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Front shock conversions

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Dannyslade15

New member
hi there I've just seen a thread about converting original shocks and was wondering if someone could explain it in simple terms for me as it's something I would interested in doing on my restoration project or if there is someone that carries out such work thanks Danny
 
If yours is an early car with the original front struts it should be an easy job as they have a screwed cap fitting which allow removal of the original insert, the later cars with alloy arms have front struts that are none serviceable, the insert is crimped in, hence the modifications required to either fit Bilstein, Koni inserts.

cheers, Paul
 
Yes mate mine is a 1985 plate car and as far as I'm aware it has standard front shocks is there a kit that you have to buy as i would love to do this to mine just a confidence thing really I don't feel too confident carrying it out myself
 
There's no kit of parts as such, have a look at the exploded parts diagrams and familiarise yourself with how it all comes apart. If you are updating the front you would be best putting a pair of rears on as well.

My advice would be to have all new nuts and bolts purchased beforehand as the old ones are sure to be crusty. Things like the clips holding the brake pipes to the struts snap off easily, if they are still there, the gaiters and bump stops will probably be perished, also it's a good opportunity to have the struts powder coated.

This of course all adds to the cost.

Cheers, Paul
 
Looking at Pelican Parts - "normal" cars built up to January 1985 have struts with a screw cap and insert style damper components and therefore suggests cars after that (such as my 91 S2) have sealed (crimped in) damper components. Turbos and cars with sport suspension option appear to have screw cap and insert style damper components for all years. So - you need to confirm which style of strut you have - screw cap or crimped before you can purchase the proper parts. As per Paul - study the part diagrams then have a look at your own - the difference is quite apparent.

I have installed Koni inserts in my S2 (which had sealed - crimped in - components) following the instructions provided - straightforward to do with a hacksaw, file and drill. The Bilstein inserts are more difficult as you have to weld a collar onto the modified strut housing so you likely need some professional help with these or purchase complete struts as appropriate.
I agree with Paul on all points - about new bolts (remember one is an eccentric so the hardware store is no help here) and Porsche uses "micro-encapsulated" nuts (fancy way to have self locking nuts) so you can't reuse the old ones. (I'm sure some people have just added lock washers to the set up and re-used the nuts but this is not Porsche approved).
The most dangerous part of the job is using a coil spring compressor to remove and reinstall the springs so you can work on the struts. You also need a special socket or wrench (some Oxygen Sensor sockets will work) to remove and re-install the top nut on the struts. I removed my struts and took them to a repair shop to have them remove the springs and re-install them after I completed the conversion. I chose this route mostly for safety - I don't trust really cheap tools from the discount store and potentially fatal injuries can result if you don't use spring compressors properly. I decided I'd rather spend the money on professional services rather than buy tools I'd likely use once...the choice is yours.
Finally you can find instructions on the internet about how to remove and replace the struts without affecting wheel alignment. This technique might work if you already have screw cap struts but I don't think its feasible if you have to modify your struts for inserts. Just my opinion....
Its not as hard as it looks...

 
I fitted Koni inserts on my 86 about 10 years ago, still going strong, these aren't the screw cap type but the job was pretty straight forward, nothing too tasking involved...

Pete
 
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