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View Full Version : Ran into a litte complication



v1c10us
07-22-2008, 11:22 AM
im removing the rear strut/shock assembly and the nut is off, but the bolt is still inside the shock and its spinning in the fucking mashed potato bushings.
I cannot remove it for the life of me, hammers, chisels, crow bars, its fucked. help

Drew1d
07-22-2008, 11:57 AM
I'm a little confused, is the strut off the car? Or is it the rear lower shock bolt you're having a problem with?

v1c10us
07-22-2008, 12:13 PM
the rear lower shock bolt i suppose is what its called.
its just spinning in there.

theyb
07-22-2008, 12:26 PM
is it this bolt?

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/albums/SC/removing_shock.sized.jpg

by the time the bolt is off one end it will tilt causing the bolt not to unscrew on one end. make sure you apply pressure (pulling pressure) while unscrewing the bolt.

spike 03EP3
07-22-2008, 12:37 PM
Is the car in the air and is the strut fully extended under load? If so, then what's happening is the strut is pushing down on the bolt and making the bolt tight in the slot. Just put a jack under the strut and jack it up to compress the strut, it will take some pressure off the bolt, then tap it out with a punch.

Drew1d
07-22-2008, 12:42 PM
Oh jeez dude. Did you break the nut off (Attached to) the Trailing arm?

frm_808
07-22-2008, 01:03 PM
your threads are prolly damaged by now man.. i just used a long enough screw driver and used a hammer to punch it out.

v1c10us
07-22-2008, 01:44 PM
none of the above worked.
its dead stuck as shit, as if the bushing has melted and fused itself to the bolt, so you cannot turn it without it just spinning, and you cant hammer it out cause of who knows what, and if you try to angle the bolt you cant hammer it, and you cant turn it and hammer it cause it wont come out without being angled..
its effed.

shadowmd
07-22-2008, 02:31 PM
could u take a pic?

v1c10us
07-22-2008, 03:53 PM
i got it sorted.. aka, im taking it to my friend who works at a Nissan dealership and he's gonna do it for me after they close; with big powertools and torches and shit and a impact gun.
he said he'd take 2 nuts and put them on the end and loosen one and tighten the other and then use an impact gun in to blast it out the other side.

oldschoolimport
07-22-2008, 04:06 PM
it sounds like the metal collar inside the bushing has rusted to the bolt. no amount of spinning will get it out. you will have to cut both ends off the bolt, and open up the bracket.

Prime Si
07-22-2008, 04:29 PM
it sounds like the metal collar inside the bushing has rusted to the bolt. no amount of spinning will get it out. you will have to cut both ends off the bolt, and open up the bracket.

this happened to me as well. I took it to a mechanic to try a bigger impact on it and whenever he cranked at it the thing just spun and the car raised and lowered a bit. i ended up having to take an air chisel to the old strut and peeled away enough to get at the bushing, then sectioned it with a saw enough to get the bolt to turn out. not sure if this is the best way to do it, but it did work after a few hours of hammering away at it.

!@#$%
07-22-2008, 04:35 PM
Three words.

Big. Bolt. Cutters.

frm_808
07-22-2008, 09:07 PM
wat ever the outcome is, have fun!!

oldskoofame
07-23-2008, 03:13 AM
i just took a flat head and hammered it out. worked fine with 4 hits.
it's just thtat the 2 holes aren't aligned so it's just jammed in there.

v1c10us
07-23-2008, 03:03 PM
yeah im taking it in on saturday.
But I used a sledge hammer, a regular hammer, a chisel, a center punch, a flat head, a metal pipe..
not one thing would knock the bolt out.

oldschoolimport
07-23-2008, 04:42 PM
tried an air chisel yet? :mangel:

Windchaser
07-23-2008, 05:03 PM
Take a dremel and cut the bolt off. Saves you time and a headache.

v1c10us
07-23-2008, 06:05 PM
i don't have access to an air chisel.
I'll try that when i take it to my friend at the nissan dealership, i imagine they have every air tool i could want.
I could cut the bolt off im sure but i donno how i would get it out if i cant even hammer it out?

dichotomous
07-24-2008, 09:17 AM
heh heh, welcome to the club....
my rear bolts destroyed 3 sawzall blades (cobalt rescue blased for steel too) 3 die grinding bits, 3 chisels, 1 hefty prybar (the prybar bent, not the nut on the trailing arm), a grinding disc, a cutting wheel.... we should have just STARTED with a torch. seriously just cut the shock off and burn off the rubber bushing and heat the sleeve enough to crack it free with a BIG impact gun.

the problem is that the bolt is zinc plated and the sleeve is NOT, zinc is great for plating because it bonds with steel, well if you place a plated bolt in a non plated sleeve, the zince will do what we ask it to do and bond, to the sleeve.... you gotta crack that free.

mustclime came up with a nice way to do it, its actually easy and I wish I did it. drill through the housing and sleeve till you get to the bolt, swiss cheese that sleeve.... then soak it nicely with penetrating oil, which should break that zinc/steel bond

mustclime
07-24-2008, 09:45 AM
here is my fix.....

http://forums.clubep3.net/showthread.php?t=572704

v1c10us
07-24-2008, 06:28 PM
wow..
that sounds like a wicked pain in the ass..
i think we're going to torch the bushing till it melts and pull the bolt out and then just put a new bushing in.
I've got some Energy suspension bushings sitting around waiting to be installed so I'll throw those in since i'll be obliterating the bushing.

oldschoolimport
07-25-2008, 05:55 AM
the bushing isn't the problem, its the metal collar inside the bushing. the bolt is most likely rusted to the collar. the collar is what keeps the mount from collapsing as you tighten the bolt. that means that the collar won't come thru the bolt hole. you have to either separate the bolt and collar, or cut the head off the bolt, and remove the collar and bolt shaft together out of the middle of the bracket.

Fico
07-25-2008, 06:46 AM
you might have to drill out the bolt which is a PITA we had to do it to my buddies 99si it takes a while but its all you can do

dichotomous
07-25-2008, 06:51 AM
that bushing and collar at part of the shock assembly, you will be replacing it anyways since it will be on the new shock

mustclime
07-25-2008, 07:41 AM
wow..
that sounds like a wicked pain in the ass..
i think we're going to torch the bushing till it melts and pull the bolt out and then just put a new bushing in.
I've got some Energy suspension bushings sitting around waiting to be installed so I'll throw those in since i'll be obliterating the bushing.

buy a new drill bit or 2, the bushing is really soft, new drill bits go right through them....people get scared of drilling steel from using dull drill bits....new drill bits make it easy.:tehehyper:

v1c10us
07-25-2008, 08:24 AM
well im terrified now..
I swapped an h22 into my 95 accord in 4 hours
my endlinks took like 2 days to replace..
suspension work has proved to be the most difficult thing on the planet because if a car has more than 2 miles its fubard and if it has less than 2 miles its over torqued from the factory and i just break the bones in my arms from pulling so hard.

Can I just remove the trailing arm and shock/spring assembly as a whole and install it with it still attached?
im not replacing the shocks at the moment because I sold my d-specs after it took 3 months to get my progress springs

RS_man
07-25-2008, 09:28 AM
I got mine out using a sawsall and a prybar. :mbiggrin:

dichotomous
07-25-2008, 09:32 AM
well im terrified now..
I swapped an h22 into my 95 accord in 4 hours
my endlinks took like 2 days to replace..
suspension work has proved to be the most difficult thing on the planet because if a car has more than 2 miles its fubard and if it has less than 2 miles its over torqued from the factory and i just break the bones in my arms from pulling so hard.

Can I just remove the trailing arm and shock/spring assembly as a whole and install it with it still attached?
im not replacing the shocks at the moment because I sold my d-specs after it took 3 months to get my progress springs

you can do exactly that if you like. it would likely be your best bet because if you are NOT replacing shocks, I wouldnt fudge with the lower rear mounts unless YOU put the current ones on and GOOP'd the F outta them with anti-seize compound.

RS_man
07-25-2008, 10:05 AM
well im terrified now..
...
Can I just remove the trailing arm and shock/spring assembly as a whole and install it with it still attached?
im not replacing the shocks at the moment because I sold my d-specs after it took 3 months to get my progress springs

That would work. It probably wouldn't be the most fun but thats a good idea. Give it a try, whats the worst that could happen?

Drew1d
07-25-2008, 10:19 AM
well im terrified now..
I swapped an h22 into my 95 accord in 4 hours
my endlinks took like 2 days to replace..
suspension work has proved to be the most difficult thing on the planet because if a car has more than 2 miles its fubard and if it has less than 2 miles its over torqued from the factory and i just break the bones in my arms from pulling so hard.

Can I just remove the trailing arm and shock/spring assembly as a whole and install it with it still attached?
im not replacing the shocks at the moment because I sold my d-specs after it took 3 months to get my progress springs

Talk to Jjr007. He got his springs on without removing the rear shock bolt.

Is the bolt massacred?

jjr007
07-26-2008, 02:14 PM
well im terrified now..


Can I just remove the trailing arm and shock/spring assembly as a whole and install it with it still attached?
im not replacing the shocks at the moment because I sold my d-specs after it took 3 months to get my progress springs

This is what I ended up doing with my passenger side, I have Koni shocks in the rear, and I didn't want to cut them up, so I dropped the whole Lower control arm.

v1c10us
07-27-2008, 05:47 PM
mkay so i did it, the question is since i dont have a nut on the bolt is it safe? i couldnt get it out even with an air chissel.

The other question is, the right one is making a click click click when i turn the wheel, why?

dichotomous
07-28-2008, 07:29 AM
mkay so i did it, the question is since i dont have a nut on the bolt is it safe? i couldnt get it out even with an air chissel.

The other question is, the right one is making a click click click when i turn the wheel, why?

just get a size 12 grade 8 or greater bolt at a hardware store, 1.25 thread pitch if I recall correctly (hard to find though) thread on, torque down, thats what I happen to be rocking, and it rocks well

v1c10us
07-28-2008, 11:07 AM
they wont go in, the space between the end of the nut is too small.