PhilT Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 The rears were easy as I could just get my lump hammer to work, flogging the crap out of the ring spanner. The fronts were a bitch, and I gave up on them as my 12 point socket split open, and a heavy duty 6 point socket just rounded them off. An impact wrench would have been very nice to have this weekend Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effin Ponderous Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 subscribe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j255c Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 impact wrench wouldn't even do me for the front strut bolts. I had to take it to a shop and they had to drill/shatter one bolt and use a 5 foot breaker bar (put the car on a lift) to get it off. 06 TB EVO IX SE stock turbo monster subaru hater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 ^ Yikes! The Gorillas at SoA Assembly are at their best yet again! <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Finally got the front springs changed, stopped by the dealer this afternoon to get the strut bolts freed up, then attacked them once everyone was in bed. Very easy to change out once the bolts are free, very happy with the results, very tired and must sleep ! Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccorry Posted August 12, 2006 Author Share Posted August 12, 2006 Finally got the front springs changed, stopped by the dealer this afternoon to get the strut bolts freed up, then attacked them once everyone was in bed. Very easy to change out once the bolts are free, very happy with the results, very tired and must sleep ! Glad to hear it, my friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jholder Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Working on the rears today. Got one off with very little trouble. The driver side however.... I hate these goddamn bolts. That is all. --james Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Working on the rears today. Got one off with very little trouble. The driver side however.... I hate these goddamn bolts. That is all. --james I feel your pain, the fronts are worse Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amason Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 A couple of tips from my experience: Use anti-seize compound when putting stuff back together and you should have no problems the next time around. Also, for the top strut nuts, if you don't have a pass-through socket, I just used a socket with vice-grips so the allen key could go through the socket. Worked great for removal, and I had to just eyeball it for torquing on installation. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 i'm planning on tackling a strut swap this weekend and i'm really a tool newbie. do you think i need to go out and get 1/2" sockets or will 3/8" ones handle the kind of torque i need? also i have a pancake compressor for nailing. do you think i could use an impact wrench with that compressor or would it be too weak to drive the wrench? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccorry Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 Definately 1/2" ..... and a compressor and pneumatic tools are your friend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayu Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Just a note from experience. Forget the 12 point sockets. Under duress they will round off the flats. Much better to just stick with proper sized 6 point sockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jholder Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 i'm planning on tackling a strut swap this weekend and i'm really a tool newbie. do you think i need to go out and get 1/2" sockets or will 3/8" ones handle the kind of torque i need? also i have a pancake compressor for nailing. do you think i could use an impact wrench with that compressor or would it be too weak to drive the wrench? I had a lot of trouble with one of my rear bolts. I ended up going down to NTB and getting them to get hte car up on a lift and go after it with an impact wrench. One of the mechanics mentioned, while we watched the guy under the car slide sideways under the car while using the impact wrench, that the wrench was putting out 350 lbs of torque. The guy under the car was literally sliding around. He finally got it to break loose though. The wierd thing is, after reading all these, I thought the fronts were a breeze compared to the rears. --james Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyd2005 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 also i have a pancake compressor for nailing. do you think i could use an impact wrench with that compressor or would it be too weak to drive the wrench? It doesn't take much to drive an impact wrench. I have a pancake compressor and it works just fine. The worst thing that can happen is that you have to stop for a while. Don't forget to set the pressure valve to 90 psi. Make sure you use a quality 6 point socket specifically made for impact wrenches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccorry Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 The wierd thing is, after reading all these, I thought the fronts were a breeze compared to the rears. --james My experience, as well..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 that's good to know. for retorquing the bolts, do you simply set the pressure valve to the appropriate torque value and tighten? i.e. for the rear bolt, do i set the pressure valve to 118 lbs? or do i still need a torque wrench? It doesn't take much to drive an impact wrench. I have a pancake compressor and it works just fine. The worst thing that can happen is that you have to stop for a while. Don't forget to set the pressure valve to 90 psi. Make sure you use a quality 6 point socket specifically made for impact wrenches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccorry Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 ^^^^ You still need a torque wrench to be accurate. (I don't use one when I did my springs, however.). For suspension... tight is tight.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 tanks:) hopefully i won't get hurt doing this tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyd2005 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 that's good to know. for retorquing the bolts, do you simply set the pressure valve to the appropriate torque value and tighten? i.e. for the rear bolt, do i set the pressure valve to 118 lbs? or do i still need a torque wrench? No. You need a torque wrench to set torque. Some people use torque bars to set torque but there's no need for those unless you are on a high volume manufacturing line. Just use a torque wrench. On rare occasions, I will use a lower pressure when I want more control. The only reason that I mention 90 psi is that almost all the impact wrenches out there are designed to be used with maximum 90 psi. I have an Ingersoll-Rand unit that is rated for 600 ft-lbs, but I never use it. My cheapie Chinese made impact wrench rated for 450 ft-lbs seems to always work. However, I would not skimp on the impact socket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhsa Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 i hear you on the sockets. i'm picking up some craftsman or husky ones today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 i hear you on the sockets. i'm picking up some craftsman or husky ones today. Yeah, you should never use ordinary sockets with an impact wrench, they can shatter very easily. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke of Lawnchair Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Excellent write-up. I nearly followed this verbatim for my iON springs install this afternoon. The fronts went buttery smooth. However, the rear strut bolts proved to be a little pain in the butt. Needless to say, my friend and I broke them loose in five minutes. The thought of coming that far and the fact that they were keeping us away from our beers was enough to motivate us to remove them. I type this as I slam my Mojave Red. -Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuned200 Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 good write up, BUT I didnt have any problems with my lower rear bolts. Then again, my car only has 3100 miles on it. What i did is i used an 1/2 inch drive ratchet and 19mm socket and a floor jack to get it loose....no pipe or friend who weighs 240lbs to help me:icon_wink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobE Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 good write up. i will be atempting this with h-techs when it gets a little warmer out. http://newenglandsubarus.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccorry Posted February 21, 2007 Author Share Posted February 21, 2007 good write up, BUT I didnt have any problems with my lower rear bolts. Then again, my car only has 3100 miles on it. What i did is i used an 1/2 inch drive ratchet and 19mm socket and a floor jack to get it loose....no pipe or friend who weighs 240lbs to help me:icon_wink Yeah... I've done another spring swap since... and we used a floor jack. MUCH easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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