Outer Limits 4x4 Board

if you install the spacers as the write up says, you wont need to (hopefully) undo the strut, and brake caliper, or touch the hubs and CVs. other ways to install and remove springs will involve the above.

well, you can flip the strut mount before or after you've put the coil spacers in. but, maybe do this after you've put the spacers in, but before you put the tyre on. the strut holds the front end up pretty much.

so simply, theres the big nut on top of the strut, through engine bay, some may have a dust cap. cant remember if it was a 17mm or a 19mm, but shouldnt be too much smaller of bigger. (just a rough guide) some might have a dust cap on, so just pry it off with a screw driver or your fingers if you can.

try and loosen it in your first go, maybe use a breaker bar or extension for more leverage. if you can 'break' it, it will be good, beacause sometimes the nut will be on tight, and with mud and dust, it will be hard to get off. sometime the actual shaft of the strut will start to turn, this is a head ache.

anyway, loosen it, but dont take it off yet, you can, but its a little more work. after loosening the top bolt, undo the 3 smaller ones arounds it. these 3 bolts hold the strut mount to the chassis, and the big centre nut holds the strut in the mount.

after undoing the 3 smaller bolts, you can pull the strut down and out of its position. now, holding the shaft, undo the big bolt, and take the mount off. if you want, you can mark where the mount was in relation to the front of the car, just incase. (i do it anyway, safety thing)

now, with the mount off, you will see that there arent any bolts, but 3 studs instead. like the studs for the wheels. anyway, you will need to knock these out, as you will be flipping the mount upside down. my mount was a bit wonky after i belted the crap out of it to get the studs out. if this happens to you, settly down a bit, relax, take a deep breath, and do it again.

i actually killed the studs that came out, so i went and got some high tensile bolts of the same size, but a little longer just in case. probably best if you replace the studs with HT bolts anyway. if you really want, get some nyloc nuts and washers instead of the normal nut and spring washer. i find these a bit better to work with in the end.

after you've knocked the studs out, you can put the mount back onto the strut, but upside down. put the big bolt back on, and do it up as tight as you can. you'll need to recheck it after you've put it back into place. then move the strut into position, and put the HT bolts through the holes and do them up. this is basically it in a few words or more.

NOTE: you will see this when you take the mount off, that the underside has a lip, and when you flip the mount, the lip will be where it mounts to the chassis. some people either take the lip off, so that the mount is flat, and others, most, just stack a couple of good washers in ther to level it out. this is so when you do the 3 smaller bolts up tight, you wont pull the strut mount inside out and make it all wonky.

i used washers. not sure how big, but i think i used 2 for each bolt.

after everything is back in place, do the bolts up tight. and retighten the big nut. make sure the shaft does not spin. on the mount itself, the centre hole has a flat side, and so if you have a rag and vice grips, you can hold the shaft while doing the big nut up. you can use this method for undoing the big nut. make sure you dont clamp too tight and leave impressions in the shaft, this will result in some new old man emu struts and $400 poorer! try gripping as high up on the shaft as possible.

if you leave any marks or teeth gouges in the shaft, this will kill the seal on the actual strut as the shaft compresses and extends. not good.

and also, watch out for the shaft protective boot. its not great, but its better than nothing. you dont need to put this back, but it saves the shaft from rocks and stuff when doing high speed dirt road driving.

and i think thats all.

just make sure to tighten everything back up tight, but not over tight. nyloc nuts give a sense of security, as you know it shouldn't come loose anytime soon.

and as you might have noticed by now, or when you do this, that the 6 smaller bolts (left and right sides) and the 2 big nuts, are all that hold the front struts upright, and in essence, the front end together. so don't take short cuts and neglect anything. just take it slow, and easy, and dont rush. set aside a saturday or sunday, and if you finish early, take it for a drive. first times always take 50 times as long, but when you get the hang of it, she's all good from there on.