front strut...torx stripped out, help!

[dave9231]

Car: 92 Lumina 3.1 euro
Problem: I'm replacing my front strut cartridges. I need to remove the strut shaft nut, but the torx thing in the shaft is stripped out. Theres nothing to grap onto.

Could I take a dremel w/ a cut-off wheel and cut two vertical slices in the shaft nut? And be careful to not damage the rubber bushing...?
The new cartridges came with a new shaft nut, so I'm not worried about cutting up my old one.

Any other ways to go about this? I don't have an impact, otherwise I would've tried that. If the impact is the only way it'll happen, let me know.

Thanks in advance. Dave

[Lyle's GTP]

RE: front strut...torx stripped out, help!

If you still need to know. An impact will most likely do the trick, but the dremel thing sounds pretty good. Use a reinforced cutoff wheel. I don't think that it is very easy to screw up that damper with a little dremel. Shit I set mine on fire with an acetylene torch when I did mine. No adverse affects in strut preformance.

Lyle

[dave9231]

I had to cut the bushing...with the way the bolt sets in there...

I used a utility knife and cut away sections of the bushing/damper. This way I had better access to the bolt. Then I cut each side of the bolt and seperated the peices with a long bolt and a heavy mallet.

I used silicone adhesive (permatex/rtv stuff) and basically glued the bushing back togather. I used the bolts that came w/ the new struts, but I had to add some spacers...otherwise there was play in the assembly. All is good now though.

Its nice to not be driving a total water-mellon anymore.

Next project: Intake gaskets... ....oh fun!