morning all,

gotta problem for you guys: my dad and i were swapping out the front driver's side strut assembly yesterday and got the thing back on. the only thing holding us from driving the thing is that on the end of the steering rack, there's a bolt attached and sticking up onto which a plate from the strut assembly is to be mounted. we're able to get that bolt through the plate and start threading the nut on, but it comes to a point where we need to use the wrench tighten the nut.

the problem is that because the bolt has a pivot head, the bolt just free spins with the nut, so the nut cannot be tightened.

any suggestions as to how to hold the bolt in place?

thanks,
galen
--
1991 940w Turbo

That bolt is called the outer tie rod end, just for reference. The way that I do it is to put a bottle jack under it and jack it up until there's good pressure on the bolt. that should hold it moderately tight. Then, as you tighten it down, use a box end wrench on the nut and then a vise grips or something else on the top of the bolt to hold it steady. This has worked for me many times now. good luck,
Nate Gundy
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'86 240DL sedan, 260K miles, M46, K cam, 25/21mm sways, 260 front and wagon rear springs; http://valvespringcompressor.weblogs.us/

unggthat,

thanks for the info. i just passed it along to my dad. he's at home today, so he'll probably give it try.

galen
--
1991 940w Turbo