Odd problem with new upper strut bearings...

[Mike Self]

I finally (yea!) finished the front suspension rebuild on my '69 this afternoon, and in the buttoning up process tried to reinstall the black plastic caps atop the strut bearings.

They're supposed to snap over a rubber lip that's part of the bearing assembly, but the lip is significantly larger than the cap and there's no way it's gonna fit. The same thing occurred with (only) one of the new strut bearings I installed on my 73 last year. These are proper German bearings, not Third World knockoffs...

Anyone else encountered this problem? More importantly, has anyone figured out a fix? The caps are important, as they keep dirt and crud out of the ball bearings underneath 'em.

cheers

mike

[FunElan]

I had a similar problem, I managed to put them on but they both cracked shortly after.

-Matt

[Jack]

Try putting the caps in hot water for a bit and see if they will confrom. I was able to get mine on, but it was a chore.

[TobyB]

The only thing I can think of-

did you put the caps on with the car's weight on the front?

On Jenn's car, I had to have the weight off the wheels to

get the caps on.

that's all I got,

t

[tjones02]

Exactly what brand are the strut mounts? I only ask because I have been avoiding trying the Meyle ones and normally only use Dealer or Lemforder (OEM) ones. I have had problems with other Meyle products in the past and though they say things have improved I'm not willing to take the chance on customer cars...

[02fanatic]

Mike:

Raise the front of the car and get the "load" off the suspension. Then the caps should go on easily. You shouldn't have to force them on. You might squirt a little Vinylex on the underside first.

Hope this helps,

John

[Mike Self]

Not sure what brand the bearings are, but I'll check tonight as I still have the packages in the trash can.

mike

[Sarki]

Mike, Curious how you made out with this as I'll be replacing my upper strut bearings during my strut install. I ordered the bearings from BavAuto and was going to order the dust caps from Maximillian. Wondering if you have succeeded in getting them to fit and where you ordered your from.

Sarki