What is this? (Pictures)

[fatak]

Can anyone tell me what the aluminum part is on the left in the picture below? It sets inside the top rear strut mount between the strut rod nut and the mount. With this part on the only tool I can get on the nut is a socket. Has anybody taken these off of their car when doing struts/springs to make it easier to get to the strut rod nut? Does anybody know what it's for? Has anybody disassembled original suspension and not found this part? Please help I'm at the point of building a special tool to install Tokicos and I think someone out there must have an easier idea.



Here is a picture of the two pieces together as I took them out of the car. You can see there is very little room for any tool to get to the nut.



Here is a side view of the "part". It is shaped to fit the contour of the strut mount.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Ive never seen such a part. I completed a full suspension rebuild a few months ago, and never came accross such a part.

You say it is aluminum?

I took hundreds of pics, let me shuffle thru them, and see what I can come up with.

 

[fatak]

The majority of the part is aluminum I assume. Fairly lightweight compared to what steel would be. The bottom portion is rubber where the part actually touches the strut mount. You can see the rubber portion in the side view above. Without this part the job will be very easy but I know the suspension has never been touched so it is an original part. I can'r figure out what function it serves either because when it is assembled the top of the strut rod is higher than the aluminum part, so it isn't there to protect the top of the strut rod. I'd love to see the pictures you have.

 

[Mike Kopstain]

Remove it.

Did you get new strut mounts also? I'm not sure I remember. The new strut mounts come with 2.5" diameter curved washers that sit on each side of the strut mount (the strut side and the nut side).

I will get some pictures this afternoon though I'm not sure it's something you're neighborhood parts store would have.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Nope, no pics of the part in question. That means I never had it.

As Mike said, remove it, and find yourself some curved washers.