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Backstory: struts went south. Decided to do a diy job on them. Ordered full suspension kit moog coilovers, upper arms, lower, etc. Basically paid more than the thing is worth trying to get a smooth ride. I love this car, it's like a part of the family.<br /><br />I got the front done. No real surprises there. Then, on the drivers rear that all changed. I pb blasted everything good and let it sit a few hours. As I was pulling the strut and snapped the bottom bolt on the strut. No biggie, I am replacing the control arm, so I removed them together. The inside bolt on the control arm was a major pita to get out. I thought several times it was going to snap off, but I managed to get it out. Already by now decided to replace all the bolts... I get the lower out and the strut with it. Success.<br /><br />One more to go. The upper arm. The bolt was locked in tight. Hit it with pb again, with a 3/8 socket and no cheater bar it snapped off. Not good. I really don't want to replace the axle. Anyone have any ideas on how I can get this out without destroying the axle? Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Sorry the pics posted sideways. As you can see, part of the bolt threads are visible on the other end, but as tight as this thing is, I dunno if that will help at all
I probably should have taken a picture of the other side. The nut on the other side is built in to the axle. Not welded, but covered. Grinding it out will leave a rather large hole I would imagine.
When mine did that, I actually was able to bend the side wall out a little to where I could get a hacksaw blade between the bushing and the arm. Once I cut the bolt between the bushing and that integrated nut, the remainder of the bolt came out with vice grips.
The bolt was seized in the bushing for me. And I jut swapped my LCA's instead of dealing with the bushing at the time.
In this case it would be the camber arm that would need to be swapped, but it could save that built in nut.
When mine did that, I actually was able to bend the side wall out a little to where I could get a hacksaw blade between the bushing and the arm. Once I cut the bolt between the bushing and that integrated nut, the remainder of the bolt came out with vice grips.
The bolt was seized in the bushing for me. And I jut swapped my LCA's instead of dealing with the bushing at the time.
In this case it would be the camber arm that would need to be swapped, but it could save that built in nut.
It's promising to know others have had this happen and had a positive outcome. I have a new control arm that has the bushing.. And even if I didn't, I would gladly pick one up.
I looked at how that axle mounts to the car, and was really worried about the thought of getting that off. I'll pick up some new hacksaw blades, and if that doesn't do it, I can probably cut through it with an angle grinder.
What TomCat said. The problem is that the bolt rusts to the inner sleeve of the bushing. When you turn the head of the bolt, the bushing stops it from turning out of the nut. Since you don't mind destroying the bushing or even the control arm, cut those parts away and try to leave enough to turn the stub of the bolt out of the nut. If that doesn't work, grind off the nut slightly above being flush with the outside of the knuckle, and use a separate nut. Do not grind down far enough that you enlarge the hole.
Tamboo: That would be awesome, thank you. I'll gladly pay shipping. I have some ordered, but they aren't OEM, they are just straight thru bolts. Drop me an email: iceohio@gmail.com
It's still on there, well part of it. I ground it out with an angle grinder, but didn't leave enough of the end on it to get a vice grip on it. I was able to get it to turn just a bit with heat, but the angle sucks, and I'm worried about running the torch that close to the gas tank.
Sooo. I'm going to grind off the part of the bolt coming out of the nut & as close to the other side as possible.. Drill a hole in it with a 90 degree drill attachment, then try using an extractor on the bolt. If that doesn't work, I'll just drill it completely out and use a longer bolt. I prefer not cutting the nut off for added strength, so if I can't save the threads, I'll just bore it out big enough for the new bolt to slip right through and put a lock washer and put a nyloc nut on it.
Here's what I've learned. DIY typically doesn't save money, lol. I bought a $15 zawsaw blade, a $40 electric angle grinder, $10 in grinders, a $25 extractor set, and a $5 center punch. And another $12 for the stupid bolt (that I probably won't be able to use). For $100 I probably could have paid someone to come take care of it for me that day. But, I still have the other side to do, and have mitigated the time it will take if the same thing happens on that side.
The good news is the bolts holding the other side of the upper arms came out easily. I read several horror stories about the inaccessible nut snapping off on those.
On side two, it will be all hit with a combo of 50/50 tranny fluid and acetone several times for a couple days, then hit briefly with heat & a quick burst of an impact wrench. If it comes out great. If not, I'll give another shot of the homemade PB blaster and sit overnight. If any break after that, it's safe to say it was inevitable.
I also learned while researching that the replacement lowering coils I bought probably weren't the best idea. So I dropped another $300 for Skunk2 coilovers and new mounts for them. In hindsight, I wish I'd just bought the complete set this way. Cost me about $200 more getting things separate.. and there's potential (albeit small) I will assemble them wrong.
But I think I will be ok, and get it back on the road next weekend. Already miss driving it.
Thank you all who responded. It's a big boost to not be feeling alone and desperate in these situations. Thank you!
Man. That damn bolt held on and put up a good fight. The bolt apparently welded itself to the embedded nut. Even drilling it out couldn't save the threads. I just cut it off, and used a suspension bolt/nut that I cut down to a reasonable length. One side is done.. Well, mechanically. I still need to adjust the coilover height and the camber for the rear tire. It's extremely positive. Oddly enough, the alignment looks pretty damn close on the front for doing both a tie rod replacement with a different length outer, and lowering it. This is good, as I have a 20 mile trip to get it aligned when I'm done.
To anyone reading... Would it be prudent to use a tape measure between the fender to the top of a tire and match all around to tune the coilover sleeves? The set I have has little hashmarks on it, but the rears are higher. I'm thinking I'll sit in the driver's seat and have my kid measure them and keep tweaking them until they are all the same. I'm not slamming them, just dropping them far enough to remove the big gap. The primary reason I went with coilovers was because they are easier to work with (ie compressing/decommpressing) and my struts were definitely bad.
When removing the rear struts, I found they were installed wrong. They put the load washer on upside down which ground a pretty big groove around the arm, and was probably the source of the ticking noise I have lived with.
I want to thank Tamboo for sending extra bolts. I really appreciate this Bro, and will pay it forward!
So onward to next week. I'm hoping to get the camber adjusted this evening and back the car out of the garage and turn it around tonight. After that, I will liberally hit everything with PB and let it sit until the weekend.
01-30-2017, 03:26 PM
Del sol wimpy bolts. Now what?
