i am trying to put my struts back together and can't figure out why i can't get the studs on top of the strut mount to clear the inside of the wheel well. what i did was compress the springs, reassemble everything (boot, upper seat, strut mount), tighten the upper strut mount nut with a few shots from the impact wrench (just enough to hold the spring and everything else together), remove spring compressors, and then try and move the assembly into place. once inside the wheel well, there isn't enough clearance for the studs to get up into that cylindrical cavity where they mount to the body. i have the control arm extended fully down to the point where the ball joint contacts the control arm. the CA bushings are loose right now as i also replaced those and haven't torqued them down yet.

it doesn't seem like compressing the springs any more would help as they are just going to decompress to the point where the upper seat, held in place by the top strut nut is going to stop them.

am i missing something simple here? i compared the height of the studs on the new mounts and they are the same. i also compared the new strut insert with the old one and they are the same size.

the only thing that comes to mind is to really tighten down the top strut nut before the assembly is in place, but this doesn't seem like it should be necessary?

Put your foot on the control arm and push down while you guide the strut in.

Do not worry about damaging the ball joint.

You need the downward pressure to overcome the resistance of the control arm bushings.
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Bruce S. near D.C.

my bushings aren't even torqued down yet, so the control arms will gladly drop down. i think my problem is that i don't have the top strut nut tightened down far enough, so when i take the spring compressors off, the strut mount slides up the insert a bit too far before being arrested by the strut nut. with the strut leaning out sideways, i can only get the strut nut on so far with the impact wrench before the insert starts spinning.

i was hoping to be able to tighten the strut nut with the weight of the car on the assembly and avoid having to buy the Lisle tool (which i can't find anyways!).

how much thread on the insert should i have showing above the strut nut before attempting to reassemble into the strut tower?

I always do it with the spring still compressed. That lets me push the strut piston in for some added (but temporary) clearance at the wheel opening. But even then it can be a struggle, working solo.

I don't think it's possible the way you describe.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

I never bother with the spring compressor unless the strut is entirely free of the wheel well. It is easy to move the strut in and out with the moderate foot pressure as described. It is just so much easier to compress when the strut is out there in the open.

the spring is still compressed, just not as much as it was with the spring compressors on. i thougt about leaving them on, but couldn't figure out how i would get them off? how do you get the spring compressors off once they are up inside that cylidnrical tower? i am using the type of spring compressor that has two units that you put opposite each other and tighten down.

Sure it is, you just have to be a bit of an animal. You might scrape a little undercoating off as you slam it back in there but it will go, afterall you pulled it out of there as a unit, right?

Mark

i tried taking the aggressive approach but got concerned i was going to damage the new ball joints by having such a small angle between the control arm and axis of the strut. maybe loosening up the ball joint mounting nuts would give me some more play?

when i removed it i just had to push the control arm down and it came out relatively easily.

do you usually tighen down the strut top nut after everything is back in place, or when the strut is hanging out of the car?