87 Turbo front struts

[Raulg]

I would like to replace the inserts in the front struts.
I haven't figured out if there is a way to remove the front calipers without having to disconnect the brake lines. These are rigid unlike other cars with flex hoses.
Thank you in advance for any responses and advice.
Raulg

[968 GUY]

87 turbo???? Are the struts stock? If so, I do not believe there are inserts.

[geoffbaltz]

Do you have a pic you could post? This sounds strange to me....

[87m491]

Keep looking. There is a flex line to the caliper, otherwise when the wheel moves, it would break a totally fixed line.

[Raulg]

I will try to take a picture and post it here.
I saw a rigid line from the caliper to the strut. I think there is a flexible hose from the strut to the car body.
I will double check. My concern is whether the rigid line from the caliper to the strut needs to be removed to work on replacing the strut.

I found replacement struts equal to the originals but they are pricey. I found information here in this forum about modifying the original struts to accept new inserts. It is more economical however there is labor involved.

Thank you
R.G.

[87m491]

I may have misspoken. I should have said there is a flex line somewhere between each wheels suspension point and the caliper. IIRC, the way the hard line sits in the strut, there is a locking clip holding it in on the hard line side. I think this would make it tough to R & R the struts with the line in place.

Originally Posted by Raulg

I will try to take a picture and post it here.
I saw a rigid line from the caliper to the strut. I think there is a flexible hose from the strut to the car body.
I will double check. My concern is whether the rigid line from the caliper to the strut needs to be removed to work on replacing the strut.

I found replacement struts equal to the originals but they are pricey. I found information here in this forum about modifying the original struts to accept new inserts. It is more economical however there is labor involved.

Thank you
R.G.

[DannoXYZ]

Originally Posted by Raulg

I saw a rigid line from the caliper to the strut. I think there is a flexible hose from the strut to the car body.
I will double check. My concern is whether the rigid line from the caliper to the strut needs to be removed to work on replacing the strut.

Look carefully at the flexible-hose to hard-line junction and how it's attached to the strut-bracket. It is not a round hole through a square-bracket. The bracket is actually open on the outside (C-shaped). There is a thin sping-clip that slides like a guillotine down parallel to the bracket from the outside (also C-shaped facing the other way). The clip slides into a groove in the hose-to-hard-line joint. The two opposing C-shapes encloses the flexible-hose/hard-line junction and captures it to the strut.

Use some pliers, grip the bent outside-edge of the sping-clip and slide it away from the hole and the caliper can be removed from the strut without undoing the hoses.

[Raulg]

DannoXYZ,
Thjank you for your reply and the photo. That explains it.
This is the information I needed to then take the struts out and replace them.
I appreciate the help.
My car has the original struts and I am considering buying a kit to drill the tubes and install the inserts rather than replace with the exact same thing.
Thank you
R.G.

[Raulg]

DannoXYZ,
Thank you for your reply and the photo. That explains it.
This is the information I needed to then take the struts out and replace them.
I appreciate the help.
My car has the original struts and I am considering buying a kit to drill the tubes and install the inserts rather than replace with the exact same thing.
Thank you
R.G.

[VTCMart]

Are you replacing with KONI or KYB? Make sure you torque the bottom strut insert bolt good. I used non-permanent loctite as well. I had one come off after few hundred miles and cause a front end clunk from the strut sliding up and down in the housing.