D'prived

You've just installed new front springs and struts and you put the top plate on. Everything is looking good and you install the strut/assembly with the four studs back in your car. My question... the center nut that holds the top plate to the strut... how the hell are you supposed to torque that nut down when the center part also spins with it?

JDWalton

IIRC, when you had it out of the car, dont you hold the center with a wrench and tighten the nut so the top plate is locked into the nut?

D'prived

I thougt I did. My drivers side torqued okay but the passenger side just kept spinning and spinning.

JDWalton

well thats what I'm saying, I do not think you tighten the top when your putting it in the car.

JDWalton

http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=60&viewfile...g Assembly.pdf

D'prived

What you posted doesn't make any sense. It says "to install tighten to 46 lb-ft." Okay... and how to I do that with a box wrench?
I did exactly what's in the picture and then after I installed the strut assembly I tried to torque it with a torque wrench and nothing happened.... on the passenger side. Driver's side was fine. At what point is the inside "locked down."

JDWalton

sounds like you didnt have it tight enought before you put it back in the car.

D'prived

That's what I'm thinking but I had my son stand on the spring while I tightened down as much as I could with the two wrenches. I mean you can only go so far with a little 8mm wrench.

6-Speed

If the strut stem has a hex nut, then use a 6pt socket to hold it in place and tighten the retaining nut with a 13/16" box end wrench. I attached a 13/16" crows-foot to my torque wrench, positioned the opening 90 degrees relative to the handle and torqued to 46 lb-ft. This gets the torque close to 46 lb-ft ... perhaps a little higher.





If you really want to be precise on the torque, see post #2 in this thread:

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...g-springs.html

D'prived

Thanks much 6-Speed! That's exactly what I was looking for. Where did you get the open end wrench attachment for the torque wrench?