Strutman

So after my blunder with my junyard struts, I’m forced to go junkyard diving again. Called around to other yards and it sounds like they don’t have anything that old. So I find myself at ABC again, I called them and didn’t realize it as they’re listed in yellowpages as something else, and they were the only ones that were hopefull. Actually even before I get through the gate, I see an AE92 Corolla, looks like they’re ready to haul it to scrap metal as its on the bottom of a stack of cars. I measure the struts, and they measure too small, WTF? Am I hallucinating? But right inside of the gates are the new cars, and there’s a ’99 Corolla sedan. I measure the strut case, and it’s the correct size! I take a quick look around for anything else, this Corolla is the only new one. Damn, did I luck out? This Corolla is quite clean too, just brought in, suffered rear end damage. It’s so new that after prying the trunk liner free of the crumpled metal, I find the spare tire and jack still there. Choice, I don’t have to go searching and draging some crusty ones from somewhere else in the yard!

So I start taking things apart. It’s pretty easy, fastners are in good shape and not frozen. Maybe an hour half and both are out. Yes, I undid the top bolt and let the springs come loose. Didn’t want to bother with springs again. It being out of a newer car, junkyard guy charges me more. Ugh, oh well, I cough up the cash and head home.

Compare them to other struts. Case diameter is good, length looks good. I start cleaning them up. Drill hole in base to drain out the oil. Oh, you might notice in picture that one of the shafts is compressed. That’s something I didn’t notice. Having drilled out five struts already, I’d gotten complacent. When it came to this last one, when the bit broke through I got a wonderful oil shower. Right smack dab center of chest, direct hit tailgunner Beavis! Drill all coated, it needed a protective coating anyway…..

So now I start to get ready to cut the struts. I grab the rubber liners for the spring seats to compare which one is in better shape to reuse. Something’s not right. F! The spring seats are a different size! Damn it! This totally takes the spirit out of me and I sit in the woggly plastic chair all dejected. Geeze. I start to think of what I can do. I start thinking maybe I can cut the spring seat off and swap. But I don’t know if I could successfully cut cleanly through the weld, especially on the top area, to be able to reuse. Possibly could take the pipe cutter and cut the top sections off and swap and weld together. But could I successfully cleanly weld the pipe sections back straight? Crap! I’m stuck for now.

And if someone need struts and spring for a sculpture project or something, I’ve got them comming out of everywhere!