Bilstein 5100 DIY Install (Pic Heavy)
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Haven't tried an impact gun yet, I will borrow a friends the next free weekend and try that. I also bought a bolt pusher, so I'll give that a go as well.
Decided to just button it back up to stock for now and will try again when I get another free weekend.
Will an impact gun actually help with this bolt though? Its only threaded on the end for the nut to tighten down on it. Could be that the threads are catching in the bushing maybe, which could explain why beating on it with a 3lb hammer did nothing but peen the end so bad that I had to take my grinder to the ends of the bolt to even be able to get the nut back on.
I was contemplating heating everything up too, and just putting a new bushing and bolt back in once I got it apart, but after stopping at Dodge and asking, I was informed that these LCAs are a one piece unit with the bushings pre-installed and you cant just buy a new bushing, you have to buy a complete LCA to the tune of $465! What a bad design.
ETA: Mikey, that was a great how to you posted by the way, very helpful, thank you!
Decided to just button it back up to stock for now and will try again when I get another free weekend.
Will an impact gun actually help with this bolt though? Its only threaded on the end for the nut to tighten down on it. Could be that the threads are catching in the bushing maybe, which could explain why beating on it with a 3lb hammer did nothing but peen the end so bad that I had to take my grinder to the ends of the bolt to even be able to get the nut back on.
I was contemplating heating everything up too, and just putting a new bushing and bolt back in once I got it apart, but after stopping at Dodge and asking, I was informed that these LCAs are a one piece unit with the bushings pre-installed and you cant just buy a new bushing, you have to buy a complete LCA to the tune of $465! What a bad design.
ETA: Mikey, that was a great how to you posted by the way, very helpful, thank you!
Last edited by mabuz; Aug 4, 2013 at 12:50 PM.
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Record Breaker
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From: South, FL
Try having a buddy push down on the LCA and lightly tap with a hammer (don't hit to hard to decree up the treads). If you release some of the pressure it should pop right out. But def don't heat it up. Let me know how it turns out.
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Had a friend put all his weight on the LCA and got it to move down quite a bit, but no luck with that bolt even budging in the slightest.
I even decided to try, as a last attempt (out of depseration maybe, lol) to put my spring compressors on the spring. This compressed the spring enough to let the entire top of the strut rattle around loosely (since it was unbolted earlier), so there was absolutely no pressure on this bolt from the strut...still couldn't get it to budge.
Hoping the impact gun or the pulley gear puller I picked up will do the trick next time. Might be a few weeks before I get around to trying it again, but I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks for all the advice.
I even decided to try, as a last attempt (out of depseration maybe, lol) to put my spring compressors on the spring. This compressed the spring enough to let the entire top of the strut rattle around loosely (since it was unbolted earlier), so there was absolutely no pressure on this bolt from the strut...still couldn't get it to budge.
Hoping the impact gun or the pulley gear puller I picked up will do the trick next time. Might be a few weeks before I get around to trying it again, but I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks for all the advice.
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bilstein 5100 set at 2.1 on a 1500 sport 2014; no wobble.