Hi again. Whew. Just got out from under the car replacing tie rod ends and ball joints. Spent some time staring at the strut towers, and between my look-see, the Haynes manual and the parts I need to replace I AM LOST!!!! Not only are the bushings on both side dry and pulling away and the right insert leaking, but now that I've had my hands on the towers they look, er, funky. um, maybe even an little crumbly?! Kinda, you know, peeling?

please please please walk me through how this devilish thing is assembled and how it all works.

--- ack - twitch - shudder. Man, it's just one thing after another!! What the h*** did the first owner DOOOOOOOOO???? what, no maintenance in 20 years and now it's all on meeeeeeeeee...... I'm back now. that was the little dude w/ the pitchfork on my shoulder chiming in. I drop kicked him over by the valium and smelling salts. ---

How do all these parts work together?
Oh yeah, what exactly are all the parts for an '81 240?
Is the strut tower in two pieces? How do I replace the tower with those springs 'o death around it?
What's the deal with making sure nothing twists when I loosen the top nut to begin disassembly? the tower swung around a bit when I changed the ball joints.
What keeps the spring from exploding when I'm lowering the assembly from the car?
What part do I clamp onto w/ my vise when I'm taking of the washer, bumper, strut nut, etc? I'm not sure I have good metal to clamp onto.
How can I make sure the spring compressors are putting equal torque on the spring so one side doesn't go flying to Cleveland?
Could other parts have gone bad, too, like the rubber bumper inside? What additional parts should I have on hand "just in case?"

Krikey, I'm going to need a home equity line to fix this buggy. on the up side, it's really very restful lying under the car for hours on end.
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thanks everyone for all your help