Build your own BTR Strut tool! - 10/26/03 05:13 PM
Ingredients from HD:
1 3/4"x36" round hollow steel tube - $10
1 carriage bolt that barely fits in one end of the tube $2
1 .30"x3" s-hook - $2
And you have:
Here's a closeup of the top portion:
I could've used a smaller s-hook and tube, but I was going for both the strongest parts I could get as well as allowing the strut to move around. This tube did pick up a slight bend in it, so I wouldn't go for a smaller one. A larger one will not fit in the space indicated.
I only used this for the fronts - the rears don't need anything special after you unbolt the swaybar.
Depending on how high your jack stands go, you'll need to cut about a foot off the tube. The idea is to keep it as long as possible and the angle as flat as possible.
Run the tube between the spindle and the rotor, next to the caliper. Put the carriage bolt in the bottom of the tube so that the force of the jack is spread evenly. Put the s-hook in the top and hook it into the strut opening. Set the works in the cup of your floor jack and keep the tube as much inline with the strut body as you can. Jack the strut up no more than an inch and tap the spindle down with a bfh. Repeat a few times and the strut will lift and twist right out.
I'm sure there are better ways to do it, but this way worked quick and easy for me. This made the job so easy I'm almost considering getting a set of Ledas and swapping them in for track days.
Dan
1 3/4"x36" round hollow steel tube - $10
1 carriage bolt that barely fits in one end of the tube $2
1 .30"x3" s-hook - $2
And you have:
Here's a closeup of the top portion:
I could've used a smaller s-hook and tube, but I was going for both the strongest parts I could get as well as allowing the strut to move around. This tube did pick up a slight bend in it, so I wouldn't go for a smaller one. A larger one will not fit in the space indicated.
I only used this for the fronts - the rears don't need anything special after you unbolt the swaybar.
Depending on how high your jack stands go, you'll need to cut about a foot off the tube. The idea is to keep it as long as possible and the angle as flat as possible.
Run the tube between the spindle and the rotor, next to the caliper. Put the carriage bolt in the bottom of the tube so that the force of the jack is spread evenly. Put the s-hook in the top and hook it into the strut opening. Set the works in the cup of your floor jack and keep the tube as much inline with the strut body as you can. Jack the strut up no more than an inch and tap the spindle down with a bfh. Repeat a few times and the strut will lift and twist right out.
I'm sure there are better ways to do it, but this way worked quick and easy for me. This made the job so easy I'm almost considering getting a set of Ledas and swapping them in for track days.
Dan
