New Yellow Sport Konis for '88 535is--What gives with the fr

[Guest]

I'm putting sport Konis ( # 8641-1080 Sport --front) all around with Eibachs . The rear set looks fairly clear with attachments at the top and bottom of the strut. The front set does not have any place to attach to the inside of the strut tube. Has anyone ever installed Konis on a 535is, if so what gives with the lack of attachment at the bottom of the the Konis on the front. I assume that the strut housing tube does not need to be removed. Is this correct, or does the entire housing tube need to be unbolted? Any help would be appreciated.

[fastpat]

The springs, strut tubes and so forth all come off. You need heavy duty spring compressors, three are best, two are minimum. At least an electric impact wrench, air is better. The front shocks on an e28 are actually strut inserts, a large nut that threads into or onto the strut tube hold them into place.

This project is depicted in your Bentley manual, you're looking at that right now, aren't you?

[Steve Haygood]

please please,please, someone near Seattle get over there and hlpe out b4 someone gets hurt

[Threeshifter]

Good call Haygood.
There is a hell of a lot of energy stored in these springs, both the front and rear. If that energy is released in an uncontrolled manner death and/or personal injury will occur. If you loosen that big nut at the top of the strut it will blow your head off. That is if you do not properly compress the spring before loosening it.

Take car and new parts to a shop that can rebuild the struts for you if you do not know what you are doing. Or take each strut off as an assembly per Bentley and take everything to a shop.

Read the manual before doing anything else.

[Walt]

There is help available.

BTDT Call me. I'm in Seattle. We have resources.

Walt
206-484-4777

[Mike E]

The safest spring compressor I ever used:



http://mike.jollymac.com.au/FrontEnd/FrontEnd.html - doing the front struts on the ol' e12. A bit simpler than the e28, but the idea is the same - strut lives in a tube.

[Edit by Mike E on [TIME]1109674035[/TIME]]


[Edit by Mike E on [TIME]1109674077[/TIME]]

[djazz]

[QUOTE="Walt"]There is help available.

BTDT Call me. I'm in Seattle. We have resources.

Walt
206-484-4777[/QUOTE]

LOL! Sounds like a twelve-step program...

Come to think of it, guess it is!

Never work alone when you can talk someone who knows more into doing it. Or at least teaching you something

[Threeshifter]

So is Chip still out there? Did he get it fixed?
I hope he did not fall prey to a spring explosion.

[Tammer in Philly]

Chip, be aware that switching from the iS's stock Bilsteins to the Konis requires a change in the strut collar nut that holds the strut in the housing. Order collar nuts for the standard 535i; the Koni's bore matches that of the standard strut and not the Bilstein. Order early, they're probably shipping from Germany.

-tammer