question and comment on Bilsteins (special tool?)
 

Got my Bilsteins today. Man what a work of art they are. I got the sports, yep as some others have noticed my fronts are green and the backs are yellow (crud or is it the other way around?). I'm kind of dissappointed that I won't be able to see the fronts since they are inserts for stock boge units.

That is where my question enters. I have heard that you are supposed to get some special tool free with the Bilsteins. I got rears and front inserts for Boge struts. Should I have gotten a special tool for one end of the car??, Which end?
Let me know so I can call Pelican and get them to ship it. Fortunately I don't plan on doing the work for about 1 1/2 weeks, so I've got time.

Thanks

There should be a big round flat ring with 2 tabs on the inside diameter and a 1/2" drive receptacle on the outside. It's for the front inserts.

But a (really) big pair of channel locks will work in a pinch.

Call Bilstein (its in the "800 directory") and they will send you a wrench for free.

Do it right. Lots of people use pump pliers or such and it might tighten the nut but how do you torque it as per the specs? Also using a non-Bilstein tool does a very nice job of scraping and marring the nut and making it look like a shade tree mechanic did the job, instead of a professional installation. It does not cost a penny more to do it right and looks lots better in the long run.

Joe

I used the special "tool" and proceded to almost bend it in half while trying to remove the insert. It also slipped off easily. Not a good thing when you leaning your whole body into a breaker bar. Used the big pipe wrench and it worked much easier. Sure, you might put a few scratches in the nut, but it is hidden by the shock cover anyway.

Here is a picture of the tool if you still want one. You can see the area where I bent it back. Could of been because of the garage that put them in the first time use a couple 100 lbs of torque.

Agree that if a yard ape has put the old nut on with a pipe wrench, you may damage the factory tool trying to take it off. Who cares what the old nut looks like as its tossed in the trash when you put the new shocks on the car and replaced with the new one that Bilstein supplies.

To do it right it should be torqued and thats hard to measure with a pipe wrench. Using the wrong tool in the first place could be what caused this problem and if it had been properly installed, it should have come right off.

I have taken mine off three times now using the factory wrench and not a problem, but I torqued it to specs in the first place.

Joe

now install question -- tool on the way
 

Hey, great news, called Bilstein 800 745 4636 and they took my name and address and said they'd send me the tool. He said some people use channellocks, but if I wanted to do it right the tool would be the way to go.

Sweet!!

Hey, another question. Since this is my first time...

What is the best method of changing the inserts? I can crack the brake system, but I was thinking if I pull the two caliper bolts, the top strut nut, and the balljoint I won't have to open the brake system. I think it would be best to remove the strut from the car to do this. Especially since I am replacing boge strut inserts, so there will be oil that I need to clean out of the strut, right. The only other install that I have seen was for stock Bilstein struts, so I think things will be a tad different for me, and Bentley and Waynes book both chronicle replacing Bilstein strut inserts instead of boge.

Thanks

Steve,

If you are replacing the OEM Boge, oil filled inserts, you will have to drain the oil first, as the oil creates a suction when you try to remove the original inserts by yanking and pulling. I took the strut housings off the car, drained the oil, and kept puling on the original insert until the o-ring gave way and the internals came out. I would not have been able to take the old insert out, espically with the oil still in the housing, while the housing was still in the car using this process. Mabye rigging some type of inverted press to clamp to the insert shaft and the housing and pry apart.

Removing the strut housing necessitates removing the castle nut from the ball joint (another PITA) or keeping the ball joint in the a-arm and separating the ball joint from the strut housing with a pickle fork (much easier).

BTW: I used a big fat pipe wrench to tighten the instert into the housing. Make sure the wrench does not slip off the nut and scratch the plated insert shaft. It did leave mars in the nut, but it will be covered by the top dust cover. Concours judjes wont check under there;)

Good luck,

-Charlie

I agree on the tool if it works. How do you calculate the torque settings since you are using a lever with this type of application. Does the required torque specified on this tool take this into account or are you suppose to calculate it your self.

With the Bilstein inserts for Boge struts there should be no oil to deal with. Unscrew the Boge insert nut...pull the strut out and put the Bilstein replacement in it's place. What oil you guys talking about? You must be thinking of a different application.

Some people like to fill the strut housing with oil to conduct heat away from the shock inserts.

The OEM Boge (black) strut housings are oil filled units. The shock piston travel through the oil in the in the housing which provides the necessary shock dampening. The Bilsteins inserts are gas sealed sealed units, which your are correct, do not require oil. When replacing the OEM Boge inserts, you will have to drain the oil from the housing first, clean the inside of the housing and then install the Bilstein inserts with no oil. Bilstein (green) housings may be different, no experience here.

-Charlie

When I did this, I didn't have to remove anything but the top nut. Turning the front wheels all the way to one side gives you room to get the strut housing from underneath the fender. I used a piece of 1x1 wood as a lever to compress the old shock enough so that it would fit under the fender lip. Used a turkey baster and some old rags to drain the oil out of the strut. Be careful you don't stretch the brake lines, there's a clip you can disconnect to give you enough working room. Really kind of a fun and easy job and you absolutely will not believe the improvement in driving/handling when you are done.

Argo
88 Targa

I believe part of the reason the fronts are one color and the rears are another is because the part # on the rears for HD and SP is the same. Does this mean they are actually the same shock, and you are always getting HD rears even if you order SP?

At least that was my impression from looking at the parts catalogs. Maybe this has been discussed before.

Argo's got the right idea if you're leaving the strut assy. on the car. The old dampers should be worn enough that you can compress the shaft quite easily with your weight pulling down on it.

I did mine off the car so it was a bit easier. Still, I was surprised how the dampers came out of the housing.

Here's my posts about it:

Initial removal concerns

Picture of what comes out

The stock Boge's usually have fallen apart, leaving a pile of messy, oil covered parts in the bottom of the strut. Pull the nut off and the pressure comes out and you are left with a mess on your hands if its not a "cartridge" type of shock. Make sure that you use a long screwdriver to probe for old parts in the bottom. Both my old Boge units had done this and left parts in the bottom, and about 2 inches of old oil that I had to get out with rags.

I did mine without taking the strut off of the car. Just pivot it out from under the fender and be careful of the brake hose.

With the Bilstein inserts for Boge struts there should be no oil to deal with. Unscrew the Boge insert nut...pull the strut out and put the Bilstein replacement in it's place. What oil you guys talking about? You must be thinking of a different application.

There is a torque factor or adjustment when using an adaptor. I have a table of these as I used to work on airplanes for a living. Looked it up and you factor in the length and such and it gives you an adjustment factor to obtain the correct torque.

How do you calculate the torque settings since you are using a lever with this type of application. Does the required torque specified on this tool take this into account or are you suppose to calculate it your self.

Joe

This is a good table, clears things up once and for all.
http://home.swbell.net/smasraum/bilsteinstruts.jpg