Lago Blue

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I wish I could say that I planned it this way, but it was just luck.

This is a steel tube pressed into the subject wrench. The tube is 2" O.D. x about 6.25" long. You may want to start with a piece a little longer than that.

Note how the end of the tube butts up against the back of the 2 teeth of the wrench.

This assembly slips right over a Bilstein Sport, top it off with: an (up-side down) stock strut mount (you're going to put that OEM thrust bearing to use here); the washer &amp; the little slotted nut (you know, the ones we usually discard).

Engage the wrench teeth in the Bilstein nut &amp; use the little slotted nut to press the back of the wrench teeth down into the Bilstein nut. Proceed gently, just snug things up, securing the wrench so that it cannot slip off. Voila! You ought to be able to (don't forget the Loctite) apply (&amp; remove!) the required 140Nm with unprecedented ease.

The first time you do this, you don't even have to have the tube pressed into the wrench yet (this is the luck part!). This will happen automatically when you first tighten down the nut. A well worn 6-sided lock-nut (better yet a non lock-nut) may be more convenient for this first pressing, but not necessary. The slotted nut will be faster in future uses.

Note: My Bilstein wrench required a little extra work even before any of the above as there was insufficient clearance between the I.D. of the 2 teeth &amp; the O.D. of the damper shaft. So beware. Pressing in this tube may reduce what clearance you may have.

This works so well you'll wonder why Bilstein forgot to mail you this part of the wrench as well!
Regards, David.

VAP

struts. Pre-B4 owners (except UrQ) need both sizes for front/rear. UrQ uses larger size front/rear &amp; B4's only need smaller size as rear is a coilover style assembly that doesn't require a strut cap tool for R&amp;R. Big bore strut extenders will eliminate the need for the smaller size tool and make front/rear fit the same larger tool.

dtompsett

Just torqued the fronts too. Guess this means I can take pics and measurements for the result of my CCK conversion. Rears still to be done.

520

Hmmm, I've always used one size....flip it up side down between F/R strut usage.

Lago Blue

As in the photo above, I am able to use this assembly, the wrench "up side down" (printed side facing down), for both Fr. &amp; Rr. on the CQ. No wrench slipping, no nut/wrench damage, no third hand required.

My wrench is part # MS 08/7, &amp; from what Mance is saying, must be the smaller, 50mm strut (body?) model. The large dia. hole in this wrench is only 51mm across, &amp; the wrench teeth are only 40mm apart, so we must need this larger (for 55mm struts) model he mentions for the UrSuper-sized struts (BBSE'd struts).

Perhaps a 2 &amp; 1/4" O.D. tube will allow the same trick as above if the larger wrench has an I.D. around 56mm; &amp; perhaps the tube length will need to be a little longer or, at least a little fussier, remember how Mance had to counter-bore the adapter bushing?

Ring..ring: Hallo Herr Bilstein. Guten Morgen! Bitte würden Sie mir einen anderen Schlüssel schicken? Danke!