Reposted from suspension forum. I figure there are some people in here that wouldn't wander in there that would have some valuable insight as well.

I recently broke off the head of the bolt that attaches to the rear LCA and goes through the lower shock mount while trying to install my Omnipower drag coilovers. I figured I might as well throw some Omnipower or Function7 LCA's on while I had everything apart, so I'm placing an order for those very soon. The bolts that attach the stock LCA to the unibody of the car are stuck just like the shock bolt and the heads will more than likely snap off just like the other.

I checked with a dealer and the bolts that I need are $7 a piece, and the nut that I need is actually welded to the shock. $42 for just the bolts is ridiculous, so after some researching I believe I have found what I need from McMaster-Carr. The bolts are Grade 10.9 M10x1.5 partially threaded 16mm head with a 80mm length, a washer on each side with a thickness of 2.3mm, and a M10x1.5 hex nut with a 17mm head and thickness of 8mm. All of these are stainless steel.

Total cost of materials is $22.82 without shipping, with enough parts to do this twice. I've measured everything and it should all fit, I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I hope to be installing this next Monday (the 29th) as I will have the day off and access to a shop with torch, plasma cutter, die grinders and whatever else is needed to get these bastard bolts off.

I can post up all the part numbers if anyone wants to take a look. Has anyone done this before/have any suggestions? Thanks.

 

my suggestion:
cut the welded nut off the back of the LCA mount (shouldnt be too hard, I believe they are just spot welded on) an angle grinder with a thin cutting blade should do the trick. or you could use a dremel if you have time to waste.

After the nut is cut off, get an air chisel with a nice pointy tip. stick the tip on the broken bolt shaft and it should pop right out. (be very careful when working with an air chisel. use eye protection and practice first to get a feel for how they operate. they can get away from you pretty easily and cause damage to the surrounding area.)

then just bolt everything back up. I wouldnt bother with welding a new nut on the LCA.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2old_honda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my suggestion:
cut the welded nut off the back of the LCA mount (shouldnt be too hard, I believe they are just spot welded on) an angle grinder with a thin cutting blade should do the trick. or you could use a dremel if you have time to waste.

After the nut is cut off, get an air chisel with a nice pointy tip. stick the tip on the broken bolt shaft and it should pop right out. (be very careful when working with an air chisel. use eye protection and practice first to get a feel for how they operate. they can get away from you pretty easily and cause damage to the surrounding area.)

then just bolt everything back up. I wouldnt bother with welding a new nut on the LCA.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the advice on getting the bastard nuts off. I'm going with new LCA's though, so it'll be a washer and hex nut on that side.

 

i guess i didnt read your post carefully. i thought that you had already broken the LCA bolts off.

Get some PB blaster and spray those bolts a couple times a day, from now until the 29th. If you have access to a shop I assume they have impact guns. Hit those bolts with the impact and they should come out. If the heads do snap off then do what I suggested in my previous post.

I wouldnt heat those because that whole area has rubber undercoating from the factory that would be damaged, plus the LCA mounts are thin metal and if you heated them too much they could be weakened.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2old_honda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i guess i didnt read your post carefully. i thought that you had already broken the LCA bolts off.

Get some PB blaster and spray those bolts a couple times a day, from now until the 29th. If you have access to a shop I assume they have impact guns. Hit those bolts with the impact and they should come out. If the heads do snap off then do what I suggested in my previous post.

I wouldnt heat those because that whole area has rubber undercoating from the factory that would be damaged, plus the LCA mounts are thin metal and if you heated them too much they could be weakened.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I broke the head of one bolt off, the other 5 are still on there. I'll hit the bolts with PB blaster though and give their impact guns a shot. If that doesn't work, its time to cut ****.

 

Let me know if you need the Function7 LCAs.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by daveG &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Reposted from suspension forum. I figure there are some people in here that wouldn't wander in there that would have some valuable insight as well.

I recently broke off the head of the bolt that attaches to the rear LCA and goes through the lower shock mount while trying to install my Omnipower drag coilovers. I figured I might as well throw some Omnipower or Function7 LCA's on while I had everything apart, so I'm placing an order for those very soon. The bolts that attach the stock LCA to the unibody of the car are stuck just like the shock bolt and the heads will more than likely snap off just like the other.

I checked with a dealer and the bolts that I need are $7 a piece, and the nut that I need is actually welded to the shock. $42 for just the bolts is ridiculous, so after some researching I believe I have found what I need from McMaster-Carr. The bolts are Grade 10.9 M10x1.5 partially threaded 16mm head with a 80mm length, a washer on each side with a thickness of 2.3mm, and a M10x1.5 hex nut with a 17mm head and thickness of 8mm. All of these are stainless steel.

Total cost of materials is $22.82 without shipping, with enough parts to do this twice. I've measured everything and it should all fit, I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I hope to be installing this next Monday (the 29th) as I will have the day off and access to a shop with torch, plasma cutter, die grinders and whatever else is needed to get these bastard bolts off.

I can post up all the part numbers if anyone wants to take a look. Has anyone done this before/have any suggestions? Thanks. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Well i believe Carol smith said it best DO not buy bolts from a hardware store for your racecar. I wouldnt do it for my streetcar either, those bolts from honda are 42 and whatever for a reason. If i have to buy aftermarket fasteners i buy aerospace grade, i dont want some two bit QCing a bolt that my life depends on and having it fail.

As far as the LCA's go they are nothing but bling and i doubt they have any engineering time put into them at all stick with the factory

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Casey@Burns &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

As far as the LCA's go they are nothing but bling and i doubt they have any engineering time put into them at all stick with the factory </TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually, Function7 has put considerable engineering effort into design, development and testing of the LCA's they sell. Order a set and see for yourself!