StuntmanMike
08-24-2014, 03:26 PM
I finally got around to installing my new front struts/springs and wheel bearings last weekend.
Wow! It's like a new car! This thing just glides down the road now, I didn't realize just how loud the old bearings had gotten.
If I had just done wheel bearings, it was a surprisingly easy job. It was easy tearing everything down. I have a 24" 1/2" drive breaker bar that came in handy for breaking loose the caliper bolts and the hub bolts, and a air chisel separated the hubs from the knuckle in literally seconds. Without the air chisel I don't want to think about how long it would have taken to get the hub out. When I put it back together I gave it a coat of anti-seize so it would just pop right out next time.
The struts themselves came out quite easy too. Taking them apart wasn't bad either.
NOTE: If you're replacing springs and everything else, I HIGHLY recommend buying new cross nuts and top washer as well. I didn't, and had to pull the old struts apart just to get those two pieces out.
Getting the new struts together was a PITA! On the first side I spent almost 3 hours messing with the compressors, every time I got close they would slip off and the spring would bow. I kept repositioning them, and I even added rubber to the where they contact the springs and duct taped them in place. Still didn't work.
I ended up going and renting a SECOND set of compressors, so with the 4 I was able to compress the spring enough w/out them slipping. Using that method, it only took about 20 min to do the second side. I also found that rather than sitting both ends of the compressors on the springs, it worked well if I had the top grip on the spring itself, and the bottom hooked over the spring seat on the strut. That was I was able to compress it more. Use this method at your own risk!! Not sure of the safety factor on that, but it got the job done.
Also, be careful with the tops strut nuts! I accidentally dropped one under the hood, and it didn't hit the ground. I took the belly pan off and blindly searched around with a magnet and my hands, no dice. Then I looked in my spare hardware for a replacement. I struck out. I went back to groping around under the hood for another 20 minutes and FINALLY found it behind some of the HVAC ducting. I was just able to fish it out. Over an hour wasted just on that.
And the week before I replaced my pass. side rear strut and spring, that was cake. Marking the spring seat/coil mount bracket helped greatly, everything went back together perfectly aligned in the first shot. A few months back I did the driver's side as the spring had broken, and I forgot to mark those pieces and I put it together wrong the first time and had to do a bit of trial and error.
Having air tools was a big help in all of this, I can't stress enough what a great investment they are for a DIY'er. My dad and I went halves on a Craftsman compressor about 12 years ago, and it's been a life saver. Just invest in good sockets though. You WILL break the cheap ones.
Wow! It's like a new car! This thing just glides down the road now, I didn't realize just how loud the old bearings had gotten.
If I had just done wheel bearings, it was a surprisingly easy job. It was easy tearing everything down. I have a 24" 1/2" drive breaker bar that came in handy for breaking loose the caliper bolts and the hub bolts, and a air chisel separated the hubs from the knuckle in literally seconds. Without the air chisel I don't want to think about how long it would have taken to get the hub out. When I put it back together I gave it a coat of anti-seize so it would just pop right out next time.
The struts themselves came out quite easy too. Taking them apart wasn't bad either.
NOTE: If you're replacing springs and everything else, I HIGHLY recommend buying new cross nuts and top washer as well. I didn't, and had to pull the old struts apart just to get those two pieces out.
Getting the new struts together was a PITA! On the first side I spent almost 3 hours messing with the compressors, every time I got close they would slip off and the spring would bow. I kept repositioning them, and I even added rubber to the where they contact the springs and duct taped them in place. Still didn't work.
I ended up going and renting a SECOND set of compressors, so with the 4 I was able to compress the spring enough w/out them slipping. Using that method, it only took about 20 min to do the second side. I also found that rather than sitting both ends of the compressors on the springs, it worked well if I had the top grip on the spring itself, and the bottom hooked over the spring seat on the strut. That was I was able to compress it more. Use this method at your own risk!! Not sure of the safety factor on that, but it got the job done.
Also, be careful with the tops strut nuts! I accidentally dropped one under the hood, and it didn't hit the ground. I took the belly pan off and blindly searched around with a magnet and my hands, no dice. Then I looked in my spare hardware for a replacement. I struck out. I went back to groping around under the hood for another 20 minutes and FINALLY found it behind some of the HVAC ducting. I was just able to fish it out. Over an hour wasted just on that.
And the week before I replaced my pass. side rear strut and spring, that was cake. Marking the spring seat/coil mount bracket helped greatly, everything went back together perfectly aligned in the first shot. A few months back I did the driver's side as the spring had broken, and I forgot to mark those pieces and I put it together wrong the first time and had to do a bit of trial and error.
Having air tools was a big help in all of this, I can't stress enough what a great investment they are for a DIY'er. My dad and I went halves on a Craftsman compressor about 12 years ago, and it's been a life saver. Just invest in good sockets though. You WILL break the cheap ones.