[s-cars] Shocks and inserts - it's time to change 'em.

[Ingo Rautenberg]

Bullocks!  What you can do with the OEM is (using a special tool)  
remove the top retaining nut from above an through the opening.   
Important to add that the front of the car frame should be raised to  
the point where the wheels are still on the ground, but the springs  
are basically fully extended so you don't get the strut insert launch  
through the hood ;-)

Installation is reverse of removal, as they say, but if you install  
the Bilstein's you can pretty much just chuck the included piece of  
scrap metal they call a 'wrench' and use (through the springs) a pipe  
wrench, a chain wrench (my preference) or a large pair of Channel  
Lock pliers.  Also, if you install the Bilsteins, make sure you use  
paper towels/rags stuffed into the shock tube to remove any shock oil  
or water, otherwise you can pretty much guarantee that the insert  
will fail.  BTDT twice!!  And you want to lower the car  when  
tightening things up on those inserts.

HTH

Ingo
'84 urq - '91 V8 5 spd - '93 V8



On Jul 16, 2007, at 9:36 AM, s-car-list-request at audifans.com wrote:

> From: "Eric Phillips" <gcmschemist at gmail.com>
> Date: July 15, 2007 2:04:34 PM GMT-04:00
> To: "Vincent Frégeac" <s.sikss at gmail.com>
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Shocks and inserts - it's time to change 'em.
>
>
> Thanks for the advice, Vincent.
>
> I also have heard that the Bilstein inserts cannot be installed
> through the top hole like the OEM ones - if I choose not to replace
> the strut bearing, and just the insert, what is the brand/type of the
> OEM replacement?
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Eric