Help with shock struts

Just pulled the front shock (or parts of it) out of the strut housing and now it gets interesting.

I have seen several strut cartridges for the 911 before and this is not like anything I have ever seen before, so could use some help figuring out what I have and to make sure what to put back in the car.

Took the cap off of the strut, expecting to find a cartridge inside. When I took the cap off I found several loose parts (not good for extreme cornering or track use I bet!) and a type of blue colored oil filling the tube. The "shock tube" goes the length of the strut housing.

The strut housing is black in color, which should mean a Boge but I have never seen a bits and pieces instead of a cartridge.

On the cap it is marked "achtung gasdruck" and "attention gas pressure" but no makers name. The strut has external threads and the car is a 3/85 911. Every other strut assy I have seen (not worked much on the later models) have internal threads and a nut with external threads, not a cap that holds the cartridge inside.

Ideas??? Assume that this is a Boge that has come apart or could it be a KYB stuck in a Boge housing? Do not see any orange so I feel that its not a Koni and looks nothing like the Bilsteins I have seen before. No writing or marks that I can see on the dustcover either.

I am the second owner of the car but no idea if the shocks have been changed or not. The car drove normally and kept gas pressure in the shock until I took the nut off.

it's an OEM multi piece shock. once it's out you can install the shock of your choice. boge struts are popular because any insert fits them. make sure you order them for a boge strut with external threads from somebody familiar with porsches. those parts guys at shucks don't understand the different shock for different strut thing.

Appreciate the help. Was just surprised to find a bundle of parts inside instead of a cartridge.

Am working on getting the right units right now.

Thanks!

JA

When you put the insert in there I think you're supposed to fill the void with oil of some sort for cooling.

Orbmedia,

I seem to remember reading this in a maintenance manual somewhere with some of the older shocks (Koni I believe?) but have not heard this lately.

Anyone else remember this? Not needed on current production inserts?

Thx,

JA

I just installed Koni inserts into my '66 912's original Boge strut housings last week, and yes, the instructions do call for about 50ml of antifreeze or "cooling liquid" to be poured into the strut housing to aid in cooling the shock insert. I used some Redline Water Wetter I had left over from my 5.0 Mustang racing days-cool orange-reddish color. I'm sure it'll confuse the hell out some mechanic some day years down the road when they take it apart...

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Clay McGuill '66 912, '97 Jeep Cherokee www.geocities.com/the912guy