my coilover dilemma

[Guest TurboSedan]

so i got my new KYB GR2 struts a couple days ago and decided to put them in right away. one of the strut bolts would not come out, so i ended up pulling the entire knuckle out with the strut so i could lay it on the ground and get a good swing at it....finally got that damn bolt out

 

i thought it would be smooth sailing after that but no i cannot get the coilover sleeve off the old KYB strut! even though my car is totally rust free it seems to have gotten too much corrosion between the strut body and the sleeve making it impossible to slip off. so far it's looking like my options are to either buy a new coilover kit or somehow buy the sleeves (and hopefully adjuster nuts) separately. to be honest i've been wanting to replace my TDC coilovers anyway because the sleeves and adjuster nuts are all marked up and the set screws on each side are stripped out. but now i can't even get them off the old strut so i have to replace them.

 

so i found some coilover sleeves at afcoracing.com. they look exactly like the ones i have now and exactly like the ones FFP has for that matter. only problem is i think the ID is too small for the KYB strut body. i have a hunch that FFP might actually buy their sleeves and adjuster nuts from AFCO and then they hone them out to fit our KYB struts. anyway, AFCO lists the ID of their sleeves at 2.055". i measured my new KYB GR2 rear strut and it looks to be right at 2.13". should i just buy the AFCO sleeves and take them to a machine shop to be honed out so they fit the strut body? i haven't called FFP yet but i seriously doubt they will sell coilover parts separately. i guess it wouldn't hurt to try but i'd kind of feel stupid asking them.

 

here is a link to the AFCO parts that i'm thinking about buying:

 

7" coilover sleeve:

http://www.secureperformanceorder.com/afcostore/getproduct.cfm?CategoryID=16&ClassID=207&SubclassID=1007&ProductID=5025

 

adjuster nut:

http://www.secureperformanceorder.com/afcostore/getproduct.cfm?CategoryID=16&ClassID=207&SubclassID=1015&ProductID=851

 

so...has anyone tried this? i might just buy one sleeve to see if it can actually be done. while i'd like to just buy new coilovers from FFP (because their upper mount is wayyy nicer than the TDC upper mount) i just can't afford it at this time. if the AFCO stuff will work that would be GREAT. i guess i'll call FFP first and see if they'll sell the sleeves and adjuster nuts separately, but i kinda doubt they will.

[pwmin]

they wouldnt sell parts to me cause i wanted just the upper mount, but someone on here said they would. i would try and see if you can get that to work but not if they cost much cause i doubt it will work but theres a chance. then, we would have a cheaper alternative cuz you can just use the stock mount and buy all the parts separately. ive been using the stock mount for a long time with no problems. you may also be able to get the parts from hms. when shane got the coilovers he had them send another set of rings so you could lock them together instead of using the crappy set screws. good luck.