bilstein hd front shocks 1993 240 with abs

If I can pull that spacer out buy cutting or with a chisel is there any down side? I forgot about the issue as this is my first abs car to install shocks on. They are here, my car is taken apart. I could take it to the shop, cut a groove in the spacer and then hit it with the air chisel. Will the nut on the bottom of the assembly damage the bilstein shock over time? Also the actual spacer looks almost like a piece of aluminum and on the ball joint side there is an iron ring(does not look like a snap ring) do I cut that out and then knock the spacer out the bottom or do I knock the spacer out through the top(spring side)? I know the shock tapers down at the bottom but I'm not sure if it tapers back up for the spacer).

The late model strut housings have the steel spacer welded in. You will want to use a small cutter wheel and take off about a 1/4" off the top part of the spacer. Then the shock insert will fit. Some people have been able to crush the strut in there. But I've never liked that as you don't have much if any thread engagement. Personally, I couldn't even start the gland nut.

I just made that yellow tube 3 mm shorter in a lathe. You just pull to remove tube, nothing will fall out. 1990 245 no abs car

Well what I ended up doing was taking the entire spacer out. It is actually part of the tube, not welded. I took a die grind and took it all the way out. Then used the lathe to make a new spacer. Almost full thread engagement(maybe 3 sheets of printer paper keep it from fully seating in thickness). I actually planned it that way because I wanted to see it was tight.

The spacer is welded to the tube. I've removed dozens of them.

If you say so. I cut the spacer to the tube in several pieces hoping it would come out easier. Then tried to knock it out and it appeared to be one solid piece of metal. I tried to use the air chisel. When that didn't work(started to mess up the tube) I took a die grinder and they never once came out as a piece. Just shaved down until it was even with the rest of the tube. This was a 93 classic 245 with abs

jjona5 said:

If you say so. I cut the spacer to the tube in several pieces hoping it would come out easier. Then tried to knock it out and it appeared to be one solid piece of metal. I tried to use the air chisel. When that didn't work(started to mess up the tube) I took a die grinder and they never once came out as a piece. Just shaved down until it was even with the rest of the tube. This was a 93 classic 245 with abs

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The swedes know how to weld

With any good weld the part just wont come out as one piece unless you completely remove the weld and even then you need to use a lot of force as the base metal should be fused