So I am getting ready to put some lowering springs on my car and I was looking for some help. I've already had my front strut assembly out once going off a how-to I found on the Z but when I got it out I couldn't get the center nut on top of the strut assembly to come off.

I checked the manual and apparently there is a special tool, strut nut wrench Miller 9362, that works for all LX platform cars and lets you take the center nut off. Well at least two people have managed to change their springs without this tool but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Any advice from someone who has had their front suspension apart? Did you buy that tool or how did you get that nut off? I know I sound cheap here and I am...but I just hate to spend $30 on a socket attachment I will use once in my life.

So I am getting ready to put some lowering springs on my car and I was looking for some help. I've already had my front strut assembly out once going off a how-to I found on the Z but when I got it out I couldn't get the center nut on top of the strut assembly to come off.

I checked the manual and apparently there is a special tool, strut nut wrench Miller 9362, that works for all LX platform cars and lets you take the center nut off. Well at least two people have managed to change their springs without this tool but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Any advice from someone who has had their front suspension apart? Did you buy that tool or how did you get that nut off? I know I sound cheap here and I am...but I just hate to spend $30 on a socket attachment I will use once in my life.

Well for one thing you're gonna need a strut spring compressor. If you take that nut off without one you could get seriously injured.

Sure, I know. I rent the ones from Autozone. Just had some difficulty getting the nut off after I had the clamps on.

I just run them off with a socket and an impact gun. Just take a little pressure off the spring. That way it will still have a little pressure on the shaft.

I had my friend hold it for me and just used a wrench

Alright, sounds like it can be done without the socket, guess I just didn't have the clamps on hard enough because it was just turning the whole assembly when i turned the nut. Didn't have an impact to try at the time but I do now.

Thanks for the help.

we also hammered a socket wrench on and couldnt get the bolt out of the socket wrench haha it was awful, we spent an hour trying to rip it out

Well hopefully I can manage to do it by myself.

I also had quite a bit of trouble with that stupid stud in the stabalizer arm.

Well hopefully I can manage to do it by myself.

I also had quite a bit of trouble with that stupid stud in the stabalizer arm.

god that was awflu, I had to buy a 20 dollar ball joint separator at autozone

I already have one of those from when I changed the ball joints on my 66 Biscayne. You wanna talk about awful those things were riveted in, not bolted, so I had to drill them out. Then I got the top separated but couldn't get the bottom off so I had to pull of the spindle and all and take it up to work and use a torch on it so it would expand enough to come off. That was a big time PITA.

i used a plumbers wrench at the very top of it and what ever wrench or socket that the nut is...

I tried getting the center nut with my torque wrench and one of the side nuts with my other wrench and turning both at the same time, but all I did was tighten the side nut down to the point I almost broke it.

Changed my springs this weekend and I was able to get them off alright. Glad I didn't buy that tool.

For the front I just broke the torque on the center bolt before I removed the strut assembly and then it came right off with an impact after the assembly was out. In the back I used two wrenches to hold the end of the bolt and remove the nut.

Definately went a lot faster with an impact on hand. Tightening and untightening those spring clamps by hand takes forever. If I had done it without an impact my arms probably would have fallen off by the time I got all four done, lol.

Thanks for help everyone, glad I didn't waste $30. I will spend it on 3/4 of a nitrous bottle instead lol.