Original Shocks (struts)?

[Healeyalt]

I'm refreshing the suspension on my 76. I have no history regrading the car's maintenance.

Without taking the shock (strut) apart (gland packing nut, etc), how can I tell if they are the originals and still OK? For example, when I push the piston in, I get a smooth steady resistance and the same when I pull it back out. They feel like they would be oil filled -- when I push them in, they stay there. I've haven't driven the car on the street yet, but before I took the suspension apart, when I pushed down on the car and then let go, it didn't continue to bounce.

If this sounds normal for these cars, I plan on just replacing the ball joints and bushings for now and leave the shocks and springs as is. As long as I have everything apart, some might say replace the shocks also, but like most I'm trying to do this on a limited budget and also, I am so impressed at how easy these cars are to take apart and put back togther. So if later on I have to pull it apart again to redo the struts, I guess its not that big of deal vs spending a couple extra hundred dollar unneccessarily. Gary

[Zed Head]

If you have the strut in a position that you can push the rod up and down, you really might as well remove the gland nut and look. Nothing will pop out or get displaced, you'll just either be looking at the top of an aftermarket strut insert or exposed factory stock internals. You could closely examine the gland nut, and post a picture (the aftermarket inserts come with their own nut) and look down inside the inner edge of the gland nut to see if there's a seal there, but that would be like trying to estimate the number of a horse's teeth by the shape of their head and what they eat.

[Healeyalt]

Thanks for letting me know "nothing will pop out or get displaced" if I remove the gland nut. That being the case, you are right, when I get home tonight I might as well take a look.

[Zed Head]

Make sure it's standing straight up before you remove the nut completely. Oil will spill if it's original. And the gland nuts can be very tight. Set things up so that you can get high leverage and make sure that the tool you use on the nut is very tight and a good fit so that you don't round the nut. You might consider going directly to vise-grips if you have some that fit well.

Of course, once I say it's easy, reality sets in.

[Zed Head]

One clue that you might have original is that the factory gland nuts are aluminum,while the aftermarket nuts seem to be stamped/welded steel. A magnet will tell.

[Captain_Zeros]

No guarantee though, my car had aftermarket replacement cartridges (that looked and rode like they were from the early 80s!) but had the original round gland nuts holding 'em in.

[ajmcforester]

FYI if your looking for the original feel the shock itself can be rebuilt.

[Healeyalt]

Well over the weekend I did check the gland nut with a magnet and it did stick so its metal and not the original aluminum.

I tried to unsrcrew the gland nut with a pipe wrench which is the only wrench I have which is large enough but it wouldn't budge, it's really on tight, and I stopped trying before I "Mar" something up.

I guess I'll just put it all back togther with the new bushing, ball joints, tie rods ends, etc. and try it with the current shocks on it before I spend the time/money trying to get that gland nut off to check &/or install new shocks. Gary

[jfa.series1]

One more thing you might try before reassembling everything: soak the threads around the gland nut in a good penetrant at least overnight. Apply some heat to the strut tube all around the gland nut, after getting it nice and hot tap that same area with a hammer, and try that big ol' pipe wrench one more time.

[Zed Head]

Well over the weekend I did check the gland nut with a magnet and it did stick so its metal and not the original aluminum.

I don't know that the earlier cars did not come with steel gland nuts, only that my 76 280Z did not. I just offered it as a clue.

Even if you plan to drive the car for a while before any more strut work, soaking in penetrating oil is a good idea. Let it work while you drive. Be careful with heat though if you plan to re-use them, since too much could damage a seal. But heat is a great idea if you really need to remove the nut. I love heat for problem nuts and bolts, it has a huge effect.

[Captain_Zeros]

When I took mine apart I put a pipe wrench on the strut tube, another pipe wrench on the gland nut, then stood on the first wrench and hit the second wrench with a hammer!

New strut inserts ought to come with a new gland nut, so as long as you don't mangle the strut tube too bad there isn't much to fear. Sometimes it takes a few knocks with the old persuader.