laxman0324 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Ok, so I bought the AC springs from max, and he had already pressed in bolts on the upper part...I have spent at least a half hour hammering those bolts and not one has come out...any advice on getting them out? Also, does anyone know what size the lower bolts are on the struts? TIA, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 (edited) why u pressin them out? are they lengthened for spacers? if so, just run spacers!! Edited June 10, 2008 by FUELER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 why u pressin them out? are they lengthened for spacers? if so, just run spacers!! No, they are not lengthened...does anyone else have any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fukinitupagain Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Wait so why are you wanting them out again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Wait so why are you wanting them out again? I need to put in longer bolts for the strut spacer, the stock size bolts are an inch too short Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcano Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I need to put in longer bolts for the strut spacer, the stock size bolts are an inch too short Here is what I did (you will need a good vice and a REALLY BIG hammer): 1. Secure the mount in the vice, clamping the mount as close as possible to the bolt you want to remove, with the bolt head facing away from you 2. Hit the bolt as hard as you can with the REALLY BIG hammer 3. Reposition mount and repeat for each bolt, then do the other mount All of mine came out with one blow. Watch out for flying bolts... Then, make sure you get good quality hardware (grade 8 or equivalent) and either glue or epoxy the bolts to the mounts so you don't have to hold them in place as you try to tighten the nuts from inside the engine bay. Do not spot weld the bolts to the base, since the heat will change the bolt's metal, probably making it more brittle (after welding, the bolt will not be grade 8 anymore ). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 (edited) Those "bolts" are the stock bolts that are already pressed in. Max didn't "add" them. As mentioned above, place the mount in a vise, although rather than clamping it in with the vise, place it on top of the vise, and open the jaws wide enough to support the mount area around the bolt head, then find some way to hold the mount in place while you whack the bolt out through the open jaws of the vise. I used a 2-lb sledge, and they popped out after a couple of whacks. Arcano's tip about using glue or epoxy to hold the bolt heads in place is great. Edited June 12, 2008 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks guys... I think I answered my question for the bolts on the knuckle, i think they are 22mm... For the rear springs, what all do I have to do to get the old ones out? Do I just compress the springs or do I have to undo some control arms...I have no idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HitTheTrails Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 (edited) Rear springs are easy. I lowered the axle down until the brake line was almost tight, and had the axle supported in the middle with a jack. Then I used another jack on the drivers side to push the drivers side of the axle up, thus lowering hte passenger side. Then I just reached in and yanked the spring out and put in the new spring. Same thing other side. as for removing the studs. I think i used a socket on the "head" side of the stud and then hit the threaded side with a hammer and they popped right out. Just use a socket that is slightly bigger then the head of the stud. good luck edit: oh yeah, the truck was supported on jack stands (under the frame) when using the hyraulic jacks on the rear axle... Edited June 12, 2008 by HitTheTrails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Check out Dean's site or mine for pictures. Dean's Mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fukinitupagain Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Rear springs are easy. I lowered the axle down until the brake line was almost tight, and had the axle supported in the middle with a jack. Then I used another jack on the drivers side to push the drivers side of the axle up, thus lowering hte passenger side. Then I just reached in and yanked the spring out and put in the new spring. Same thing other side. as for removing the studs. I think i used a socket on the "head" side of the stud and then hit the threaded side with a hammer and they popped right out. Just use a socket that is slightly bigger then the head of the stud. good luck edit: oh yeah, the truck was supported on jack stands (under the frame) when using the hyraulic jacks on the rear axle... What he said^....just lower the rear axle until they can come out but watch all of your lines back there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 Ok, let me get this straight...First, jack up the truck under the rear diff, the nput jack stands on the frame? (since I have no frame I have no idea what that means, so could someone point that out to me). Then put a jack stand on one side of the axle and slowly lower the jack to lower one side of the axle while watching my lines. Then do I need a spring compressor or do they just pop out or what? Thanks again for dealing with my novice-ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 For the rear: There are oval shaped "cups" where you can safely use your jack stands...these are on the the "frame". You will need to compress the springs a little or shove the drum down until you can pull the spring out on your own....oh wait, unbolt the sway bar end links and un bolt shocks first...then you can move the axle muuuch easier!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 I couldn't get my rear axle to drop enough on eith side to "Pull" out the springs. I even jacked up the opposite side but still wouldn't come out. My brake lines, and panhard rod were limiting me, so i had to use a spring compressor. I've been helping some friends with a "heap" build and another with a Tacoma build and we figured out that no two vehicles are the same, even if they're the same make, model, year, and options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csutke Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 if you have problems with the rear loosen the bolt that hold the panhard or take it off, as that is what was limiting me after i hacked my swaybar links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HitTheTrails Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Ok, let me get this straight...First, jack up the truck under the rear diff, the nput jack stands on the frame? (since I have no frame I have no idea what that means, so could someone point that out to me). Then put a jack stand on one side of the axle and slowly lower the jack to lower one side of the axle while watching my lines. Then do I need a spring compressor or do they just pop out or what? Thanks again for dealing with my novice-ness What I did was: -Jack truck up under the rear diff, put jacks stands under the frame, lower jack until brake lines were almost tight, get second jack and jack up one side thus lowering the other side, pulled springs out. I had already removed my shocks, and I'm pretty sure my rear swaybar was already removed. I didn't have to mess with the panhard. If you do this and still can't quite get the springs out try compressing them a bit with spring compressor and then pull them out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 So I had Jeep rear coils from Max that I was going to try to put in, but I decided to just order the rear springs from AC. The front setup I bought is GR-2 struts with the springs already on them but the studs were the factory ones. I just hammered them out and had to cut some to get them off, but I think to fit the longer studs for the strut spacer I am going to have to take the big nut under the rubber cap off (sorry for the lack of accurate terms, I'm not sure exactly what it is called) in order to fit the longer studs. Now here is where the question comes in: Do I need to compress the spring before I take off this nut or will I be fine removing the nut without the spring compressed? And lastly, one of the nuts on the existing strut tower was stripped when trying to remove it before. How the hell do I get that nut/stud off of there in order to remove the sturt assembly. I was thinking the easiest way is to use an angle grinder to remove the head of the stud, then take an impact hammer to the bottom where I just grinded the head off and try to push the stud through the other side. Or try to hammer the strut assembly down after grinding the head off... Sorry for the long set of questions, but I am just trying to get some advice from the pros since this is my first serious suspension work. Thanks guys, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 "Strut retaining nut" And...Whoa dude...def compress that spring before removing that nut....that shh will shoot holes through stuff! Compress the spring far enough that you can wiggle it inside the strut assembly---that is a pain in the arse with AC spring due to rate length and number of coils~~ask my bud Sammy!---but this is for sure that way to not get injured when removing that nut...likewise I actually insist on covering the assembly up with furniture blankets and such when working on the stuff so that worst case this shh does not have the same impact on my body parts! Stuck nut---grind that baby, but leave the other two slightly attached so she doesn't drop the whole axle down violently and bang up your CV boot....the boots are in the most jepoardy here so maybe even cover them with somthing so that if the strut assembly kicks your arse and you have to set it down during installation/removal the sharp/heavy strut bottom will not cut your boot(s). Asa far as hammering the stud out after the nut side is ground down...ehh should not hurt as long as you use like a 3/8 extention to direct the force right onto the stud and not just wail away at your strut tower! Lol, pm'd my phone number if you want to call...will try to make my self available--am up pretty late at night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 It sounds like you're confusing the strut mount studs with the strut shaft retaining nut. When installing a strut spacer between the strut mount and the body, you only need to remove the entire strut assembly from the vehicle, pound out the 3 pressed-in studs and replace them with longer ones that can accomodate the spacer. The only reason why you would need to remove the strut shaft retaining nut is if you were going to completely disassemble the strut. And yes, if you intend to remove that nut you will most definitely need to compress the spring first! As for cutting/removing that stripped nut from the studs that hold the mount to the body, yep, go ahead and grind away at it. And as 02silverpathy pointed out, keep the other two nuts attached loosely so that the entire strut assembly doesn't fall down once you've finished cutting the stripped nut/stud off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 Thanks for the help guys... Dean: when I went to remove the old studs that were in the strut with the AC spring, those bolts didnt even fit through the hole past the top of the spring, they got stuck and I had to cut them in half to get them out. Since the new bolts I am using are longer I thought that I would have some trouble getting those in...if there is some easier way let me know since I am trying to get the front done tonight... Chris: thanks for the support bud, if I get really frustrated I might just have to give you a call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) Thanks for the help guys... Dean: when I went to remove the old studs that were in the strut with the AC spring, those bolts didnt even fit through the hole past the top of the spring, they got stuck and I had to cut them in half to get them out. Since the new bolts I am using are longer I thought that I would have some trouble getting those in...if there is some easier way let me know since I am trying to get the front done tonight... Chris: thanks for the support bud, if I get really frustrated I might just have to give you a call I don't understand what you're trying to do. Where did you get the struts? Are they new or are they someone else's used hackjob? I don't know what you mean by "bolts fit through the hole past the the top of the spring" and how they could "get stuck". There are 3 studs pressed onto a plate near the top of the strut. The studs should extend through the body in the engine compartment. The studs are pressed into this plate: The strut shaft retaining nut (in the center of the mount) must be secured at all times while the spring has tension against the strut. (Note the 3 studs.) If you are going to install a spacer, the studs will not be long enough to extend past the spacer, so you will need longer bolts. • Press or hammer out each of the 3 studs, and insert longer bolts into the plate (with the bolt head on the bottom side of the plate, so that the result resembles a longer stud). • Use epoxy or JBWeld to secure the bolt heads to the plate so they won't fall out when you try to reinstall the strut assembly. • Place the strut spacer on top of the strut and make sure that the bolt threads extend at least 1" higher than the spacer. • Install the strut back on the vehicle. If this makes no sense to you, then it's because whatever you're trying to do involves parts that are hacked up beyond what I can explain from my own experience, so if you want further help, you're gonna have to provide your own pics so I can understand your situation. BTW, if you are using spacers, how thick are they, and why are you using them? Edited August 5, 2008 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin152 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 If you are not messing with a spacer you just reuse these bolts correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 If you are not messing with a spacer you just reuse these bolts correct? If you mean the studs that are pressed into the mount, then yes, you just reuse them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin152 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Dean where I live there is mostly just jeeps. I want to do the lift install myself would you recommend having these jeep guys help me out? They seem like they know what they are doing with jeeps its just that I don't know how much they know about struts. Do you think I am better off spending money for my mechanic to do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csutke Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Dean where I live there is mostly just jeeps. I want to do the lift install myself would you recommend having these jeep guys help me out? They seem like they know what they are doing with jeeps its just that I don't know how much they know about struts. Do you think I am better off spending money for my mechanic to do it? They would prob be able to help with the rear more than the front as we have the same rear setup as some jeeps, they may be a little confuesd on the the front though. Its really not hard at all to do. When me and my dad installed the lift on my old pathy i thought it was gonna be harder than it ended up being. Im sure that there are many thread on here that can walk you through step by step install. And no i wouldnt have a mechanic install it as all the quotes i got to intsall it were like 4-6 hundred. If you do install it your self just be patient, take you time and expect things to not always go your way. When you do get aroung to installing it go out and PBlast the chit out of all the nuts and bolts as it will help. And if you have access to air tools it will make things 10x easier than just using hand tools. Good luck. Ohh BTW where are you located at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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