The dreaded siezed nut and air tools

[mijo_latino]

knuckles have taken quite a beating this weekend. It started by installing, removing, then reinstalling my c/c plates(finally figured that mess all out).I started to tighten the last nut which is the nylon lock nut on top of the strut.
Everything was going good, but it just kept on getting harder and harder to turn. I just have the thinkness of a dime to go and the nut stopped moving. Saddness.

Even more of a pickle is that the slot on top of the strut for the flathead has warped and looks like and hour glass grove making the threads at the tip flared and i expect its going to snap if i keep it up.
Would an impact wrench help? wouldn't the strut just keep turning along? People have mentioned this in previous strut installs.

I would expect this out of an old rustly strut and nut, but the strut is newish(-1 year) and the nut came w/ the strut.
Worse case is to, :sigh: cut the nut off the top of the strut, and buy an other.

HELP! How creative can i get with this situation.

 

[OUR01GT]

It sounds like you may have cross- threaded the threads?

 

[mijo_latino]

solved

Looks like thats what i did, cross theaded.

Called backup and got the nut down. My uncle has air tools so i limped over there with the car. Now I see what people mean about their c/c plates clunking. If anyones' make the sound it's becuase the strut nut isn't tight enough. small minute gap and it sounded like my wheel was about to rip through the tower.

The air tools loosened it then rammed it down. For good measure we finished with the wrench and flathead. Half of the slot of the snapped without using a pipe or lever. That nut won't come out anytime soon.

An other DIY complete.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

Holy crap I hope you dont have to change struts/shocks before you sell that car.

 

[mijo_latino]

nah, I have 113,000+ miles on her. She's mine till she decides to go to that big road in the sky. The struts should last, hopefully.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Nut splitter?

 

[YtnGT]

Oh Yea...
You have to love the air tools.
If you ever have to remove the strut again, just use an impact and it should come right back off.

BTW a bad bearing in a CC plate will cause the same sound you described. I have had both problems...

 

[Mike97gt]

knuckles have taken quite a beating this weekend. It started by installing, removing, then reinstalling my c/c plates(finally figured that mess all out).I started to tighten the last nut which is the nylon lock nut on top of the strut.
Everything was going good, but it just kept on getting harder and harder to turn. I just have the thinkness of a dime to go and the nut stopped moving. Saddness.

Even more of a pickle is that the slot on top of the strut for the flathead has warped and looks like and hour glass grove making the threads at the tip flared and i expect its going to snap if i keep it up.
Would an impact wrench help? wouldn't the strut just keep turning along? People have mentioned this in previous strut installs.

I would expect this out of an old rustly strut and nut, but the strut is newish(-1 year) and the nut came w/ the strut.
Worse case is to, :sigh: cut the nut off the top of the strut, and buy an other.

HELP! How creative can i get with this situation.

yep cross threaded... sounds too me like you damaged the top of the strut rod so bad that you will need a new strut now...