[Shotimes] Front Strut R&R

[George Fourchy]

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 09:27:31 -0500, ROBERT SCHIRMER wrote:

>I AM SURE you are correct. Not that I need to do it (again) any time soon, but how can you get the tension strut bushing loose??
>And as for the comment about how this procedure does not follow the Ford manual- that is TOTALLY correct.

When lower control arms are replaced, they often have one piece tension strut
bushings pre-installed.  These bushings do not come out, or at least they don't
unless you remove the tension strut, which is not necessary.  In this case, you do
not remove the bushing, but still slide the LCA backward, moving the front side of
the bushing away from its retaining washer by about an inch.  This will give you the
freedom of movement you need to lower the knuckle.

If the LCA is still original, the back half of the bushing can be pried out with a
screwdriver, then the LCA can go backward easily.  Aftermarket performance bushings,
like those that come from SHONut Performance, are two piece, which allows the rear
bushing to slide off, with a little prying help.

Oh yesssss......the instructions in the Helms are what scared me away from doing
struts at all, way back in the mid '90s, until I was shown (via SHOTimes) the way to
do it by the fellow who originally owned Dave Bonds' green '95, which Jim White has
now.

Who came up with that "official" procedure, anyway!!!???  Maybe they figured it was
time to do the CV boots by the time struts wore out, and were just trying to make
the two of them 'easy' to do at the same time.

George