Front struts.

[eviljay]

I need to change the front struts on my TTA. Do I need to take this in to have it done or is this something that can be done a home without any special tools???

 

[eric_1984ttype]

Go to a parts store and rent a spring compressor. The only other thing would be a good 1/2 inch impact to get the top nut off of the shaft. Without an impact it might be a pain as the shaft will try and spin with the nut. Other than that its pretty simple. Two large bolts on the bottom and three or four up top and maybe a brake line bracket. Swap the springs and reinstall. You'll probably need to take it to get the alignment checked afterwords though.

 

[novaderrik]

no need for a sping compressor- just get the car up on jack stands and keep the jack under the lower ball joint.

 

[eviljay]

Thanks for the info. I was quote $450 to have it done at a shop. That just seemed a little steep.

 

[RmvBfrFlght]

Note that you may need to replace the strut to spindle bolts (2 on each side). The later ones are torque to yield, only I don't know when GM went with them. Or if they were all TTY.

I also needed to replace the nuts as I needed to use a hammer to get the bolts out. Didn't want to mushroom the end of the bolt so put the nut back on to take the hammer hits.

RemoveBeforeFlight