VAP

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Finding a permanent/lifetime cure for strut cartridge misalignment within the strut tubes in hidnsight is child's play. Maybe the cheapest wortwhile modification you'll ever encounter. Hell, this shoulda been figgered out by someone 2 decades ago.

Here's the problem:

I cut an extra swaged front strut in half, 3" up from the concave base cup that the strut cartridge is supposed to (but seldom does with Bilstein) sit in squarely and centered. Well as the bumper sticker says; "Sh*t Happens" and it seldom works out that way. The Bilstein is not a great fit into that cup and rides precariously on the outer rim of it instead. And it's all too easy to have it not seated in there squarely when threadin strut caps on which complicates things by: 1. Causing the strut cap to bottom out, seemingly on the threads too early. 2. After a while the strut cartridge "un-jams" from the previously mentioned jammed position and starts clunking around within the tube on both a vertical and horizontal axis and/or the strut caps loosens and starts to unwind itself exacerbating the problem. The Boge shocks however fit it like a glove and it's almost impossible to have them go in and not be perfectly aligned/vertical within the strut tube. I tried half a dozen times and couldnt make it happen intentionally no matter how many times I tried. KYB &amp; Koni I have no idea about as I had none around to test.

Here's the cure:

Due to the swaged upper neck on these struts we dupe ourselves into believing we cant stabilize the base from up top as nothing will fit thru the tighter neck. WRONG!! What about 1/2"-3/4" long piece of reinforced rubber hose! Strut tube is 50mm ID which translates to 1.9685" ID. Sounds like 2" OD hose will work just fine. The Bisltein strut for these tubes is 38mm OD which is 1.496" diameter... lets call it 1.500". Now... ever tried to find reinforced rubber hose that's 1.5" ID and ANYTHING BUT 2" OD!?! Damn near impossible!! You buy 1.5" ID reinforced rubber and hose it's virtually guaranteed to be 2" OD! If it's a tad too small wrap it's OD w/vinyl electrical tape.

Well guess what? Yep, a 1/2" - 3/4" long piece of 1.5" ID hose is a dead-nuts perfect fit into the larger lower diameter of the strut tubes as well as the Bilstein cartridge body. And I do mean "perfect!" Good, tight, twist-fit using a dab of silicone grease on outside of Bilstein cartridge and inside/outside of the rubber sleeve before inserting into strut tube. Bilstein strut tube has a 1.525" O.D. near it's base so this could also work with any similar-diameter strut. If strut is smaller simplay wrap base with electrical tape until its a goot fit inside the reinforced rubber hose before dropping hose into strut tube.

But how do I get that piece of 2" OD rubber tubing into my swaged strut tube with it's 1.742" opening? Ya compress it between your thumb and index finger and push it inside genius! Once it gets a little deeper you push it to the bottom with a dowel or a rod or a stick... whatever it takes. It's the right size and you slathered it with silicone remember!?! If it were any less perfect gravity would suck it in!

Now for the Bilstein. Do I have to say it? Ummm push it in till it meets slight resistance at the reinforced rubber sleeve then twist-n-press press harder. Yup, just like it was made for it (wait, actually in this case it was!).

Now clean your strut tube threads REALLY well... no rust and no oily residue remaining. Tighten strut cap to spec (yes there is a "torque spec"). And know you've just accomplished one of the most oft-neglected projects we can do. One of the biggest "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" tasks out there!

Yeah yeah I had to polish the strut internal floor &amp; walls as I couldn't get any light down there without doing it. 1.5" ID x 2" OD x 1.5" long piece of tubing is installed and ready to receive the strut. Use LOTS of silicone paste on strut base and hose ID before installing. Not that you need it for easy installation but you may wish you'd used more if you want to replace struts again in a year or five.

Down-n-dirty, mindless sub-50 cent project. I was hoping for a challenge or at least a reason to power-up the SERIOUS tools!

VAP

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perfect snug, interference fit that'll retain the strut cartridge perfectly aligned within the strut tube til the cows come home.

No matter what angle I hod the strut base at, be it vertical, diagonal, horizontal or upside down the strut remains perfectly centered with the tube.

VAP

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21 cent cure!

Note lightly scored wear ring on bottom of Bilstein. That scored ring is the only place making contact with the bottom indentation (cup) in the strut tube and ONLY when the Bilstein cartridge is PERFECLY aligned! Getting that alignment is NOT easy! If the strut tubes are turned horizontal to tighten the caps it will fall out of that base cup before threaded cap tightens against it to hold it in. Then cap is tightend down on the cartridge while its canted at an angle and out of its base-retaining cup. A recipe for clunking and cap loosening.

PS; My tubing is the cloth wrapped variety. Not necessary... just what I had around in a size that worked.

520

I'll have to do this.

Merkin

yeah I'll send in my bilstein sometime and try that out

quattro90S6

VAP = 1Pissed Off 90 = UrS4.....im not sober but i know

quattro90S6

yeah dead horse i gues, but same idea? the hose may last longer since ductape seems to deteriourate when exposed to the eliments, but down in that strut tube....does it really get that much "eliments"? to matter or is the tube that much cheaper than the tape

VAP

while taped to the strut insert lower body? Or how did he get 1.74" diameter of duct tape to swell to 2" diameter once past the swaged neck opening that will keep the base of the strut cartridge tightly centered within the strut tube base?

Duct tape may offer some relief/benefit but NOTHING goes in that strut tube attached to the shock thats bigger than 1.742" diameter. And NOTHING smaller than 2" will retain the strut cartridge tightly centered within the strut tube base.

I'll go out on a limb here and guess that what MikTip was trying to accomplish was keeping the shock cartridge tight within the upper swaged neck without regard for keeping the base of the shock cartridge tightly centered within the struthousing's base.

The Bilstein threaded cap has a provision for doing this at the top of the shock by having a machined seat in it that keeps the shock centered within the strut under the threaded cap. But there's no centering device at the bottom other than the concave centering dimple which is not a good fit for Bilsteins and allows lateral movement.

Justin517

Once I tear into the coupes suspension, consider this done!

quattro90S6

the top part and not expand at the bottom, but yes that is pretty cleaver, as usual