Strut disassembly

[Kidroundie]

Hello everyone I am trying to take out the shock absorber from front strut having a lot of failure.been using Channellocks no success and then tried heating up the cap/collar with propane torch and dumbing ice water on it still doesn't move. Need help please. also I used kroil a deep penetrating oil. 

 

Thanks

[Sassen]

you need a vice to hold the strut and a large plumbers wrench, they are cheap too like 15 bucks, opens all those nuts and even tie rod ends on other cars. 

[Kidroundie]

4 minutes ago, Sassen said:

you need a vice to hold the strut and a large plumbers wrench, they are cheap too like 15 bucks, opens all those nuts and even tie rod ends on other cars. 

I have both! Okay thanks!

[Buckeye]

you need to get yourself a dremel with cut-off wheel. cut longitudinally in thread area, then stop 1mm short getting to threads. Use chisel and hammer to open it up.

[Kidroundie]

1 minute ago, Buckeye said:

you need to get yourself a dremel with cut-off wheel. cut longitudinally in thread area, then stop 1mm short getting to threads. Use chisel and hammer to open it up.

I have those tools as well

[TobyB]

Err, ixnay on the cuttay if you're trying to reuse things...  but the nut's the easiest to replace.

 

I have a chain pipe wrench that works pretty well.  But along with heat

and penetrating oil, using a punch on the notches is also helpful-

protect the tube, then whack on each side alternately.  It's not so much

the rotation that helps as the impact.  Lots of penetrant helps here, too.

 

Persistence seems to be the key with these things...

 

hth

 

t

 

[NYNick]

+1 on the big ass pipe wrench and the vice. Worked for me.

[Son of Marty]

+2 on the pipe wrench it will get tighter the more you pull on it and it will distort the cap a little and let the penetrating oil in to the threads. I have a real small pipe wrench about 5" long the I use to extract broken studs if the protrude at all it always works.

[worzella]

Also, a small thermonuclear device positioned stategically on the edge of the ring/strut horizon may work.... but when you get around to adding your new beautiful strut inserts to the cleaned up and powder coated tubes I have that damn ring tool they don't give you any more. Keep this post and I will send it to you to use

 

Randy 

 

PS - If you say "I have that tool too", then I might start to worry what your workshop looks like !!

[OriginalOwner]

in differential calculus one would postulate the following:

     the bigger the vise and the bigger the pipe wrench:  the smaller the "problem" moves toward a normal & problem-free disassembly ......

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by OriginalOwner

[Mike Self]

Just be careful when setting the strut tube in a vise--too much enthusiastic vise tightening may well dent the tube.  That'll swap a stuck gland nut for a stuck shock insert....an alternative is to use a second pipe wrench and arrange them so you're standing on the wrench engaging the tube while pushing on the one engaging the gland nut.

 

mike

[TobyB]

...although, the tubes are absurdly thick for the load they take, so you'd have to be a bit of a brute to dent one with a vice.  Unless it was a thermonuclear de-vice...

 

I too like to jump on them.  I bought this a while back for agricultural purposes.  Now I require a larger vice...

Oddly, often, the bigger the destructive tool (hammer, pipe wrench, whatever) the less of a mess it makes of the thing you're whacking on.

 

t

[JohnH]

The old fashioned way to do it, was to use wax. Candle wax. Heat the "thing" then dab the candle on it so that the wax, wicks its way between the two "things". Let it cool, then unscrew it. Simples!