DIY Gland Nut Socket - With PICS!

[Hardway]

The need to extract my rear strut inserts had me facing the same challenge as many other owners needing to replace the struts on their classic Z, removing the dreaded gland nuts.  More often than not they are seized on due to years of use.  Worse, it seems to be the best method for getting them off by using two opposing pipe wrenches can also be the most damaging.  I went through this same exercise with my 1972 lime green 240z several years ago and vowed this time would be different.  I remember seeing an workshop manual showing how these were installed at the factory using a special made socket and wrench.  I searched for a long time to find an 8-point socket of any kind that was 51mm or 2 inches in diameter.  I was hoping to find an axle socket but after many days and nights of Googling and searching I came up empty handed.  

So I purchased a 12 point 2" socket made by Stanley on eBay for $21.50 shipped.  I verified it fit as I could easily push down on the strut piston.  The 3/4" drive opening was already close to being big enough.  After about 30 minutes of enlarging the hole using my "worth its weight in gold" Makita rotary tool, it would now slip over the piston.  Next was to grind some flats on the socket so I could use a pipe wrench to turn it.  Threw it on and with one good turn, the glad nut was loose!  Once I off I verified there was no damage to the strut tube or the gland nut itself.  You can see in the last picture with the gland nut in the socket that the corners are not exactly aligned in to the socket.  I am a little lucky as the entire suspension on my car was rebuilt in the past few years.  Why the strut insert has already failed on stock springs is another story. If your gland nut is really stuck there is a decent chance the socket would slip.  Going down one size may help with this.  Anyway, that was my solution, it worked, and thought I would share. 

[S30Driver]

Very inventive.  Nice job!

[240260280]

Bright lad!

[SteveJ]

Thank you. Now I know what I'm buying on the next credit card cycle. I might opt for the 1 inch drive to save having to grind out the opening.

[Captain Obvious]

Nice. That's better than what I did... I bought a BF adjustable wrench from HF. (BF from HF?)

http://www.harborfreight.com/24-in-adjustable-jumbo-wrench-60702.html

The wrench cost a little more, but is more portable to other tasks (although I haven't used it for anything else since).
The wrench was able to be tightened up snug against two sides the nut, but only two sides at a time.
The wrench was fiddly and easy to misalign.

I think if I have to do struts again, I'll do something more along the lines of what you did. Hopefully my KYB's will outlast me... 

[Hardway]

Thanks for the compliments guys.  The last time I did this I used two big pipe wrenches and ended gouging up the strut tube and pretty much destroying the gland nut.  The socket is much more precise and like all specialty tools, it is an investment.

When I got the strut out it was a KYB Excel-G.  I don't know why it failed but I do not believe it is old as I think I have a picture of the previous owner installing new struts on the car when they rebuilt the suspension.  I plan to get the driver side rear strut out this this weekend and start shopping around.  The fronts seem to be fine so I will look in to some of the popular and new options out there.

[gnosez]

Nice....I have a dozen or more shocks to remove.

[jfa.series1]

 What a great innovation.  I've been lucky with the big honkin' pipe wrench so far but this is all too easy for the next time.

[Diseazd]

I use a big adjustable wrench with a long metal pipe (slides over the wrench handle) for leverage.......but I love your enginuity!  A big honkin' pipe wrench sounds like fun!

[Captain Obvious]

What was the measurement flat-to-flat of the gland nut? I agree that for stubborn nuts, you would want a tighter fitting socket.

You had mentioned going down a size... I'm wondering what size that would be.

[SteveJ]

Flat to flat is 2 inches on the KYB I just took out of the box.

[SteveJ]

So, would a 2 inch 8 point socket maybe work better?