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10-23-2019, 10:24 PM | #1 |
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Help needed finding a tool to Safely clamp Strut Piston Rod on KW CS
Having a tough go of sourcing the proper tool to safely hold the piston rod on one of my rear KW Clubsport 3 way shocks in order to remove rebound adjuster so as to replace a cracked dust cover. Tried a pair of vice grips with two pieces of curved plastic between the vice grips and the piston rod, but I was unable to get the vice grips tight enough to avoid spinning the thread while attempting to unthread the rebound adjuster.
Here a couple of pics for reference. |
10-24-2019, 01:46 PM | #4 |
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How much space do you need to loosen the adjuster?
You may try installing two nuts back to back onto the top threaded portion of the piston and torque them together to hold the piston while you loosen the rebound adjuster? Think of similar method to installing wheel studs. A better photo of what you're trying to do might help as I'm not familiar with how the CS shock adjusters look. |
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10-24-2019, 04:07 PM | #5 | |
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I’m a big time diy’er, but every now and again I consider coming out of pocket to head to a shop and bite the bullet. If I end up having to find time out of my schedule to source parts at the hardware store in hopes of getting it done safely/correctly it ends up making more sense to source it out $$$. |
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10-27-2019, 02:52 PM | #6 | ||
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We have some brass jaws for our bench vises that can do it in a pinch, but even then it's a last resort. It'll depend on the material the jaws are made of and how hard KW's chrome plating is. A bench vise can apply more pressure than handheld pliers can, so soft materials will be more successful there. Or try something from here maybe: https://www.mcmaster.com/soft-jaw-pliers YMMV, at your own risk, etc.
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10-27-2019, 04:18 PM | #7 | |
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10-28-2019, 03:23 AM | #8 |
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To me that special tool looks like on of these, except just with a longer arm. These are designed to stop the piston retracting, but the longer arm would allow you to hold it so it would not rotate
https://www.albadiagnostics.com/prod...r_piston_clamp https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/5791 With one of these you would just need a longer flat handle, drill two holes in the same position, and then attach to the clamping device with a longer set of bolts. Clamp it down and it should work, I think. Or just attach this clamp, then use the vice grips on the clamp Or you could just get a shop to fab one up. The diameter of the hole needs to be just bigger than the piston and lined with rubber etc |
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10-28-2019, 01:58 PM | #9 | |
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Thanks for jumping on here and offering this solution |
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10-28-2019, 04:08 PM | #10 |
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Just ordered these non-marring clamps for my bench vise. It is my hope that my light/medium duty vise will provide enough clamping power to keep the piston from spinning when removing the rebound adjuster.
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10-31-2019, 09:41 PM | #12 |
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After looking into what suspension rebuilders do I have decided that its cheaper for me to ship my shock to KW, and pay them to do this job. The tool needed is a solid aluminum clamp to go in a bench vise, and is the proper size for the particular damper you are using it on, in my case 22mm based on my measurement I got with a digital caliper. The only company I found selling what I need, wants $70 + shipping. Beyond that there is threadlocker on the rebound adjuster which needs to be heated up with a torch prior to attempting to remove.
I’m usually up for purchasing obscure tools in the hope that one day they will be used again, but I do not see myself wanting to rebuild shocks, so not this time. The cost to pay KW will be close in cost to purchasing the clamp tool, but in this case I don’t mind. Thanks to anyone who chimed in. |
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11-01-2019, 10:01 AM | #13 |
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Acetone or gasoline will eat away the threadlocker. (gasoline works better) however in this case you probably don't want to dunk this particular part into a bin of fuel 😁
I have the bench vise clamps (came with my vise when I bought it years ago) that you show. They suck and are really more for lighter duty type applications. |
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11-01-2019, 02:43 PM | #14 |
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Cut some strips from an old tire (preferably not a dry rotted one) and glue them to each of the bench vise pads. If that doesn't hold it, nothing will.
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11-02-2019, 02:14 AM | #15 | |
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Thanks for chiming in! |
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11-02-2019, 03:57 AM | #16 | |
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Enjoyed this discussion though. I rally cars, and often have to service things and make do in the middle of nowhere, so always interested in hearing about DIY skills and hacks, coz you never know when you might need them |
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11-05-2019, 11:43 AM | #17 | |
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11-05-2019, 12:29 PM | #18 | |
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Agustin.Gomez@kwautomotive.com |
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