problems reinstalling strut - st141 corona

[Dom-AE71]

i just pulled out the front drivers strut to replace a busted strut top, now ive got it all back together but i cant for the life of me get the friggin thing back in again.

like its bolted in up the top but i cant get the bottom back onto the steering arm.

any ideas?

spring compressors wont work becasue the space is too tight and ive already tried it

pretty close to having a burnt out corona sittin in my front yard so if anyone wants to come over and help ill pay with boozzee or what ever i dont care really.

thankyou

[YLD-16L]

Have you got both front wheels off the gorund? The sway bar is probably making the control arm hard to push down far enough. Having the whole front of the car off the ground usually makes it drop enough

Or at worst just disconnect the sway bar on the side you need to drop the control arm down on.

[Negative Boost]

And if that dosnt work, unbolt the tie rod and sway bar, that lets the LCA drop a bit more. Then once the strut is bolted into place, just place your jack under the LCA and jack it up a little so you can bolt the tie rod and sway bar back onto the LCA. I've had to do that before in my MA61.

[shelldrake]

Get a plank or long bar and pry the lower arm down. Insert top into strut tower then get it into position. Easier with 2 people, but one can manage.

[styler]

hey dont know if theres a trick to it or a special tool....

but what if you made some temporary slimline spring compressors and used them 1 wind in from the end of the springs each side, only compress the springs small amount as the following materials may break if you compress the springs too much!

1 metre of 12mm zinc mild steel rod
4 zinc 12mm nuts
4 zinc 12mm washers
4 90 degree mild steel galv angle brackets and drill the holes to be quite a tight fit when on springs, prob cut a bit off the bracket side that hangs over the spring.

then put brackets facing inwards on rod, then washers, then nuts.

you might have to assemble/dissassemble it partly in the spring when using it though and use a socket set to tighten and loosen.

see if anyone else advises against using this method before you use it!
and use glasses

else its probably going to be undoing some suspension gear to allow it to drop to the bottom of the strut

[RONA]

Breaker bar ftw, tis a two man job

[Dom-AE71]

Have you got both front wheels off the gorund? The sway bar is probably making the control arm hard to push down far enough. Having the whole front of the car off the ground usually makes it drop enough

Or at worst just disconnect the sway bar on the side you need to drop the control arm down on.

worked a treat, thanks

i would rep u but i need to spread some more ceedy semen first apparently