Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Rebuilt Left Strut Installed

GROAN.......what a pain.

My wife helped, learning how to operate and adjust my floor jack as I muscled the 50+ pound assembly into place.

I think she learned a few new words, too.....

I had to use two long, tapered drift pins to get the alignment correct between the bolt holes in the steering knuckle and the threaded holes in the bottom of the strut housing.

A couple of pumps on the floor jack, and POP!, the parts lined up, and the steel locating sleeves on the steering knuckle piloted in to their bores on the strut housing, and the bolts went all the way in by hand.

Always pays to clean the threads when you take something apart....

Wednesday I'll replace what's left of the OEM brake hose with the mate to the new braided stainless steel hose already in the caliper, and bleed this side of the system, and put the end link for the sway bar back in. I had to pull it out so I could get the lower control arm to drop far enough so the strut would fit back in.

Then I'll make a final check to make sure all the hardware is "Finger Tight +10%", put the wheel and tire back on, and drop her to the ground.

Then I can do the final torque on all the suspension bolts, and everything on my checklist for this side of the car should be finished.




One more little item that I haven't discussed is also coming along:



This is a mounting plate for a reinforcing bar that ties the two front suspension towers together. It's just roughed in for now, as the final positioning of the plate on the other side and the connecting bar have to be done with the car sitting on it's wheels.

Shelby Mustangs had a bar similar that Ford called an "Export Brace" and included on all Mustangs that were exported. It stiffens the front structure of the car, and supposedly improves the handling. The guys on the Supra forums swear you can really tell a difference, so when one of the forum members did a "Group Buy", I signed up and ordered one.

I also have one for the rear that ties the spring/shock towers together, and I'll do that one (hopefully) next week when I start on the rear suspension.

Time to gather up my tools, wipe them down, and go grab a burger!

9 comments:

  1. HAH!

    And to think I do this stuff for "fun".

    I must be deranged......

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  2. Hopefully it will all pay off when you take it for a run. !! :-)

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    Replies
    1. It damn well better!

      Considering I've replaced all the worn out stuff in the front suspension with "better" than original parts, and I'll have lighter, wider wheels with newer technology wider tires, it better at least have improved handling!

      Delete
  3. Nice and pretty darn impressive work. Now you can really strut your stuff.

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    Replies
    1. Not the first time I've done this, but it's been about 30 years since I last got this deep into one of my own cars....

      Delete
  4. As a friend's long suffering wife says about his car hobby, "Well, it at least keeps him out of the bars".

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    Replies
    1. Hah....a couple of my buddies wives said the same thing back when I was a hard-core Hot Rodder in Illinois.

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  5. Well done! Hope you enjoyed that burger...

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Keep it civil, please....

Gloomy, Gritty, Grey Day

 At 1700 local it's as described in the headline; 30*F, 88% RH, completely overcast, snowing like crazy (small flakes, but lots of them)...