Suspension & Steering

Strut Replacement

I recently replaced all the struts on my 79, and thought I'd offer my experience with the task. The
job is kinda nasty especially if your actually breaking down your old springs and putting struts
in the old assembly. I did this job without manuals, which I assume no one else would be silly
enough to try, so I'll be brief and just add a few tips. First, the main thing I found, is when
compressing these extremely BEEFY springs, it makes things FAR easier if you use two sets of
spring compressors. I started out with just one set and ruined it. Back to the rental place where I
rented TWO sets (4 individual tools) of compressors which worked well, the units with two
hooks on each end are better. ON the front, jack the car up, remove the tire. I compressed the
spring a bit (using only two tools to begin with due to clearance) BEFORE removing the strut
assem to remove spring pre load. Remove the three nuts off of the spring tower from the engine
compartment. Use a large ball joint removal tool (don't use a pickle fork, you'll tear stuff up) to
separate the top ball joint at the top A arm. Remove the lower shock bolt. The hard part is
removing the two big nuts that retain each upper a arm. This are on the inner fender well and is
done from either under the car or the engine compartment. The two on the drivers side were
hardest, and I only got them loose by using a wrench with a "cheater wrench" attached to the
open end of the first (box end on the bolt, box end of second wrench linked into the open end of
the first one). I had a full box of snap on tools and this was the only way I could do it.
Clearance for cheater bars on ratchets was non existent without the risk of crashing into and
breaking my brake fluid reservoir. Passenger side A arm nuts could be easily removed by using
a short socket and a long 1/2 inch ratchet and a really stiff arm.

As far as compressing the springs, be really careful, use 4 tools, and tension the spring evenly
in small increments around the spring. The tension on these things is the highest I've ever
messed with. The spring perches are not all that critical, can be moved after the fact to line them
up, but better to take note of relationships of old perches before taking things apart.

Rears, easier (I think), but again those springs are murderous. Jack up the car, remove the tower
retaining nuts from under the carpet in rear trunk area. Remove calipers and hang them out of
the way. Remove two phillips screws that retain the brake rotor, remove brake rotor (good time
to do brakes). Pull the big pivot shaft (hold bottom of shocks in place) 3/4 of the way towards
the front of the car (you might be able to pull the shaft the other way saving removal of the
rotor, but you'll be pulling instead of "driving" the shaft out, I prefer the other way. Remove the
bolt that attaches the sway bar to that small vertical bar/link thingy. Out comes the assembly....
Then the fun part, there is a threaded collar on the old boges that needs to go on to the new
konis. Don't even try to get these off without a hydraulic press, you'll ding them up. I took them
down to Les Schwab and they pressed them out for free in 10 minuets, I'll tell they were really
really tight. They don't need to be pressed on the new shocks tho, they slide right on with some
anti seize. Lay the parts out in a row as you take them off, and put em back on in reverse order.


Now one thing that gave me fits, was the nuts that came on the original Boge (Bogus) shocks is
not the same as the ones that go on top of the new (rear) konis. If you bought "already been
loved" shocks with no nuts like me (what?), you could make the mistake of assuming that the
original nuts go on the new shocks and really screw things up (which I almost did and that's all
you need to know).

BTW, konis adjust by bottoming the strut shaft and rotating the shaft clockwise for increased
stiffness.

Another thing, if you are cheap like me, and buy already been loved shocks, the older ones are
not gas charged like the new. 928 INT. sent me charged for rear and non for front, which is not
the best arrangement in the world, so ask for all "charged" versions. I had to remove the rears
twice to get the stiffness to match the front. Ended up with fronts all the way stiff, and the rears
all the way relaxed. I had the rears set on "stiff" at first and could not believe how stiff the rear

of the car was- like a military truck or something. Now if at all possible don't by used shocks
guys (I know most of you never would ), but if you need to, make sure they all match. Also, be
prepared to send some shocks back if you buy used ones. The valuing is good for years and
years (so they say), so it's other things that need to be checked. Put the piston up and down
several times, and feel for any differences between shocks. Also check to make sure the
adjusting mechanism on the shock is not froze up (yeah I know, DUH). I got two bad shocks
out of the ones I was sent. The first had a sticking valve that froze the shock up, and one had
the adjustment mechanism froze solid. I gambled on which way it was stuck (full on or full soft)
and was right, but it took allot of force to "un-stuck" and I just as easily could have broken the
shock, it's best to send them back like this (another duh).

At any rate (NPI), my little zoomer feels much better now, nice and stiff like it should be.

Mark...