Strut Straightening

your device is pretty impressive, you could position the jacks to get the twist out, most times they are twisted and are a beeoch to get the twist out of the struts

you could be the official site strut straightener! post a ship too address lol

Eric - I just guessed as to how far to compensate for springback, wasn't a very close guess.

I'm sure you nail it the 1st time!

Chris,
Great pictures and "how to".

Another winter project: Straighten my (now spare) strut:

My friend loaned me his straightening fixture & bottle jacks. It's made from heavy channel & angle. Not much to look at - I might repaint it, to pay him back for the loan.

1st, I checked how far off center each end was by using our kitchen counter 'surface plate'. One end was 3/8 inch off-center, the other end was 1/8. I pushed the (full length) bushing about 1/2 way out to make measuring easier.








This is the fixture:







To take the twist out I offset the jacks:





I heated on the strut just above the base plate while straightening it. I left the pressure on until it cooled off. It ticked a few times, so I must have either created, or relieved, some stresses.

I over-corrected it the first time, so it took a second try to get it right. I got it to within 1/16 inch of center on both ends - close enough to align using the hull mounting hole clearance.