How can I compress my struts when I put them in the car? Before everyone says that I shouldn't have to, I am running 1" spacer blocks for my brake coolers to clear. That leaves me with an inch extra I have to push the lower arm down and strut up with. Spring compressors are a no-go for lack of room, and taking them off. I have the complete strut assembly from the top plate to the brake rotor off the car.

So far I have tried a crow bar to push the arm down. That got the arm low enough to put the strut on, but the strut was at a bad angle, and there was no way the bolts could go through it. That idea did not work, so I grabbed a rolling jack, put it under the rotor where your lug bolts go on, jacked it up, and tried rolling it over the lower arm. After getting it high enough, I couldn't move the jack over to position it for bolting it up.


Any ideas? Don't tell me to take the brake coolers off and remove the spacer, because if I take them off I have no backing plate and no way to mount the caliper.

Help!

 

Here are some pictures:

 

You have something else to back up that hydraulic jack? (worried).

It's hard to do. I did it once but don't remember and I know I vowed to never do it myself again. Have you checked the service manual for step by step procedures?

 

Yeah, I have 2 jack stands also holding up the front, with wheel chucks on the rear wheels, E brake up, and in first.

 

remove the top nut from the swaybar endlink, the control arm should fall down enough. Then you can replace those shoddy looking endlinks on both sides AND your tension rod bushings. it will make a world of a difference, think tight suspension.

 

Ok, I got it set up. Had to get a jack and 4 extra hands to get it in. After the first shock (took 20min!) the second was a breeze. Apparently I overestimated the difficulty of the spacers in the installation of the strut. I was ready to throw a ratchet through the windshield! After a few helping hands, I found out that the easiest way to mount the struts would be to jack it up by the brake disc, kick and push the jack so that when you lower it it would make some contact with the spacer, then tap it into place with a hammer (tap, not hammer it into place) and bolt it up!