Spring perch top 19mm nut

[Higelac]

All signs point to cornholed.

I'm changing springs on my recently acquired '88 325is. Got the whole brake rotor and strut/spring unit out of the car. Got spring compressors on the spring. I'm trying to get the top 19mm nut off to take the top spring perch off. The nut just turns and turns. I am holding the tippy top of the strut shaft with vise grips so that is not turning. The only possibility is the nut is stripped right? Any tricks for getting that off? At this point I'm thinking I'm going to have to get the gland nut off and remove the strut cartridge and top perch together as a unit, toss it out, and get another set.

To be clear the strut shaft is not turning, but the nut is. I found several threads pertaining to the top nut, but most of those issues had to do with the strut shaft not being held while trying to turn the nut. I found one 5 yr old thread with the same issue, but at the end the guy just states "got the nut off." That's it. I've tried taking the spring compressors off to try to push the nut past the suspected stripped section to no avail. I might take the mess to a shop and let them have at it with an impact, but I'm kinda at the end of my rope here.

[jlevie]

Are you using an impact wrench on the nut? That and vice grips on the shaft almost always works. If it doesn't hit the nut with an oxycetelyne torch until it is red hot and the use the impact wrench.

[browntown]

Gotta use an impact for this job, I haven't even had to use the vicegrips. Can always use a nut-cracker too.

[hi its me alec]

Impact is definitely the best option.

I've had to do it without one a few times, all I did was cut up a small piece of coolant hose, clean it out and wrap it around the shiny part of the shock (unsure of correct term), and use a vice grips to hold it in place while you tighten the nut. That usually doesn't work 100% but I haven't come up with a better way to do it without a quick zip of the impact. Same thing applies to loosening the nut. You can also try to crack the top nut with the full weight of the car on the ground, that worked for me on my e46. Not sure if an e30 would be as forgiving.

[KenC]

You guys are reading that the shaft IS NOT spinning, right? An impact isn't going to help.

You've gotta get the gland nut off.

[Philo]

I think what they are saying is that the speed of an impact wrench might spin it off.

I've done many suspension setups, and never had to use an impact. There are more than one ways to skin a kangaroo.