Pillowball Question

[Capt Spaulding]

That’s interesting. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a manufacturer advocating using an impact to install a nut or bolt. I’ve installed a fair number of shocks an struts. I’ve always found the indexing feature (Allen socket, or wrench flat, or whatever) to be up to task of keeping the shaft from spinning. Removal is a different animal. Impact almost always there.

Of course, I personally have no use for spherical bearings on my street cars and have never used them. My question for you guys that have and are using them is:

Is it really all that different? What’s the torque spec you’re trying to get to?

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

Is it really all that different? What’s the torque spec you’re trying to get to?

I have it written down on my tool box at home. It's not that tight, like 15ftlb. I think the nuts on the verus hats I am using now are aluminum even.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

That’s interesting. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a manufacturer advocating using an impact to install a nut or bolt.

Most manufacturers don't because they're worried people will break the shaft, which can and does happen!

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

I’ve installed a fair number of shocks an struts. I’ve always found the indexing feature (Allen socket, or wrench flat, or whatever) to be up to task of keeping the shaft from spinning. Removal is a different animal. Impact almost always there.

Issue here is the adjuster allen at the top of the shaft should not be used to hold the shaft steady. It'll break.

- Andrew

[RACECAR go brrr!]

Shock nuts are literally the one nut on the entire car that I've given up torquing properly to spec. While I refuse to use an impact on it, I've found that torquing it "as hard as I can with a wrench by hand" seems to be the only way I've found to tighten them enough that they don't wind up backing off over time and start clunkety-clunking.

I'm a skinny guy anyway, so it's not like I'm managing 200 ft-lb or anything with all my "muscles."

[redlined600]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Most manufacturers don't because they're worried people will break the shaft, which can and does happen!



Issue here is the adjuster allen at the top of the shaft should not be used to hold the shaft steady. It'll break.

- Andrew

My T2s have a hex at the top of the shafts (not the adjuster) is this not the case anymore? I just use a through socket and a deepwell socket to tighten them.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by redlined600

My T2s have a hex at the top of the shafts (not the adjuster) is this not the case anymore? I just use a through socket and a deepwell socket to tighten them.

That is there...I was talking about people using the adjuster allen to keep the shaft steady (which is a very bad idea) because it looks like the allen on the stock struts.

- Andrew

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

That’s interesting. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a manufacturer advocating using an impact to install a nut or bolt. I’ve installed a fair number of shocks an struts. I’ve always found the indexing feature (Allen socket, or wrench flat, or whatever) to be up to task of keeping the shaft from spinning. Removal is a different animal. Impact almost always there.

Of course, I personally have no use for spherical bearings on my street cars and have never used them. My question for you guys that have and are using them is:

Is it really all that different? What’s the torque spec you’re trying to get to?

Fronts call for 26ftlb. Rears are 2 nuts at 15ftlb. I used oem top mounts at the rear. For the front I wanted something with additional caster and camber, and the products that provide that are typically spherical mounts.


I tightened the fronts to 20 ftlb with a 9mm socket on the torque wrench, set in reverse to hold the shaft using the exterior profile of the top of the shaft, and a 17mm box wrench on the nut, which is what I actually turned. I think 20ftlb is getting towards the maximum a typical 9mm bolt head can handle iirc, so I was cringing the whole time lol. I may hit it with an impact when on the car, but it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere. Note, I think this method my not be recommended by @Racecomp Engineering due to past experience with these breaking. Andrew at RCE was pretty great in answering my questions.

Rears were actually pretty easy, I just had to counter torque the top mount and the shaft didn't spin.

I had a really hard time getting the strap wrench method to work. I just couldn't get anything to hold the shaft up to the spec torque. Might be because I have a crappy strap wrench, but the material was just pilling off the strap.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Most manufacturers don't because they're worried people will break the shaft, which can and does happen!



Issue here is the adjuster allen at the top of the shaft should not be used to hold the shaft steady. It'll break.

- Andrew

I think it comes down to experience and comfort. I don't rattle the nut on, I run it down slow and then give it a couple short whacks. Then I will double check tightness by hand the conventional way.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

I think it comes down to experience and comfort. I don't rattle the nut on, I run it down slow and then give it a couple short whacks. Then I will double check tightness by hand the conventional way.

100%. And when making recommendations for a broad range of people with different experience levels...the safest way is the recommendation to make, even if it's a little bit of a pain.

EDIT: and to be clear, I personally do not and will never use air tools in assembly of a coilover.

- Andrew

[jflogerzi]

Good convo everyone. Thank you for inputs

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

100%. And when making recommendations for a broad range of people with different experience levels...the safest way is the recommendation to make, even if it's a little bit of a pain.

- Andrew

I help write manuals and service documents for work as well as our service video's, I know the struggle. There is what you would do, and how you need to explain how to do it. I get the luxury of being a guy on the internet who can just give "spit on it and punch it" as advise in this case

[bdtbdtbdt]

I could not get a rubber strap wrench to hold the shaft from spinning while torquing the top nut. Instead, I wrapped the shaft with 3 layers of good quality duct tape and then tightened a hose clamp around the tape, then vise grips barely snug around the hose clamp. worked great. Be extremely careful not to mar or scratch the shaft

[Capt Spaulding]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

That is there...I was talking about people using the adjuster allen to keep the shaft steady (which is a very bad idea) because it looks like the allen on the stock struts.

- Andrew

I’ve never had adjustable shocks on a car. I do understand the problem. But from what others are writing I’m guessing there are other ways to torque them down. 26 lb ft isn’t all that tight. The front hub nuts on my PU are speced at 300. And yes, I have a 400 lb ft torque wrench. I have used it exactly twice.

I just have a serious aversion to using impact tools to assemble anything and was (and remain) surprised to see a manufacturer recommend it.