Mike,

But by nut and bolting right through, you eliminate the concerns over the stength of the threads in the alloy (that's Chips main concern) after skim reading the thread...the torsional strengths of nut and bolt fixings can be controlled from a quality point of view, so once determined, the number and size would effectively safeguard the design. Studs are all very well, but sometimes provide less strength than a nut and bolt fixing. And you still run the risk of any fixing, dropping out if fitted vertially from underneath. Fitting them from above would allow the owner to quickly jack the car up (thereby allowing the strut to hang) and check the base plate fixings easily, we regulary check the M8 bolts that hold the top plates on the rally cars.....

Ian