Sometimes I R Dum. Almost killed me this time.

You can see where the oil dripped down off the truck. Truck was pretty covered. The windshield was a pain to get clean.

 

This is how I installed my spacers, how would it be different?

 

This is the way

 

Spacer is bolted to the top hat of the strut assembly. Easy to install them that way but to take them off I am disassembling everything anyway.

 

Are you saying you somehow unthreaded the nut holding on the piston inside the shock? That's impressive. All shock pistons are going to be installed to the shaft with a nut or thread. Been in the shock industry and seen some impressive mistakes but never unthreading a piston like that. The whole assembly should just spin inside the tube before that happens.

If you actually did do that it should've just shot out the shock shaft. The melee must've unseated the spring compressors.

 

You just used up one of your life credit balances. That would have killed you. I'm glad you came out ok.

 

This method when taking the strut/coil out leaves the top cap on the perch installed.... so after the strut and coil comes out at that point you just unbolt the spacer from the top hat.
I had always thought for some reason that this wasn’t possible, but it is!

 

Good to know. At the end of the day I learned a new skill and didn't have to shake hands with danger

 

Yes. I still have it and can take a pic tonight for fun. The piston is loose with bare threads. I have spun them in the past without any issue and assumed they were crimped or something similar. It did shoot out the shaft, along with the spring and tophat. And with gusto. The compressors were trash and did not sit against the spring well, so I agree, they somehow lost hold during that mess.

 

I'm in debt at this point, lol. That's not my only close call, just the most recent.

 

In my head, I picture it exactly like an old looney tunes character:

 

I guarantee that is exactly how I looked. I sat there for a minute just kind of contemplating what had just happened. I couldn't see much as the oil was all in my eyes. Was just covered. I went inside, changed contacts, took a shower, grabbed a beer, then came out to try to figure out what went wrong.

 

Here's the one that was a dick. Not the best pic. It started dumping more oil on my basement floor when I was trying to pose it.

 

Yea, you unthreaded the nut. We've forgotten to tighten them before but never spun one off like that.

 

I've been hit in the face with a spring, I was wearing safety glasses and was bleeding after.

The glasses had cut my face and left an imprint around my eyes. They blew off and I was in shock because I thought I wasn't wearing them.

Hard lesson learned but I was young and unsupervised. Glad you weren't hurt.

 

I'm good at finding new and exciting ways to break things. Wish these were rebuildable. Still have springs and one good one.

 

Eating snacks, and nursing my giant automotive spring phobias.

 

Man that could really hurt or worse. Especially if you took the top post or tophat bolts to the face. I'm usually good about wearing safety glasses but did not have any this time.

 

I've rebuilt "non-rebuidable" Bilsteins but it's not economically beneficial.

 

Kind of what I figured. They have a lifetime warranty, but I don't think they'll cover this lol. Had to buy a new set. No one sells singles.