I think this has been mentioned some in the forums.

What is the consensus on whether it is advisable to reuse the bolts mounting the strut to the knuckle assembly?

I know thes bolts are installed at the factory with a LOT of torque. Anybody who reused those bolts actually experienced any sort of failure when original bolts reused and torqued to book spec?

 

I've always reused them. Only time I ever seen a failure was with anew bolt, they break before reaching proper torque.

 

On my '92 they are torque to yield. Not knowing this I lost two of them when tightening them. They stretched and snapped.

RBob.

 

I guess this is why I remain confused about the details of third gen strut replacement.

One post says re-use.

Next post says torque-to-yield.
Which you definitely do not re-use.
http://wbtools.com.au/how-to-underst...rque-to-yield/

 

It's a running production change. Somewhere along the way GM switched bolts. If you look in the service manual, the torque spec will give torque to angle specs for the later cars. In the real world, can you imagine how many mechanics aren't running to the dealership for new bolts? If you're worried about it, go ahead and take a shot at replacing the bolts. Should be really easy to find a high quality bolt of the same size and correct grade for the application at the local Ace Hardware. That last sentence is sarcasm if it isn't obvious.

 

Still using the originals on my 84.

 

 

For peace of mind I'd just replace them. I've never heard of one failing once on the car, but the total cost should be less than $10, so why not?