81 Strut Rods
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,360
Likes: 92
From: Press "2" for English
you shouldn't have to remove the spring to get the strut rods off. the biggest problem will be the outer bushings. you may have to beat them off with a mallet or worse, hit them with a propane torch.
have fun.
have fun.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,992
Likes: 56
From: Antioch IL
Tim, i do not think it has to be removed since it is independent of the strut rods. the strut rods attach to the bottom of the diff and the shock bolts. if i am not mistaken you should have enough clearance to remove the bolts that adjust the camber. the hard part will be the removal of the shock mount bolts on the TA. good luck.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,058
Likes: 27
From: Eastern North Carolina
Update: Thanks to WhiteC3's shock tool, I have the strut rods off. I'm not going to say it was easy, but after several hard blows with the ole 3 pounder the shock pins broke loose. Quick question to those that know more then me are the strut rods supose to be straight from end to end or does one end have a slight bend in it? Thanks to everyones advice....Tim
Last edited by Tim81; Feb 27, 2010 at 09:06 PM.
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Racer
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 271
Likes: 17
From: Lancaster Ca
Well, whats the answer?
I was reviewing this thread with bated breath because i'm in the throws of the same thing with strut removal. it appears that the fiberglass spring has to be removed because the num-nuts at GM put the bolt in with the head against the spring and there is no room to slide the bolt out without removing the spring. Is there another way to get this bolt out without removing the spring?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,445
Likes: 970
From: Tennessee/Rhode Island
The strut rods and bushings are a weakness in the stability of the C3 rear IRS. In the mid 80's I replaced my OEM rubber strut rod bushings in the OEM strut rod with poly strut rods and they certainly helped check some of the unwanted movement in the rear suspension but they squeaked, which was annoying. About 3 years ago, I switched to adjustable competition strut rods with heim joint ends (no bushings). Not only are the adjustable strut rods much better than the OEM ones in holding the camber settings, they are much stronger (the competition ones) and will not flex under load, and lastly, the heim joints have no bushings to flex which stops unwanted wheel movements. I would seriously consider competition strut rods with the heim joints for the ultimate setup-They made a BIG difference on my 78 F-41 car. They are terrific and well worth the extra money!!! Do it once and do it right, unlike me!
Last edited by jb78L-82; Nov 25, 2010 at 08:16 PM.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 271
Likes: 17
From: Lancaster Ca
Ah man, I just bought these! I will give the adjustable ones some thought and thanks for the advise. I do agree; I wanna do this once. With regard to the bolt removal, I found out you don't have to cut the bolt nor remove the spring. There is two ways of doing it and I will share the easiest first. I have an 81 Corvette with a fiberglass spring. You can back out the three bolts that hold the spring about 3/8" and the spring drops down as you are backing out the screws and 3/8" is just enough to get the bolt out. Do one bolt to the 3/8" dimension and do the others allowing the spring to come down slowly.
The other way is to take the wide "V" shape bracket off that hold the struts to the differential. This way you are taking the whole assembly out!
The other way is to take the wide "V" shape bracket off that hold the struts to the differential. This way you are taking the whole assembly out!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 162
From: columbia city in
the bracket that holds the struts may be tight for the new rods.i put in the adj rods with the poly bushing .i had to open up the bracket just a little to get the new rods in.the poly bushings are not as forgiving as the rubber bushing.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 271
Likes: 17
From: Lancaster Ca
Too stubborn
I was too stubborn to open the bracket although I was approaching conceding. I kinda wedged the washers with the rod between the bracket and gave it a good shot with a rubber mallet and it went in.
