This is a complete headache.

Sheered a spring about a month ago and decided to just swap the from suspension out and i had the same hassle.

In the end as above i soaked it in penetrating oil for a day and then went back and got some heat on it and bobs your uncle it whipped off.

After that the bolts in the bottom the suspension leg became the next issue seized solid again penetrating oil on them and whipped them out too.

When i put everythign back in i went to a local specialist who deals in nuts and bolts and replaced the lot for peace of mind going forward and to make my life a hell of alot easier if anything needs to come off in the future.

good luck mate

PUNTOSPORTING2013 said:

This is a complete headache.

Sheered a spring about a month ago and decided to just swap the from suspension out and i had the same hassle.

In the end as above i soaked it in penetrating oil for a day and then went back and got some heat on it and bobs your uncle it whipped off.

After that the bolts in the bottom the suspension leg became the next issue seized solid again penetrating oil on them and whipped them out too.

When i put everythign back in i went to a local specialist who deals in nuts and bolts and replaced the lot for peace of mind going forward and to make my life a hell of alot easier if anything needs to come off in the future.

good luck mate

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Copper grease them

I spent 3 days getting my old mk2 bolts out
Yes 3 days where i spent several hours trying to get them out

My mk2b, a piece of p.....
Nuts off with a little crack - tap tap and its out

Quick run on a wire wheel and slapped back in with some copper slip
1 good reason
I dont have issues with them ever again

Top nuts tho.... thats another question....

Ziggy

I had new suspension legs to go in so it came pretty close to me breaking out the grinder and lopping the lot off however decided against it and went down the practical route and persevered instead haha

However as you say that option is very timely.

If all else fails and you have to cut the 27mm top spacer nuts off, you can use a ford ka one which is identical and easy to get hold of. Part number: 1680443

Old thread, but as there's been a "reawakening" above I thought I'd just add this.

As I'm lucky enough to own one, I would automatically reach for my Air Impact Wrench (Windy/rattle gun), it really is "magic" at doing this job. However if you don't own one you can always drive the car to someone who has one, like your local wee garage, to slacken the nut to near the end of the thread, drive it home again and complete the removal of the nut when you get home. The strut won't fall out - probably wouldn't fall out even if the nut was completely removed. But I'd avoid the biggest pot holes if possible and hope you don't get stopped by a diligent policeman or vehicle inspector?

When trying to do it manually a bent Allen key is a typical outcome, Stubby socket type Allen tools work better but sometimes then you need a Go-Thru type socket to undo the nut. The only one of these I've not had to fight for many years were on my daughter in law's 2008 Honda Jazz I think this was because the top of the threads are protected with a nice close fitting plastic cover - they looked as good as new, and came off with just a socket and ratchet wrench - well done Honda!

If you've got a windy gun, but the nut still won't come off because the damper rod is spinning, as long as you are fitting a new strut get some rough cloth backed, emery cloth (sand paper isn't hard enough and won't do the job) and wrap it round the damper rod under the wing with the rough side towards the polished damper rod. Now put a big Mole grip over the emery and do it up really tight. The grit is so hard it can "bite" into the surface finish of the rod and you've got a good chance of stopping it rotating - Of course it ruins the surface finish so you can't reuse the strut afterwards.

Pugglt Auld Jock said:

Old thread

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This is indeed an old thread. But it took me a little time to realise how old it is.
My first thought was: "Wow, Ziggy is back on the forum, after all this time..."