Could use some help here!

R

RIDEALL

Member
Most embarrassing moment of my life right now.
Putting Tundra 5100 with my 99' Tall coils together.
Not paying enough attention, and somehow managed to put the lower spring retainer upside down.
I couldn't believe how far I was having to compress those things, should have been obvious at that point.
Have done these before on my Tacoma.
The worst part is I managed to get them fully assembled, but when trying to break them back apart I couldn't get top nut loose.........and busted off the top stem that you hold while tightening nut.
If I take it too a shop I don't even know if they will touch it.
Of course I'm leaving next Friday for a big trip!
Am I stuck buying a new shock?
nu7udemu.jpg
darajene.jpg

No shop will even look at it till Monday, and I'm also afraid I've over compressed my coil, and not sure if it will effect me being able too reuse it.
Been working on vehicles for a lot of years and never thought I would be this guy.
 
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Well, at this point going too try and get a good grab on the very top part of shaft with vice grips and put a breaker bar or impact on top nut.
Then put it together correctly if I survive, and as long as shaft isn't to marred up will run it and hope that the very last 1/2" of shaft travel isn't used, and if it does end up leaking, I'll order a new one then.
Somewhere in Arizona there is a man laughing and saying should have not tried too save money and just bought my kit dummy!!!! Lol
Surprised I haven't got any good job Dumb Ass!!! Responses.
 
Maybe it can be salvaged? But I would wait until it is in a proper wall-mounted spring
compressor. An impact gun should be able to loosen (and tighten) the top nut without
any need for the snapped off part.
 
Have access to a high torque impact? I have sometimes been able to bust top nuts off shocks with just an impact and a little pressure on the top plate from the spring. Or use one of those rubber strap wrenches on the shaft and hopefully it will hold it while you turn the top nut.

Or compress the spring as mush as possible and use vice grips on the shaft directly below the top plate to hold it. The shock should never compress that much so no worry on damaging the seal from the niks on the shaft.
 
If it makes you feel better, good job dumb ass! Lol, only kidding. This is totally something I would do. Sounds like you have a plan, is there a way you could vice grip it, then compress it a little? It would pinch the vice grips but would make it less of a jack-in-the-box maybe?
 
I will definitely have the spring compressors on it before attempting anything!!
Maybe not cranked hard but on enough to keep from any projectiles through my wall......or leg;-)
 
Well that was fun!!!!!
Let's just say sawzalls, thread chasers, vice grips, all things every backyard mechanic needs for when they screw up!!! Lol
Gotta hand it too Bilstein, those shock shafts are pretty indestructible.
Better pics and probably finally get a build thread going. Here is a teaser.
Oh and the other side from start too finish: 25 minutes;-)
6yjupa5u.jpg

Yes I'm 31, yes I had my Daddy help!!
 
man i would have taken that to a shop, they would of just used an impact gun to take it off... thats how ive done mine, never used that flat end to hold them from turning... also those bilstiens have a life time warranty so just sent it back to bilstien and tell them what happened -you might want to leave out the part about putting the perch/cup on upside down... but that has been done before by others and their top flat nob hasnt busted like yours did. the worse they can say is no.
 
I did use an impact gun. There still is nothing to hold the shaft from spinning when the nut is stripped and stuck on.
Even without a stripped nut you have to have something to keep the shaft from spinning. That's what the little top portion is for that I broke off. I had 3 quality spring compressors with a strap around them, and treated it like a loaded gun with how we position it.
So it wasnt a professional shop, but there isn't any difference in my approach and a shops besides what is compressing the spring. Impact guns are impact guns. Wrenches are wrenches. It's about the guy holding it.
Plus how bad of a mess it was I can't say for sure if a shop would have even touched it. No one would be available till Monday with at least a $120 charge.
We had to cut the nut off because it was stripped. Had too either fix today, or at least get disassembled so I could order new shock and get on road by Thursday!!!
Hope I'm not coming across like an Ass, it's just hard to see the whole picture on the Internet;-)
Happy Wrenching Fellas!!!!!
 
i didnt get the part about the nut being stripped... i can see how that would have made things hard lol.. when i put mine together i used an impact gun and just ran the nuts on with no issues, but now that i think about it i think i used some vice-grips with rubber pads to hold the rod/piston from turning. it worked great. and no you didnt come across as an ass

-id still talk to bilstein, they might hook you up with a new strut once you get back.
 
We did zero damage to the shaft itself, and we cleaned up the threads and got a new nut with nylon thread and all, so I don't see it failing now. Guess time will tell.
Definitely not the way I had this weekend planned out.
Rear install 1 1/2 hours. Check
Passenger front 25-30 Minutes. Check
Drive Front.........6 hours and 3 trips to the store????? WTF?? Lol
Character building I suppose;-)
 
Thanks!
Tundra 5100 3rd perch
99' Tall Coils w / about 15k miles
Only have 3 miles on it
Driver 22 1/8 (this is the coil I abused)
Pass 22 1/2
Wanted be around 21.5 / 22
So not a bad guess. Assuming they will settle a little. CVs look good in my opinion. Little bit of grease on inner boot. Going to hose clamp them. Fixed it on my last Toyota. No diff drop. Not sure if I will.
Rear = 890 no center cone
Driver 23 1/8
Pass 23
Obviously not settled yet.
Bent brake line will keep an eye on it
Made bracket for parking brake
Wanted some rake, got me some rake!!
 
Regardless of who helped you it looks great. Take a couple of more pics and post.

Keep a very close eye for the boots to tear. They will. It is just when they will.
 
Not lookin forward that project!!
It is going on 14 years old with 158k miles,
and I could see that the rubber cv boots definitely
are not very fresh looking:-( will see how long they
hold out for.
Is there any product that can be put on them too help
soften / moisturize the boots??
 
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