Cressida Wagon Build Update: Stripping the Struts

"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW) 12/16/2013 at 21:07 • Filed to: None

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12/10/13

Yesterday I picked up a Volvo electric fan (same great fan motor as the Taurus that everybody and their brother uses, but thinner and with a easy-to-grab relay box) and the front struts off a junked Cressida. Tonight I began the process of tearing them down and getting them ready for the coilover conversion.

First I set up some heat in the garage so I didn't freeze

Complete stock strut:

Spring removed

Here's the stock-sized Sensatrac shock that came out next to the SW20 MR2's KYB AGX (for the MR2 rear) that will be going in.
The stock shock has a body length of 15.5", whereas the MR2 shock is 14 3/8" long, so the housings will need to be shortened 1 1/8". Also, the gland nuts that come with the MR2 shocks are a much coarser thread than the Cressida ones, so I'm going to have to reuse those.

Here's the housings with the stock spring seats removed. I didn't bother grinding the weld flat since I'll probably be removing that section of the tube to shorten it, so as to keep the brake line tabs in the same place.

12/16/13

Ground off the welds from the stock spring seats. Currently looking for somebody with a miter saw to cut a section out of the housings.

I'm also currently emailing back and forth with a representative from CoilSprings.com about getting custom springs made. This will be roughly comparable in price with my previous idea of using Volvo parts. However, due to the fact that Rsport International has not been responding to my emails in over a month while most of my emails to CoilSprings.com are replied to within a matter of hours, I think CoilSprings.com may be the way to go. The only issue with the custom route is that I have to send in one of my stock springs, so downtime and shipping cost are a factor. However since I was planning on making my own urethane bushings for the four axle links, I suppose the timing could work out.