[s-cars] Stripped hex head on Koni Strut! Any help?

[Jim Green]

On 5/16/06, jpb3 <jpburns3 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> All,
> Unfortunately the hex portion on top of the Koni strut has been pretty
> much
> stripped away and I need to hold it so I can R&R the 2B spherical bearing.
> I was using a 6mm Craftsman hex socket, the same used to install the
> suspension system initially but it seems as though the metal used in the
> strut is pretty soft.  I started rounding it out when I tried to tighten
> it
> up to see if it cured the noise, it turns out that 2B just sent me a new
> bearing assembly b/c that did not work.  I stopped tightening it as soon
> as
> it started slipping but when I went to loosen it it was already too late
> and
> the hard metal of the socket just chewed through the strut.
>

There are a few things you can do, try using an impact wrench to get the big
nut off.  It should spin it off without having to hold the shaft.  You can
also get a strap wrench that's made from the soft rubbery stuff, clean all
the grit away from the surface, and use that to hold the strut shaft.  I've
done this before, but the impact wrench the best way to go when working on
struts.

-- 
Jim Green
'89 90 GT35R quattro
'89 80q
http://www.mswanson.com/~jgreen/car_home.html