Alright, I know this has been covered over 131 times since I went through the archive folder. And I search but, still i have not found a specific answer. Well I am lowering my 94 del sol with kyb gr2 gas shocks w/ H&R lowering springs and skunk 2 camber kits in the rear. Now my problem is that i snapped both my left and right stock struts Lca head bolts. And im basically confused on how to remove this stuck bolt. I was wondering if anyone can give me some ideas on a easy way out to remove these bolts for cheap, I am on a low budget now since I blew most of my saved money on the new suspension that I bought. Please I need anyones help right now, and im not willing to pay 60 bucks for each broken LCA bolt that every local shop around me is asking. If you guys would like, I can take pictures. But im still on trial also. Alright thanks everyone.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InfamousDelSol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Alright, I know this has been covered over 131 times since I went through the archive folder. And I search but, still i have not found a specific answer. Well I am lowering my 94 del sol with kyb gr2 gas shocks w/ H&R lowering springs and skunk 2 camber kits in the rear. Now my problem is that i snapped both my left and right stock struts Lca head bolts. And im basically confused on how to remove this stuck bolt. I was wondering if anyone can give me some ideas on a easy way out to remove these bolts for cheap, I am on a low budget now since I blew most of my saved money on the new suspension that I bought. Please I need anyones help right now, and im not willing to pay 60 bucks for each broken LCA bolt that every local shop around me is asking. If you guys would like, I can take pictures. But im still on trial also. Alright thanks everyone.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, your pretty expletiveed. I went through this exact same thing.

*IF* you managed to get both LCA's off the car, you can try to press out the bushings with the lodged bolts in them. Then you will have to replace the bushings and the bolts. Hopefully you can do this yourself, as Honda charges out the *** for this.

You said your short one money, but this isn't something I would try to half ***. Best advice, get a nice set of aftermarket LCAs and new bolts. Will probably run you about as much as it is going to cost to get new bushings and have them pressed. If you have to, I'd bum cash off of a family member or friend.

Now if the LCA's are still on the car your in for a real treat. I ended up just grinding the fork of the rear shocks off as I wasn't going to use them anymore. You could also try to drill them out, but that is going to be one PAIN in the ***.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Xathine &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Now if the LCA's are still on the car your in for a real treat. I ended up just grinding the fork of the rear shocks off as I wasn't going to use them anymore. You could also try to drill them out, but that is going to be one PAIN in the ***.</TD></TR></TABLE> My LCA's are still on the car, but im giving my rear struts to a friend that needs them and I don't want to chop that off. I was thinking if anyone has ever managed to snap that weld bolt on the strut so that they can just remove that and unscrew that bolt by hand? Any possibility's?

 

I had this same problem with my stock LCAs...we ended up cutting the bolt off and replacing the LCA's with new Blox units...no problems anymore

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InfamousDelSol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> My LCA's are still on the car, but im giving my rear struts to a friend that needs them and I don't want to chop that off. I was thinking if anyone has ever managed to snap that weld bolt on the strut so that they can just remove that and unscrew that bolt by hand? Any possibility's?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you snap that bolt. I woudln't give the shocks to your friend.

There is really no easy way around this, that I know of anyway.

 

Alright heres a update. Me and my friend manage to drill part of the bolt, but left some of the bolt inside of the bushing. I took off both of my rear struts and now how would i be able to take the bushing out of my LCA now? And where can I buy two cheap bushings for my LCA?

 

just get oem ones from honda. Keep your LCA's stock please.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bigsyke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just get oem ones from honda. Keep your LCA's stock please.</TD></TR></TABLE> I think I already know that noob, I mean Buddy. But anyways how much does honda sell bushings for? And what can I use to put the bushing in my LCA? I Dont have a press or nothing.

 

torch the old bushing out I had the same problem. Tried every bolt kit to remove the remaining portion of the bolt in the bushing. I was like expletive it so I torched it out.

 

Bump! I need more opinions on the LCA bolt im extracting. Anyone else that can touch this thread with some great information? This is my last post untill 24 hours go by, so people keep bumping this LOL! Alright thanks

 

try this. buy a reversible drill bit. use it on forward drive of the drill. it`s reversed so as it digs it winds the existing bolt off.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InfamousDelSol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Bump! I need more opinions on the LCA bolt im extracting. Anyone else that can touch this thread with some great information? This is my last post untill 24 hours go by, so people keep bumping this LOL! Alright thanks </TD></TR></TABLE>


Seriously, your expletiveed. Quit being a pansey, bum some dough and fix it right.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InfamousDelSol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> how much does honda sell bushings for? And what can I use to put the bushing in my LCA? I Dont have a press or nothing. </TD></TR></TABLE>

call and find out. i think mine were like $12 each. to put them in, just use a big enough socket that sits on the metal part of the bushng and smack it with a hammer.

 

The bolts dont normally get seized up in the nut on the strut, but actually inside the bushing. After the strut is off, you can try to drill it out. You will be extremely lucky if you can get them out. Make sure you have a steady hand when drilling though, because if you dont go exactly straight through the center of the bushing, youll end up ripping it apart and have to replace them anyway.

Your best bet is to just buy new bolts and new LCA's.

 

Alright heres my new update, i took everything off and i torched the old bushing off my LCA.. And im not to sure if the stock honda bushing has a metal ring around it but heres a link on what the stock bushing im talking about.http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/de...QKYSM5166.html
Well since i removed all the bushing on my LCA, the metal ring is still stuck on my LCA.. Should i remove that or can i leave it on? Im going to be buying this so tell me if i should keep the metal ring in the LCA or take it out.. Heres the link on the bushing im going to buy.http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...8103&cat=1053#
And my last question is, will this energy bushing slide right in that stuck metal ring in my LCA? And if i do have to remove the metal ring, how do i do that? Because i tried everything and that metal ring seems like the rust seized it in there. Alright thanks.

 

Well....since you have a del sol, the energy bushing kit is cheap for your chassis. If you get the RLCA kit, it's like $25.

Get a cutoff tool or a sawzall. You can rent sawzalls at home depot for $17/hr, IIRC. Get a good metal cutting blade (another $7 IIRC).

Cut, unscrew, whatever you gotta do to the rest of the LCA bolts. There's 3...you probably know this allready. One to the chassis, one to the trailing arm, and one to the shock. Cut off the bottom of the shock if you have to. Dont cut into the shock as "contents may be under pressure". They're not really...but Just in case.

The shock bolt usually breaks 95% of the time. The chassis bolts are a 50/50 breakage ratio. The trailing arm is a 70/30 breakage ratio. (in my experience).

Buy a good drill bit and drill thru the nuts in the trailing arm and/or chassis (if they are stuck as well). Or just break off the welded nuts using a big hammer and your built up frustration from the rest of the suspension swap. then just use regular 14mm nuts.

Burn out the old bushings using a propane torch or other torch. Then install the new bushings. On a del sol, you should be able to use a vice or C clamp easily if you can get creative with making some plates and sockets for the bushing to get pressed in with. You could also look for a set of used LCAs or buy aftermarket LCAs. That would save you the HUGE trouble of installing bushings. But the poly bushings are most likely going to be the cheapest option. I'm pretty sure I got mine for $25 or so. You could try to track down some OEM bushings...not sure how much they go for. I dont like polyurethane, personally.

If you do end up with a solution with rubber bushings, MAKE SURE YOU CLOCK THEM!!!!!!!!!

The reason you're going to have to replace bushings is that the bolt actually gets stuck inside the bushing sleeve and rusts.

Either go get some new bolts from honda (around $10 a peice, meaning you'll be spending between $20-$60 on bolts). Or go to the junkyard and remove them from cars. Look for cars that have new shocks on them. A lot of these have gone thru the same hell you went thru and have had to get new bolts...so the bolts are fairly mint. Try not to get severely rusted bolts for obvious reasons.

I keep a good inventory of suspension bolts from the junkyard. They come in handy. Use a small amount of antiseize on the part of the bolt that goes into the bushing sleeve. Try not to get too much on the threads.

Torque them down to spec AFTER YOU CLOCK THEM!! I'm not 100% on what "spec" is. IIRC, it's 35-40lbs or something light. So dont ox them down.

Edit: You have to cut out the metal ring. Use a sawzall or hacksaw. Take apart the hacksaw, and reassemble it with it allready going thru the sleeve. Cut a notch in the sleeve and try not to cut into the LCA too much. The sleeve will un-tension and you can knock it out of the LCA using a chisel (or screwdriver) and hammer.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Schister66 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I had this same problem with my stock LCAs...we ended up cutting the bolt off and replacing the LCA's with new Blox units...no problems anymore </TD></TR></TABLE>
same thing i did New blox lca's and then you can break everything you want like $96 Shipped on ebay and there really nice. thats what i did instead my friend did the new bushings payed 190$ there designed for lowered cars. plus polyuerethane bushing no more seized bolts. I did this procedure twice.

 

Make sure when you re-install your LCA bolts, to put anti-seize on the threads as well as the shaft of the bolt. This way you wont ever run into this problem again and you can easily remove things when you need to.

 

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

If you do end up with a solution with rubber bushings, MAKE SURE YOU CLOCK THEM!!!!!!!!!

</TD></TR></TABLE>

What does clock mean?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by spivt11 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

What does clock mean?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Think about the LCA to shock bolt. Visualize it. When the LCA moves up and down, the bushing has to twist. Think of the bushing as a torsion bar.

You have to tighten the bushing at ride height. If you tighten it while the car is in the air, it will over twist and will tear over time.

For the:

F : UCA to chassis, LCA to chassis, LCA to shock

R: all LCA bolts, and toe link

You have to clock the bushings if they are not fully floating. Rubber bushings are not fully floating.

To clock the bushing, either put a jack under the LCA and jack the LCA up to ride height before you tighten the bolts. USE JACKSTANDS TO SUPPORT THE CAR!! Or you can do it on an alignment rack for the LCA bolts. The UCA requires the jack method.

The best way to do it is to know how far down you want your ride height. Then BEFORE you put in the shock/spring, jack up the unloaded suspension to that height (use measuring tape against the fender and the hub). THEN tighten the bolts.

You have to do this either when you lower the car, or when you take off suspension components that require you to unclock the bushing.

 

So, i should cut off the metal bushing ring that is wedge in my LCA? And when i buy the ES bushing, is it just going to slide right in?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InfamousDelSol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So, i should cut off the metal bushing ring that is wedge in my LCA? And when i buy the ES bushing, is it just going to slide right in?</TD></TR></TABLE>

with lots of lube, a vice, and c-clamp, yes...just like the porno I saw last night.

 

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

with lots of lube, a vice, and c-clamp, yes...just like the porno I saw last night. </TD></TR></TABLE>Alright thanks. And what bolts and nuts should you guys recommend me? Should i buy the OEM ones or buy some other bolts and nuts from a hardware store?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InfamousDelSol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Alright thanks. And what bolts and nuts should you guys recommend me? Should i buy the OEM ones or buy some other bolts and nuts from a hardware store?</TD></TR></TABLE>

OEM ones. Do not buy ones from a hardware store. Like I said before, go to a junkyard and find a ton of those bolts for right around free.99. If you go to a dealer, it's like $10 U.S a bolt. Meaning you could spend up to $60 in bolts.

 

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

OEM ones. Do not buy ones from a hardware store. Like I said before, go to a junkyard and find a ton of those bolts for right around free.99. If you go to a dealer, it's like $10 U.S a bolt. Meaning you could spend up to $60 in bolts. </TD></TR></TABLE>


Dont go the cheap way out! Go spend the money for brand new bolts. You probably dont need all the suspension bolts just a couple. They're on a working part of your car. You wouldn't want them to break off again or worse? Especially if the car has been put through the stress of a wreck.