Bilstein's

[dyee]

Does anyone in here have a problem with Bilstein front shocks( passenger side) having the threaded bolt part being too long? One plastic cap wont cover the panel (just in front of the windshield wiper). I popped it on but the thread is about 1/8 inch too long. If I could grind it down that much it would be perfect. I know I'd have to remove that shock to do the proper job. Any suggestions w/o tearing the plastic vent cover or removing the shock again?

Danny
RED SR 71
REPEAL V.C. 22351
:smile: :biggrin: :wink:

 

[Daedalus]

I'm amused 'cause I noticed the same thing. My cap went on OK, but I do recall that same corner seeming to be pretty close to the cap. I double-checked the assembly to make sure it was right. How much can you shave off before you hit the nut? I had probably less than 1/4" thread protrusion. How much work to just remove the plastic vent cover? If you grind off the rod end you'll have to use vice-grips or something on the rod next time you replace the strut. Did you make sure to put the spacer/washer between the dust boot and the lower rubber bushing?

Shoot, we should have just had a southbay bilstein tech day.

 

[dyee]

I didnt put it in. My mechanic did. He's a bit shady. Im losing my trust in him. He didn't check but nothing wrong on the driver side. I'm talking about putting the end to a grinding wheel to shave off the last 1/8 ". That's a pain in the ass tho.

:frown:

 

[Daedalus]

Seems like you could sneak in a small cutting wheel on a dremel. But that'll spit particles all over the place under there--sounds like a real mess. A magnetic pick-up tool or vacuum hose slid in from a side hole might help collect most of it. If the strut's assembled correctly I would probably leave it be and keep the plastic cover in the glove box. If it's not right I would have it corrected--for free. Keep in mind grinding off the end will make it harder to disassemble next time since the end is a hex socket. Impact wrenches are pretty iffy on locking nuts.

 

[NSXROC]

Did you make sure you have the correct model Bilstein? My friend installed a set of Bilstein and they went in without any issues.

 

[mickeylex]

Your installer might not have fitted everything correctly.
All of the Bilstein (including mine) installations I've seen allow the cap to fit correctly.

 

[dyee]

I watched but since I don't have experience in its assembly, I assumed whatever came in the box is on the shock and assembled.From the replies it sounds like something is amiss. How come only on one side out of 6 bolts? I noticed a picture on Crystal Cove thread where another RED NSX had the same cover missing. The hood was up and people were taking pictures of the car. It just bugs me not to have the cover on the plastic vent cover. I know its missing...... Do they make slightly "deeper" caps? If so I'd like to buy one

Danny.

 

[Daedalus]

Only 2 places this can happen--above the front left strut rod and above the front right strut rod. All the other caps are for tool access to the nuts on the spring caps, which are on much shorter studs. If it really bugs you the thing to do is to put a spacer just above the dust boot--assuming there's enough extra thread on the rod to account for the larger grip.

 

[NSXBill2]

Your installer might not have fitted everything correctly.
All of the Bilstein (including mine) installations I've seen allow the cap to fit correctly.

What he said.

I just did my Bilsteins 2 months ago and there were no problems with caps not fitting (not even close as I recall). there are some things (washers, spacers, etc) that you (or the installer) could leave off to cause this, I believe. I would go down the path of figuring out what was left out/installed incorrectly, rather than trying to make the caps fit or grinding something off.

The picture above is good for showing everything. If I had to guess, I would say the tubular spacer (like a little section of tubing) pictured along the top group of parts, to the right hand side (between the big rubber donut and the spring), was left out. I almost left it out.

 

[Daedalus]

I used new rubber and reinstalled all metal components in the right places, with the exception of the black spacers, since the Bilsteins came with replacements for them. If I doubled up with them the front rods would sit lower by .105 or so, but the difference would remain, which I measured to be .118. We're talking about clearane to a thin molded plastic cover, not a tight-tolerance machined piece.