For those that have done this, how much hammering did it take to mash the mushroom into submission?
My pass side has the strut studs splayed out just enough to make it difficult to install the Craven plate.
I'm thinking the best way is to jack up the corner to let the wheel hang and have at it with a 5# sledge on a block of wood placed on the raised portion of the tower.
Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

On the plus side, the driver's side plate went on without difficulty.

Regards,
SteveB

 

That's exactly what I did on the mushroomed passenger-side tower on my wife's car. It didn't take much force, and I went slowly so as not to overdo it. I seem to recall it taking about a half-dozen "whacks" over various parts of the tower to get it flattened back out.

 

The guide support should be replaced, it will have deformed along with the tower sheet metal. Reshape the tower with the strut removed; it won’t take a big hammer, just firm strikes.

 

You are 100% on the right track, that is exactly how I did mine, Took about 15/20 strikes on each side, Watch for hitting the headlight assbly on the upswing!!! I used a much larger sledge (longer handle) I think the small one would have made life easier, But it went down perfect and with the cravens (which is what I was installing) you have the perfect guide on how far to go.
Peter

 

Thanks for the feedback. I guess hitting the headlight ***'y could result in an expensive problem (w/ xenons). "K", thanks for the pic.
Its too bad this is even a problem. These are neat little cars and this "seems" to be about the dumbest (for lack of a better term) issue from an engineering standpoint. I had a '72 240Z in which I transplanted a 350 Chevy engine. The struts and towers never deformed, but the floors rotted right out of it. There's always something. I did rebuild that car from the ground up, though.

pmustang, how's your issues? Did you get your MINI fixed up OK?

 

error/15690

 

Basically, extremely rough roads, hitting potholes...

And to fix it, you hammer it down as described in the thread... to prevent it, common opinion is to either get strut tower plates, or fixed camber plates.

 

...or both.

 

I said "or," not "xor."

 

mitch,
As a complete newby myself, I made sure to look at the towers before purchase. They really did not look "out of whack". Not knowing exactly what to look for didn't help.
You need to look at the 3 studs protruding up from the strut. They should all look perpendicular to the mounting surface and parallel to each other. If they look like they're pointing away from the center hole, you have mushrooming. A picture is tough because you could use a fisheye lens and duplicate the same thing. The best way to photograph it would be to use a square or some other reference object near the studs. A straightedge might help if photographed on a known good tower and then a mushroomed one. Its probably been done already...

 

There are many discussions on NAM with good photos; here’s another from MINI2 http://www.mini2.com/forum/faults-fi...shrooming.html . I’m also one who does not put any faith in above tower plates.