Ok guys....ive been searching for the last 30 mins and i cant seem to find my answer (guess im not asking the right Q?). Anyways...I was a click away from buying the RKstreetfire kit when i realized, my car rides like pure crap. What if i hit a bump and bounce and slam the kit down. Then i realized...i better get struts first (goldlines and gabriel vst's now) and then ill buy the kit.
Now heres my dilema. If i get Koni Reds(which is what i want)....can i install the front insert into these gabriel strut housings? Its the same for yellows to...
I need input fast seeing that i need to get these !!!
One more thing...do i have to ream/drill out the rear strut mount for the strut shaft to fit threw it? Thanks again....
you can probably go to a wrecker/junkyard and get stock struts or even blown ones for less than 50 bucks
fyi
although i don't know for sure if the vst's will work, it all depends on the measurements of the housing.... if it's too wide or whatever, it won't work
i know that when i tried to do that w/ GR2's, the GR2's were just a little larger than needed, so its completely did not work and was actually pretty dangerous. get some stockers
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
You should be able to get blown stock struts for free. Just ask around at some garages and wreckers. They're useless to anyone else so if they try to charge you for them, they're just being dicks.
if you need some koni reds, i have some brand new still in box. id give ya the factory struts too if i wasnt going to use them. but i might know somebody that has some and i could ship them with the koni reds if you would be interested.
Karo said hes seen ppl do it but I wanna make sure.
After talkin to him he said that i should go ahead and get the yellows for 75 more (makes since). C cooper I may be interested. What kind of price you talkin about?
well, they have never been used so ill say 380. ill try to find out on those stockers if you would like. later
Ive seen people use other struts besides stock struts for the koni front inerts... as for the reds vs yellows for the price diff i would go with the yellows.. but thats just me... think about it... if you you want to adj your struts do you really want to pull them apart to re do them?
like i said, I tried on GR2's and it didn't work...
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
Ccooper...380 bucks?
IF you get those stockers and show me pics of the struts (in box and out) and the stockers. Im interested...
I want yellows now but if i can save some money i guess i can just go along with reds.
Why do you want to get rid of them?
Also...figure out on shipping and let me know...then i can decide if i want Yours or yellows from Karo.
Karo...thanks for posting...
Quote:
if you you want to adj your struts do you really want to pull them apart to re do them?
No...not at all!! What if i dont set them like i want them...then im going to whine til i get dirty and REDO IT!!!
If ccooper shows me proof of these reds that are new for 380...i might have to give in. Otherwise...im dealing wit you. Thanks guys
and viper....Your the reason why i had to ask this Q. I wanted to see who else has done this (or atleast tried)
Well cooper...you didnt post so i JUST bought Koni Yellows from Karo....
I still wish i had some solid answers to my Q. WILL THESE FRONT FOR SURE WORK WITH MY GABRIEL STRUTS???
I sure wish somebody already did this
Otherwise...im gonna have to wait and find some stupid stockers!! Just called the junk yard here....they wanted 25 a peice for them. I laughed!!
Don't just call the wreckers. Call some local garages. Don't you have a regular shop that you go to? You don't care if they're blown so ask if they'll save you the next set they take off a j-body. Same for the wreckers... tell them you'll take blown ones. You don't care.
All garages around here just chunk used crap. I know...i worked at the biggest one here for ahwile
Yeah...most of the wreckers are gonna sell me the struts. I KNOW they wont just give them to me (why would they?). Plus i even said i wanted blown ones and they said, "well we have good ones on a 95 cavalier"...I was like BS!!!
arrrrggg...I dont want to go through the trouble of hunting dallas yards for some stupid blown struts. Isnt there some measurments on the net that show what a OEM GM strut measures (cylinder/tube) and aftermarkets measure (gabriel etc.)??
Guess i need to do some research now!
BTW...does anybody know of the "Energy Suspension" tie rod end DUST BOOTS will fit ? I just bought some (poly boots for 3.79 at Autozone) cuz mine are ripped up.
I figured i would ask..maybe somebody would know. hehe
Redfire (red96sunfire1022) wrote:arrrrggg...I dont want to go through the trouble of hunting dallas yards for some stupid blown struts. Isnt there some measurments on the net that show what a OEM GM strut measures (cylinder/tube) and aftermarkets measure (gabriel etc.)??
I rather doubt it since, for the most part, it's completely irrelevant. It's not something you'd want to know when buying them.
If you know all the shops are just tossing them... get in touch with one and ask them to save you the next set they get. A smaller shop should especially be able to help since the bigger ones won't be bothered to tell all the techs they need to save them. A small shop with only a couple bays should be able to tell the guys to hold them for you.
Yeah..but that means the install is gonna have to wait. Well..i guess the fronts anyways.
BTW....am i gonna have to drill the mount on the rears so the rod can come through it?
click the link below my sig man it will give you all the gory details. it not that hard just time consuming, but then again i got rained for like 3 hours too.
you can always check eBay and the classifieds on here for used stock dampers, though the shipping costs if not local might be a reason to steer clear of those two options.
dumpster diving at a local dealership, perhaps?
Have you seen the turbo wagon?
14.069 @ 98.91mph
229.1hp & 261.7ft/lbs @ 6psi
no tuning time
im sorry man, ive been out of town and havent had a chance to post. i bought them from karo last summer with intent to get a better ride with my lowering springs but i change my mind too much and bought air ride instead. i talked to the guy about the struts and he never gave me a really solid answer so i told him to forget it. i really wish i would have caught ya before the yellows. oh well good luck with the yellows. once again sorry i couldnt help ya.
No problem....
Jux....I actually thought about that today at work. BTW...do you still have that addco rear sway bar? I still want it...Ive just been so busy i never got around to replying.... 90 bucks correct? I guess i could come down there on a wednesday night if your still going to the Target meet. Otherwise i could meet ya somewhere down there on a friday night or a saturday (both better for me). Just let me know !!
Cinny...It took me about 2 hours to do my last install (new struts and lowering springs). How long did it take you? I have all air tools and a wall mounted spring compressor (alot easier).
well its hard to tell ya and exact number. i had all hand tools with the exception of the dremmel and impact gun. i did the rears after work on a Friday, got started about 6 or so, finished about 830, that includes having to (get cleaned up so that i was aloud in the car to ) run for parts ( washers ).the fronts were done in a few hours. we got rained on to, oops said that. if it wasn't for all the picture taking it would have been allot faster. i used less than half the pictures that i took. and since i had never before taken apart my suspension i had to take my time so I could get t back together.
if you have already done a spring install you will have it done in a very short time i would venture to say three hours with all the cutting a drilling included.
Well...i did the rears Friday night. I wasnt replacing my OEM struts...i was replacing Gabriels so i ran into some problems. The spring perch was welded onto the struts so there was no just hitting it off. Luckily a table grinder helped with the welds and after about 20 mins (on each) we broke the welds and it slipped right off. That was the hardest part. The ride is unbelieveable! I have it on the softest setting (since koni recommends that for the first 500 miles).
Now im just dying to do the front BUT I want some stock fronts. I have gabriels and I would hate to cut it apart and then the koni NOT fit in it. Then i would be stuck without a car until i got some more struts!
I really wish somebody has tried putting the konis in gabriels or other struts otherthan the OEM ones.
Anybody have a set of blown/crappy struts (front) they would give me? Or maybe check some yards around ya'll? Here...they say the struts are good and they want like 30 a peice for them.
HELP!!!
