Re: Strut replacement 2

[MHLIGGINS@aol.com]

	Since there were some multiple emails asking for instruction, here 
goes...

	The struts are held in place, as noted in the other post, by only 
five nuts. The first one is 7/8" and is attached to the top of the strut 
cartridge. Remove this one first. You can use an impact wrench to take it 
off. DO NOT use an impact to put it back or you might damage the strut 
cartridge. Remove the washer under the nut also. HOLD ON TO IT, it's a 
critical part of the strut. I can tell you that if you forget to put it back, 
you could wind up with some nasty dents in you hood.
	Next, there is a plate which surrounds the top of the cartridge. The 
plate is black and has three slotted holes in it. There are 13mm nuts holding 
it in place. Mark the location of the nuts with respect to the plate. You'll 
want to put it back together the same way because that is an adjustment to 
the front end. Remove those three nuts. Remove the plate. (You may need to 
pry it up, carefully.) Under the rubber center of the plate is a second 
washer. HOLD ON TO IT, and remember which goes where. They are different and 
they are important.
	Next, you'll need to jack up the car a bit to open up the spring to 
allow you work on the last nut. Raising the front end will also allow you to 
get the black plate off easier if you were not able to pry it up already.
	Now you need a large set of vise grip pliers. Look inside the spring 
and you should see a rubber "boot", this protects the cartridge from dirt 
(sort of). If you raise it up, you'll see that the cartridge is held in place 
by a very large nut. The new cartridges come with replacements. Use the vise 
grips to tighten down on the large nuts, use a cheater bar if necessary to 
loosen it.
	Once this is loosened you can pull the cartridge, along with the boot 
and the rubber bumper, out the top of the strut. You may need to push/pull 
the wheel to line things up to get it out.
	You'll probably find that the cartridge is collapsed, and probably 
leaked inside the housing. Clean the housing as thoroughly as you can. Paper 
towels and reshaped clothes hangers worked well in Bucksnort.  :)   Once it's 
clean you can put it all back together with the new cartridge. It can be a 
PITA to get the cartridge back in if the wheel is out of place. Push/pull as 
needed to get things aligned. Then thread the NEW large nut onto the strut. 
Tighten it down very well. The book calls for a certain amount of torque. 
MAKE SURE IT'S TIGHT. Otherwise it will back off and there will be an 
annoying clicking sound in the front end.
	Put the rest of the parts back in reverse order. DO NOT use an impact 
wrench on the 7/8" nut on the cartridge itself. You can damage the shock. 
Make sure to align the 13mm nuts with your marks on the black plate.

	FWIW, we've used the Gabriel shocks on my silver '87 5KTQ and my 
son's '88 5KS fwd. They seem to do OK for general driving and the price is 
not bad.

	HTH.
	Later.
	--ml