strut removal and coilovers - help

[Heavy Z]

Hello all, I read an old post that looks like it's going to save me alot of time and energy, but I wanted to confirm something before I start. Does the post below mean that I don't have to disconnect my halfshafts when changing rear struts? Only the brake lines and swaybar, then it'll have enough room to get them out? The Z I just bought has coilovers, but judging from the clunk I am hearing in the back I think bigger spacers are needed in the strut tubes. As for removing the front coilovers, after unhooking the brake lines can I just unbolt the strut housing from below at the bump-steer spacer and from above at the strut tower to remove them or is there more to it? Thanks for the help,

 

Heavy Z

 

Here's the original post:

 

You can also remove the sway bar and brake lines and let the whole thing "hang" on control arm. It will swing down and out enough to take off the gland nut and replace the strut with a cartridge, swing it back up, re-attach the lines and bars and away you go.

 

--------------------

John

78 280Z

Coilovers, cage, blah, blah, blah

 

original post

[jeromio]

If you're only R&R'ing the carts (or adding spacers or whatever), then you only need to disconnect the brake lines and then unbolt the isolator (the three nuts on top of each strut tower). With the car jacked up (duh ), the collars can be loosened (the locking mechanism is typically an orthogonal allen bolt or else another collar tightened against the upper one) and adjusted all the way down (coilovers are soooo cool - who needs spring compressors?). Then you compress the cartridge (takes a little oomph) and splarmp the whole thing out from under the wheel well.

 

In the rear, the shafts will need to be unseated, but that's a minor thing - they just pop out (unless you have an early R180). But ya gotta get those shafts disconnected first or else it's too hard to wrestle with the gas cart and yank the assembly out at the same time.

 

Oh yeah, mark the position of the collars first (another duh - but that's the kind of thing that sucks to forget) or just note the number of threads.

 

Oh, and if the carts have the D style shaft - be careful. The D slot on the isolator can be sloppy allowing for the cart shaft to get loose and spin. Then your only alternative is to vise grip the shaft in which case your cart is toast.

[Guest Mr. Big Business]

Yeah, what he said, about the rears. You might want to just unbolt the rear half-shafts (I guess that's redundant) from the stub axle. They're only held on by 4 bolts (you'll a need a couple decent 14mm open end wrenches).

And you are correct about the fronts, too. Just unbolt and go.

 

Henry

[Heavy Z]

Thanks everyone!! The job was alot easier this way, rather than the torture my Haynes manual said I'd have to do

 

Heavy Z