Installing mounting pins / bolts in new front upper strut mounts

[cfisher535is]

Sorry for the newbie question.

I'm replacing most of the front end components on my e23. Needed new upper strut mounts, so ordered new hard ones from BMW. $$$. Not sure of difference between the hard and soft ones, but I digress...

They don't come with the mounting pins / bolts. I ordered the pins, so I'm ready to install them.

What is the best way to install the pins into the mount? I'm used to e24/e28 mounts that already had the pins installed.
I assume a shop press would be the way, but I'm not familiar with using one or what standard dies(?) they come with that would work. Is there another way to install them? I tried a hammer, but didn't pound away due to fear of destroying the mount.

Any guidance or experience would be of great help!

Thanks,
C

[8991XJ]

I would use a socket to allow the pin to enter it and press the pin in from the proper side using a shop vise I have on my workbench.

If the stud is fully threaded you can put enough washers on it to fill most of the threads and pull the stud in with the nut but there might not be enough bite of the sheet metal to keep the stud from turning. I did this recently with the studs for the driveshaft/vibration damper on an E30 but the flange on the driveshaft has plenty of meat to keep the stud from turning.

[cfisher535is]

Thanks for your suggestion 8991XJ!

That is the solution that my friend who owns the local Firestone used, when I dropped by this morning to ask him since I don't own a vise or press. He has both of course, but used his large wide "throat" bench vise. He put the pin through the mount from the correct side, put a suitable sized socket on the opposite side with the threads down in the socket, then placed in the vise and slowly tightened it down. He had to use a cheater pipe, but they are now fully seated in the mount with no damage.

Hopefully this helps someone else.

By the way, has anyone figured out the difference in the hard and soft e23 front strut mounts?

[Jay535is]

The concept of this is super weird to me, maybe because I am more used to the E28 world, but I've always bought strut mounts with the pins already in there...

[cfisher535is]

So I got them installed with no issues, but I had another question.
When removing the older strut mounts, I noticed that there was grease down in the bearings. The new ones do not have any grease.
Does these need to be greased? There wasn't anything I could find in the online factory repair manual or the e28 Bentley that mentions greasing the bearings.

thanks again.
C