just lift out and into your oil pan. Careful of the fender lip. The strut housing will have some oil in it, so use a shop vac or vacuum pump or a straw to remove as much as you can. ;-)

Slide the new insert into the strut, then hand compress (it CAN be done), then push it up through the hole again to tighten the new cap nut. The new cap nut has a seal inside it, so lubricate it with a bit of the oil from the insert shaft before install it. If you get a special wrench with your Bilsteins, you can use it to tighten the cap nut. I didn't get one (damn Worldpac), so used the large channel locks again. I think it's around 100 ft. lbs, so use some beef. Now hand compress the insert again to push it out of the hole and fit the metal dust cover on it before putting it back up in again. The Bilsteins come with a small rubber ring fitted around the shaft to keep the cover in place during shipping. You will not be using this in the install, so just throw it away. Put the large washer, the locking tab and the big nut on the top of the shaft. Use the air gun on a low setting to whiz the nut down, then you can use the spanner wrench for the fan pulley to hold the large washer by a slot in it (it's a bit of a fiddle) while you have a helper torque the top nut. I think it's 62 ft. lbs. Bend the locking tab over the nut, reinstall the brake line clip (if you removed it) and the wheel and you're done.

HTH,

ianc

[onefstm]

Great write up. I was in the middle of doing a Bilstein strut installation on my 87 this morning when I ran into difficulty with the strut nut. Your article and a trip to the hardware store for a bigger pair of channel locks saved the day.

Thanks again.

[ianc]

Glad to help!

ianc

[mkimber]

Ditto on great write up. It will be very helpful to me this Spring.

[mskar]

Does this method preserve the alignment or will I need to get one afterward? Thanks for the write-up!

[ianc]

mskar,

The alignment is preserved when changing the shocks and inserts,

ianc

[Tut]

I would think that the locking tab at the top should be replaced. Should it? I don't see it listed in our host's catalog.

[ianc]

Might not be a bad idea, but the tab is made of some kind of low carbon steel that is pretty flexible. I just reused mine...

ianc

[EdT82SC]

The lock washer is only $0.50 each from our host. I replaced mine.

[livi]

Did what you did on mine last summer. Would take me several hours to do such a nice wright up on account of my poor English. So I didn´t...

Been trying to find time to install my turbo tie rods since then. You got them ?

How´s the chippin´coming along ?

[ianc]

Your English seems pretty good, and getting better lately Markus. I can see a definite improvement in it since your first posts.

I also have the turbo tie rods but have not installed them yet. I was all set to do it last Sunday, but one of our switches blew up at work, so I was at work all that day... ;(

Chippin' is... ah yeah... that's on the way. Right after the rear tires!

ianc

[Tut]

EdT82SC,

Do you have a PP part number for the locking tab at the top of the strut? I couldn't locate it in the catalog.

[livi]

Thanks for the encouragement, Ian !

Seems we have the same tune ups lined up for next summer. For me it boils down to the simple equation of :

Buying spouse something nice equals time earned to spend in garage.. But buying spouse something nice equals need to work more hours... Equals still no time in garage. Catch 22.

[syncroid]

Originally posted by Tut
EdT82SC,

Do you have a PP part number for the locking tab at the top of the strut? I couldn't locate it in the catalog.

900 038 002 01 $1.37 each

[ianc]

Hey, that doesn't sound fair! How about spouse buys you something nice, and you get to work in the garage to boot?

Sometimes I'm glad I'm not married... Only sometimes though.

ianc

[Tut]

syncroid,

Thanks for the part number. Comes up in the PP catalog under 914 parts. I'll need to check my PET tonight.

[syncroid]

Originally posted by Tut
syncroid,

Thanks for the part number. Comes up in the PP catalog under 914 parts. I'll need to check my PET tonight.

Any time. Glad to help. I think that locking washer is the same for all of the models that use that type of strut.

[mark '87 930]

i'm curious about the strut/shock assembly in the front.. I want to replace the ball joints, but thought I should maybe do the front shocks at the same time? My question is this, i have an '87 930, and I am curious if I can just replace the insert (cheaper) instead of the entire strut (more money than I want to spend)?

Thoughts?

[ianc]

You should never need to replace the strut unless it's damaged. The insert is the shock itself and should be all that needs replacing. Apart from the ball joint in your case of course,

ianc

[rcaradimos]

ianc.
How do you get the bottom bolt out?
I have loosened the tops (removed afm box to get to the right side), the cars up on jack stands and I jacked up trailing arm to take tension off bolt, it just wont break using a 18" brake-bar and 22mm socket.
Bob