hey guys, I'm about to tear into my 91 Trans Am's suspension and I still need to order new strut mounts since I thought I might as well. After checking summitracing.com, they're saying that regular firebird and Trans Am strut mounts are different. I hit "trans am" as a subcategory and the $60 KYB mounts disappeared off the list. Is there really a difference? My car has the WS6 package if it matters.

Also, can I pull out the struts and strut mounts both in 1 piece since I'll be replacing both anyway?

And I was told that worn wheel bearings can cause a "floaty" feeling while driving, especially on rougher roads. Mine aren't making any noise but my car does feel kinda all over the place on rougher roads and highways with grooves. Should I replace them while I'm in that deep? I'm gonna be replacing the struts, strut mounts, steering links, idler arm, ball joints, and tires shortly after I'm done rebuilding the front end.

Thanks!

 

I have heard the strut will fit through the hole in the strut tower. So you should be able to remove them in one piece.

As for the floaty feeling I suspect that issue is more related with wear in your steering parts. You said you are replacing the linkages, but what about the steering box?

 

I looked at RockAuto and the $60 KYB's seem to be there. Take a peek for yourself, as I was quick.

Trans Am
KYB Part #5027 and 5028 $57.79.

JamesC

 

thanks for the tips guys! As for the steering box, I heard that there's a way to test and see if it's worn, which I think involves seeing if the steering wheel turns more than an inch or so easily with the engine off and the car not moving. If it does, it's worn/needs adjustment, if not then it should be fine. And mine looks alright. I'm pretty sure that's what you're supposed to look for but please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

For adjustment directions, see the Suspension How To sticky at the top of the page. FYI: With worn-out steering components in place, the adjustment would be fruitless, IMO.

JamesC

 

When I did mine a few months ago, I found it easier to just undo the strut and pull it out and then undo the mount. If you have stockers like me, the strut will collapse in on itself as soon as you undo the top nut.

Also make sure you have a jack under the A-arm! My only other tip would be that if you still have stockers, a cheap electric impact wrench from like Harbor Freight works wonders on those lower strut bolts. On my car I could get the nuts off with an extra long box wrench, but the bolts were stuck in there. A few minutes with the impact wrench took them cleanly off.