I have an 84 Z28. Im going to redo all of the front end/steering components, im putting ball joints in, inner/outter tie rods, adjustment sleeves, control arm bushings,stablinks,centerlink,idler arm,pitman arm....Everything. Im also going to get diffrent springs and struts. here is my problem. the strut bolts WONT BUDGE, can i just cut this out? Cut the strut in half to get it off the car, then i can take it to the shop i work at and seperate the rest of the stuff? I would just cut the tie rod end, the lower ball joint and the strut to pop it off, right?

 

If anything I would cut the bolts off with a cut off disc. I dont see why you would have to cut the strut in half. Did you try using any heat on the bolts to help break them loose??

 

FYI new struts don't come with new bolts....so you might not want to cut those bolts but rather get a big impact gun on them.

 

I was going to put aftermarket ones in. Im a certified alignment tech, we have TONS of this stuff at work. Put in a smaller diameter cam bolt for camber adjustments, and the other hole gets a new one

 

Ummm... is it even possible to use those cam bolts to align our cars? I didn't think the struts had the right bracketry on them for that. Also instead of cutting everthing out, aren't the ball joint seperaters good for that? Then all you have to do is either remove the top bolt of the strut, or the 3 that hold the upper strut mount in. The strut should come out the top then.

I just don't think cutting is the easiest way out this time. I can't imagine the strut being very easy to cut through.

 

As far as the cam bolts, im not 100% sure. but i thought there is an upper strut plate you can buy that has slots for both camber.caster, could be wrong though. Im gonna look on the alignment machine when i goto work monday,i could be wrong. I should have bolts to replace them anyways. I could always use the smoke wrench

 

Another question. Sinse im rebuilding the front suspension im gonna ask. What parts can i get that will make it easier to pull my front tires off the ground...with good sticky tires that is, just curious is all.

 

remove all dead weight off the front of the car....A/C, wipers, crash bar, fiberglass hood, aluminum heads, alum water pump, no power steering, etc etc. drag struts, drag springs, slicks, high stall...the list goes on and on.


then maybe it might pull the tires. oh yea add a lot of HP too.

 

Hp wise its prolly around 300. Not a whole lot, but some.

 

I've heard struts explode if you try to cut em in half, not sure if its true or not..

 

Its possible. Northstar bolt kits (41-549 series I think, the ones for centuries and ninety eights) work. They don't require that the spindle be slotted. EZ cams from Napa are the same way. I wouldn't recommend it though, the strut mount has about 2-3 degrees of camber and caster adjustment in it. Those cam kits are weak and made of a lighter duty alloy. not something I would trust to keep my alignment in.

If your an alignment tech then you should know how to use a torch. Especially if you've ever had to align a dodge intrepid!! Torch the bolts until they are red hot, then hit the nuts with an impact. They should come right off. If not.....get a better gun!

 

Luckily the ones ive did, ive never had to align, ive never used the smoke wrench. But i just became certified.

 

dont cut the struts. the better thing to do would be to take it off the strut mount, 1 bolt, boom, tops out. then you can unbolt the ball joint and away you go to a bench to use the torch or whatever means necessary. try some pb blaster, let it soak for a while, then hit it with an impact. while youre in there, youre probably going to need new strut mounts too if youve got a fair amount of miles

the suspension in the back plays the important role in getting the car to hook, which results in pulling the tires. check out spohn, a sponsor of the site, up top

you think alinging cars in the south sucks, try doing them up here in salt country. at the local community college, theyve nick named the steering & suspension class heat and beat, lol

 

i've learned that lesson already, and people ask me why i have a torch in the garage as well.