maynards_ek

I searched and read the responses, but didn't really see a difinitive answer. I snapped the head off both the shock fork bolt and lca bolt. The thread ends are seized in the sleeves. How am I supposed to get them out while salvaging the oem LCA? I am kinda strapped for cash, so buying new ones is not an option. And yes, I already have new bolts.

HeikDiesel

Press out the old bushings and press in new ones. Ive never broke a shock fork bolt but I have had problems with the rear lower control arm bushings seizing to the bolt.

seadonkeyraypiss

I think your best bet is to go to a hardware store and tell them you have a stuck bolt. Bring you new ones in for a size comparison. They should show you something called EZ-Out IIRC. It's a type of drill bit that you can use to dig into the broken bolt and extract it out.

prettylew

EZ out will never work. if your replacing the shock just cut the fork to get the old one out of the way. then with an air hammer blast out the old bushing by cutting the sleeve on the inside of that bushing with the air hammer. it will pop right out before long. then take the new bushing and press it in with a ball joint press.

drtysohc

I had that happen, it was a bitch. The bolt was seized to the bushing in the LCA, and I couldn't get a bolt loose on the LCA to get it off. I ended up making a little press out of a bottle jack and some angle iron that I had sitting around.

I had to cut the old one out with a sawzall by first cutting the rubber and inner bushing out, then by cutting the outside piece out of the LCA (be careful if you do this, not only is it dangerous, but you don't want to go all the way through the bushing into the LCA). Next, I stuck the new bushing in the deep freeze overnight to get it really cold. When the time came to stick it in, I took a torch and got the LCA hot, then pressed it in with my home made bottle jack.

HeikDiesel

Just take the control arm off, go to honda and buy your bushings and go to a machine shop and have them press them in for you if you don't have access to a press. They might charge you like 10 bucks

maynards_ek

How do I get the LCA off if both bolts are broken in the sleeve? I am really skeptical of the ez-out method, but I am kinda at my wits end.

tatmark1

If you cant get the shock off because of it your going to have to use a die grinder then either get oem bushing or es shock bushings

thw_goalie

The EZ-out method won't work. If you can, try cutting the old shock off and try to get the LCA off the car.

If you can't do that, get some good drill bits and drill through the center of the bolt. Do this with bigger and bigger drill bits until the bolt is gone (or until it will come out.) This is what I had to do when installing my suspension.

It will take some time to drill the bolts out, but it will save your LCA and will also not require new bushings. Just make sure you're drilling straight through the bolt and not at an angle and you'll be good!

HeikDiesel

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by maynards_ek &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How do I get the LCA off if both bolts are broken in the sleeve? I am really skeptical of the ez-out method, but I am kinda at my wits end. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Break off the other side. The fork has the 17mm head nut that you just can either break, torch, or cut off. Do the same for the other side

sk8shorty012

iTrader: (3)

Wait wait, why buy new bushings and get it pressed in? It'll cost more than just getting a new set of LCAs.

OEM LCAs can be had for $10-$15.

maynards_ek

I'd like to know where one can get LCA's for $10-$15.

Frickr

wont a hammer and a punch work? if you snapped one end of the bolt off, cant you just beat out the rest with a large punch and even bigger hammer??

sk8shorty012

iTrader: (3)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by maynards_ek &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'd like to know where one can get LCA's for $10-$15.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I got some for $15 picked up by a guy 20min away.

Search?

fdavie

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Frickr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wont a hammer and a punch work? if you snapped one end of the bolt off, cant you just beat out the rest with a large punch and even bigger hammer??</TD></TR></TABLE>

Maybe, but those damn things rust in there good... We tried a sledge on mine, and it did nothing... had to drill them out.

m735is

For the fork bolt, just break or cut off the other side. You'll need a new bushing pressed in.
For the inner one, it's alittle harder. You can't get to the nut that's welded on the inside of the cross member. I had to cut off the bolt between the bushing and the frame. Then I had to break off the inside nut by pounding the remaining bolt inwards. I took a grinder and cut a slot in the crossmember so I could get a new nut and open end wrench up in there. I used alittle JB Weld to hold the nut to the wrench while I started the threads. Tighten the bolt and remove the wrench.
I just sprayed some paint over the slot that I ground into the crossmeber so prevent it from rusting out. Oviously you'll need a new inner bushing pressed in also, so it may be cheaper to get a "new" control arm.

If you're talking about the rear LCA's, then you'll have to cut or grind in between the bushing and mount (sawzall works wonders here). If you use PB Blaster and alittle heat from a propane torch, you MAY be able to back the remaining bolt out with vise grips.Or, as a last resort, just break off the offending welded nuts and install new ones. I only had to grind off a shock one which held up fine for years (shock was still good). Same thing here with the bushings, new repalcement ones plus installation may end up costing as much as "new" complete arms.

Of course I lube the crap out of the bolts with either grease or anti seize whenever I remove them now.


Modified by m735is at 5:37 AM 11/21/2007

sleeptime

Dude I just did the same thing. Look up rear strut problem on Honda-Tech. Good luck man hope it helps.

sleeptime

I finally got all four struts replaced. I ended up buying two new lower strut bolts, which I would encourage anyone doing this to do from the start. I drilled the metal sleeve, stepping up and finishing with a 25/64th inch drill bit. On the other rear strut bolt, I snapped the head of the bolt after attempting to loosen it first. I then attached a pole to the end of my ratchet and broke the weld of the nut that was fixed to the strut itself. Once loose, I tightened the nut drawing out the rest of the bolt. There was not much threading left on the bolt, so at that point I punched the rest of the bolt out with a hammer and a spike. I just wish that I tried this in the first place on the other strut. It may have saved me all the time it took to drill through the 1½-inch long sleeve. Good luck with any future projects and thanks for the replies. Sorry no pics. I promise this will be the last time. i do not wish anyone else to be in the same messes i get in.

Archidictus

I made this two days ago for a friend.

sleeptime

Just curious but how did you end up fixing you LCA problem.

gabebauman

Dang...What kind of drill bits are you all using? I worked on the rear shock bolts for seven hours on a friend's 97 Integra today and barely made a dent.

I think I may just try and extract the entire lca tomorrow.

slimjimming6688

Drill