How do you tighten the front struts all the way into the strut mount?

With the strut rod through the strut mount, there's no way to hold the rod from spinning while tightening the nut.

I'm used to my Honda cars having an allen fitting that stick out high enough that I can hold the rod while tightening the nut all the way down.

I've tried everything I can think of, but the rod is too recessed to get anything in there to be able to hold the rod but also tighten the nut. Even a highly offset/angled box wrench can't tighten the nut because of the way the strut mount is designed.

Can somebody give me some advice here?

 

racing beat sells the spanner wrench you need http://www.racingbeat.com/RX7-1975-1...Bin/22010.html

 

If you are referring to the strut "tops", sometimes you just have to grab the shaft of the insert with a pair of vice grips to tighten the tops down.

As long as you get the vice grips high up on the shaft, the struts will never compress far enough for any clamp marks to damage the seal in the strut body.
A bit of tape on the jaws of the vice grips will help too if youre worried about damage.

 

This is not true on my race car. Until I put 400# springs in front I would bottom the struts on a regular basis against the adjustable strut mounts. I ended up making a special tool out of 1" square aluminum stock to clamp onto the strut rod. Cut one piece 12" long. Cut another 3" long. Drill and tap the longer one so you can bolt the shorter one to it at one end. Once bolted together drill a hole right where both pieces clamp together the same diameter as your strut rod.

Unbolt the two and shave about .025" off the small one. This acts like a pinch clamp (like a handle bar clamp on a motorcycle) where you can clamp it to the strut rod and use it like a wrench.

 

Hmm, I am running respeed coilovers and ground control camber plates.

I just make sure to clamp above the upper spring perch (hat) and that easily covers the clamp marks. There is even more wiggle room with stock springs.
I dont think Ive ever come across a setup that doesnt have a 1/2" of strut at the top to clamp safely to.

To add to that, if you are using the stock style strut tube, there is about 1" more clearance there between the top of the strut cartridge to the top of the retainer.
You will definitely bottom out the suspension before bottoming out the insert, if that makes sense.

I do however like your pinch clamp idea!

 

Isn't this the wrench to tighten the cartridge inserts into the casing?


If so that was accomplished with a regular (large) wrench set.

 

what i have done on the 7s ive changed is put a wrench in between the nut and the strut mount and ues it to hold the nut from turning by putting presure on it them get i think its an 8mm for the top of the strut rod and turn it counter clockwise to tighten it. it the same thing as turniny the nut clockwise but this way your turning the shaft instead.

 

I always use a cordless impact driver. In 20-30 struts(across various cars) I have never had to grab the shaft with anything.

Isaac

 

I've had varying levels of succes over the years across
a variety of cars.... It definitely doesn't work this time! Lol