[deniss]

Ok, I thought I'd start a new thread on this because this is no longer about pricing but rather the actual job of replacing the shocks... Some say it's easy, but nothing's ever been easy in my case, and this is no exception (especially since I haven't done this before).

Just to remind, I have an '87 SPG. So it looks like we have 17-mm nuts at the top of the strut under the bonnet. The passenger side nuts are reasonably well accessible but the strut turns when you try to turn the nut... What does one usually use to hold it in place? It seems like an allen adjustable wrench could be used but somehow I get the feeling this strut might need to be cut.

The driver's side looks a lot worse. First, the access is terrible. Bentley recommends moving the coolant reservoir out of the way, but it's of no help to me. Brake master is in my way, and my hands are too big to slide past the brake master. A long hex head can get in there from the top, but nothing's going to stop the strut from turning then. So I guess I will need to cut this thing off.

The question is, where do I cut? Without removing the wheel and just feeling around the wheel well, it looks like the shock is sitting inside a tubular enclosure that's protruding into the wheel well, right? So in the wheel well, there's a round plastic piece covering the shock which is probably a protective cover? So where do I cut into it with the hacksaw? From inside the bonnet? Help!

 

[trackside]

Remove the wheel and jack the car up to keep the strut extended. Use an old screwdriver or wood chisel and hammer to chop away the rubber bushing above the plastic dust shroud inside the wheel arch. Then cut with a hacksaw or angle grinder the exposed strut. You will need a special spanner to hold the new strut end and maybe a specialy shaped spanner to tighten the main nut on the new strut. Yes it's tight in there.

 

[Si]

shock mounts

Yea, it is a bit of a pain, i had to cut my NS one as the locking nut refused to move, on refitting you should be able to grip the flat bit on top (with some mole grips or something similar) of the shock and then tighten the locking nut up sufficiently.

When you come to do your back shocks have a good look around where the shock mounts into the inner wheel arch, when i replaced mine i discovered that they were being held in place by compacted rust only, took about a day to grind out the rust and weld up plates into the top mount.Both sides seem to be holding OK, i can't see any signs of the metal being warped my the shock so it just needs to be a solid weld.

 

[deniss]

Umm yea, I am not going to worry about the back shocks for the time being, as they still have a fair bit of life left in them - probably good for at least another season. But the front ones I do need to do. I can't do welding since I don't have the equipment (no garage even).

I'm pretty clear about what I need to do with the front shocks - now it's all about finding the right tools I suppose. And when I say that, I am mostly talking about the driver's side.

Would you recommend to unbolt the brake master from the brake booster and move it out of the way slightly to get better access, or will that not help much?

 

[dmtinker]

Be careful. I just replaced my fronts on an 89 turbo convert. The drivers side was 16mm at the top and the passenger's side was 15mm. Don't ask me why.

I do know that you can put a 6mm wrench on the top of the shock to hold it. Also, you can use a very big pair of vise grips to hold the shock. I myself, used a reciprocating saw and cut the shock in half, then used a dremmel to cut away the bushing et. al. That seemed to work well.

I would also HIGHLY recommend spending the $4 a shock and get the urethane bushings for the bottom.

 

[deniss]

Hm that's weird. a 17-mm wrench fit my passenger side nut, but then when i tried to put the same socket on the driver's side, it didn't want to fit - maybe it's an 18 on that one. That is so weird. I'd like to try to do without the cutting for the time being, if I can come up with a decent tool set-up from what I got.

 

[Marcos]

I've a stick welder you're welcome to use anytime! Seems we're neighbors, anyway, so it may be a good weekend project.

 

[Jdodds27]

I've just finished replacing my shocks on my 86 SPG...no problem. The shaft also turned. As it says in the bently...take the wheels off and cut the plastic boot off the old shock and use locking plyers to stop it from turning while you loosen it from the top. It shouldn't take very long otherwise, one hour for both. The shaft may also turn when you tighten the replacement shock so if you can use a power drill and it'll be no problem. Hope it helps.