JanS

I was in the process of replacing my front and rear struts on a 79 280ZX. The rear ones weren't any problem. After I pulled one of the fron tstrut assemblies the shop manual says to remove the bolt that secures the strut to the knuckle arm. There is no picture of this. On the knuckle arm there is a hole but there is no hint that it was ever threaded. The other side is identical. This car is clean underneath and any bolts removed have come off easily. I can't believe that these could have rusted off??? Where is this bolt supposed to be? Thanks!

NismoPick

I'm not sure I understand the question / problem...

So you can't get the struts off? Or are you just saying you are worried that there aren't bolts on the knuckle arm? Do you have rack & pinion steering, or pitman gear box?

Strut removal process:

• Remove brake caliper.
• Remove cotter pin from tie rod.
• Loosen tie rod nut & hit loose w/ hammer.
• Remove tie rod nut.
• Remove 3 14mm bolts on under side of control arm.
• Remove 3 17mm nuts on strut tower.
• Out comes strut.

To remove knuckle from strut:

• Remove 2 17mm bolts on strut bottom.

To remove ball joint from knuckle:

• Remove 22mm? nut.

JanS

The whole assembly was off the car with the spindle assembly still on the bottom of the strut. The strut shock fits in the hole on top of the spindle assembly. It there anything that holds the strut shock into the spindle assembly or does it just ride in the hole with the suspension and weight of the car holding it in place? I tried to tap it out from the opening in the bottom of the spindle but it wouldn't budge. Manual page FA6 fugure 14 showing the strut and spindle assemblies attached together.

NismoPick

The strut insert is held in by a huge nut at the top of the strut tube. Remove it with a large set of vice grips or crescent wrench.

See red arrow:

JanS

I realize that. I've installed many a strut on my cars over the years. Look at the picture at the spindle assembly on the bottom of the strut cartridge. What holds those two pieces together? See picture.

mikeatrpi

Its welded together as one assembly. The spindle and strut tube are one part together. The knuckle arm is the small piece that bolts on the bottom - it goes where the two bolt heads are in this picture. The ball joint goes through the center of the knuckle arm, and the tie rod goes through the far hole. The small ear that I think you're talking about had no bolt on my car either. I have no idea what that was for.

Spindle:


Knuckle Arm:

JanS

Thanks, that's exactly what I was talking about, the ear and the hole in it. It looks like a bolt hole that at one time was used to hold the strut shock. So the front struts aren't replaceable only rebuildable? How do they sell replacement struts then? Are there any rebuild kits out there for sale? I called NOPI and cancelled my front strut order.

mikeatrpi

The strut tube, first picture, contains the strut cartridge inside of it. It is held in with a gland nut on the top of the tube. You slide in the new cartridge, pour in a little oil for cooling, put some grease around the top of the gland nut and tighten it down. The tokico kit that I used included a new gland nut and spacer washer, but I did not need the washer.

This link may help - it is for a 280z not ZX but the process is extremely similar.
http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techti...stallfront.htm

JanS

Thanks for the information. I'll rip it back apart this week.