PUSHER Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Do you take the metal out above the spring perch or below? Just saw some pictures of someone doing it above and was wonder what the difference would be between below and above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Once the old spring perch is off, ignore where it was previously located. I try to put the cut right where I'm going to run the bead when the new spring perch is installed. Better to have only one heat affected zone on the the strut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Excellent point John. Which brings back a thought I had a while back. Everyone po-poed it then but your post lends some merit to it that was previously unnoticed. What about cutting the top end off the strut tube and rethreading it? Yes, finding the right size tap may be difficult and spendy. And getting a tap that big started right may take a jig (or a lathe), but no worries about getting things aligned right and no welding. Any takers this time around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Has anyone seen damage to a strut tube in the area heated when sectioning? I haven't. Nor have I seen anyone break the weld itself where a strut was sectioned. Also, the strut tube is welded from the factory at the bottom, the brake line brackets are welded, and the original spring perches are welded onto the strut tube. It's not as though we're welding something that wasn't welded on from the factory. I would think that sectioning them as high as possible would be a way to avoid a catastrophic failure later on, if that was a big concern. Even if the strut broke at the weld, the higher the weld was on the strut housing the less likely it would be that the strut insert could get bounced or jostled out of the bottom part of the strut tube. I think GC says cut them right at the bottom. If for some reason a strut tube were to break at the weld, I could very easily see the strut disconnecting from the spindle in this case (big accident ensues). Once the old spring perch is off, ignore where it was previously located. I try to put the cut right where I'm going to run the bead when the new spring perch is installed. This statement doesn't make sense to me. The original spring perch was welded on, so why ignore it? Seems like the thing to do if one were that concerned would be to include the original weld in the area being sectioned, so that the original "heat affected" area would also be removed. Again, I think all of this is overdone, and I always have seen them sectioned right at the top, about 1 1/2" below the thread. The reason given to me for doing it there is so that if you need to grind on the inside for some reason it is easily accessible, but there could arguably be a safety benefit to sectioning right at the top. The strut tubes are under a considerable strain, and I have heard of them getting bent in off road excursions, but I've never heard of one failing in such a dramatic way that it would warrant retapping the threads vs cutting and welding. Basically I think you guys are making a mountain out of a mole hill on this one, but I do admit that it may just be that I'm ignorant of problems that have come about from sectioning... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Again' date=' I think all of this is overdone, and I always have seen them sectioned right at the top, about 1 1/2" below the thread. The reason given to me for doing it there is so that if you need to grind on the inside for some reason it is easily accessible, but there could arguably be a safety benefit to sectioning right at the top.[/quote'] I believe it was Terry O. that told me to section and weld above your new perch location, this way you don't have the weight of your car resting on a weld. At that time, I was a beginner at welding, so it made sense. !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 That's the best reasoning I've heard so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 What about cutting the top end off the strut tube and rethreading it? I considered this as well, but I found out that my tubes were thicker at the top, then stepped down to a thinner gauge for the remainder of the tube. This thicker top "step" made sense in that it allowed a sufficient amount of extra material around the cut threads. My best memory makes me think that this thicker portion was about 2" deep, but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I think it's a little shallower than that, I just sectioned some and I think I cut them at about 1 1/2" and was below that part of the tube. Maybe more like 1". EDIT--It's thinner at the top where the threads are, then it gets thicker below (just went and looked). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 When sectioning struts you've got two welds to do: 1) to connect the two separate tubes back together and 2), to attach the new lower spring perch. As Jon said above it really doesn't matter where you put them from a structural perspective, assuming you're a competent welder. When I offer welding advice on this forum I'm assuming I'm talking with incompetent welders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUSHER Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 Could you section the struts under the spring perch and use the stock springs etc.? I currently have tokico springs and shocks, my plan is that atm I have my strut housings off the car, so what I would like to do is get them shortened so later in about 2 months I dont have to worry about doing it when I put on coilovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 That's an awful waste of time IMO. You're proposing disassembling the struts and cutting them down and rewelding them, then reassemble and drive around for 2 months, then take it all apart again, grind off the spring perch and weld a new perch on? Seems like a huge hassle. Basically you're doing the job twice at that point. If you want it lowered for 2 months I suggest you do it the easy way, take the center nut off the struts, jack the car up, pull the springs out, cut a couple coils off and reassemble. That wouldn't take nearly as much work and it would be a temporary fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug71zt Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I've done a couple sets now, and I sectioned the tube in the old perch weld area, right where the new perch will be welded on. Then welded the tube, slipped the perch on and ran around the perch/tube joint, big bead on bottom. It was my thought that the perch would lend some reinforcement to the welded area and I wouldn't have to grind down the weld to slip the coilover sleeve down the strut. Welding them in the middle also makes it a little easier to jig them straight. I clamp them in a big chunk of angle iron to weld, with 2 C-clamps on each piece. Just my $0.02 Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Using an old blown strut tube coupled with a piece of angle iron works well to get everything aligned in my experience. In every case I've done I've always sectioned out the existing spring perch weld, which allows the new weld to be over the coilover tube base, hidden by the sleeve and above the springs load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zr240 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 My 240z race car has sectioned struts and was T boned a few months ago by a porsche and the strut tube didnt brake on the welded section it broke from were the strut tube fits into the bottom piece(being the bit that bolts to the ball joint on the lower arm)(if you know what I mean) This proves if its welded well it not a prob. Ash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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