anyone know how I can remove the little bump above the bolt (9 o'clock position)on the strut tower brace? I was told that this is a capscrew and that it can be removed by using a wrench or vice grip and twisting it counterclockwise, but it just strips when I try that. My strut brace plates won't sit flush with this on. Thanks for any help.
I hope somebody has an answer for you on how to remove it easily; I don't, not being familiar w/ E46 specifics. Have you tried looking up the shock tower with an extendible mirror and flashlight to see if you can see the underside of it from within the shocktower? If you can't get it out, perhaps drill a hole of the right diameter and in the right spot either through the mounting plate, or deep enough that it would clear - that's what comes to mind for me.
thanks. I thought about drilling a hole in the strut plates as well. I bought the strong struts brand and overall looks like it's very high quality stuff and the customer service has been top notch, so I really want this to work out. I'll have to see if they'll stand by their lifetime guarantee if I drill a hole in it, though.
You might email Mike Miller (techtalk@roundel.org) and see what he says. He's very good at getting back to you quickly on matters such as this. cheers.
It's been a few years since I removed that pin on my E46, so the details are murky. I know that we just tapped it out with a punch and a hammer, but I can't recall if I needed to loosen up the strut first. The pin is just designed to be punched out, and then you can slide the strut over to get as much negative camber as possible with the stock design (it isn't much, on the ZHP with me in the driver's seat, it only amounts to ~-1.1 degrees ).
I actually did send Mike Miller an email yesterday with the picture. It seems like a minor issue compared to some of the questions he answers, so hopefully he can work his magic. In the meantime, though, "punching it out" sound like a great idea. If I loosen up the strut first and punch it out, do I need another alignment? Probably not enough impact, right? Thanks to all the responses and suggestions.
They're out! I just needed to vice grip it a lot more than what I did initially. I guess that shows what a novice I am...just wasn't sure whether I would ruin anything or not. Thanks for everyone's advise. I'll be sure to post some pictures once the strong strut is in.
