jsmith20 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I have made the leap and bought RH&LH Strut bars and have gotten as far as getting everything loose and ready for removal BUT CANNOT free the front Camber Bolts. I have tried an impact wrench, breaker bar, C-Clamp, hammer, Sawzall through the bolt,...I don't have a torch, so I haven't tried that...yet. Thoughts? The bushings deff. are shot, I can see the tears. My LS has 120k on it and I want these changed before I get new tires. Thanks in advance for your insight. Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amcdonal86 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 If you have a breaker bar, you're going to need to get a "cheater" bar to put over the end to extend the handle out a couple more feet. That way you get more leverage on the bolt. What I used is a galvanized steel pipe from Home Depot. For some reason, I believe I found it near the lumber aisle. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith20 Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 If you have a breaker bar, you're going to need to get a "cheater" bar to put over the end to extend the handle out a couple more feet. That way you get more leverage on the bolt.What I used is a galvanized steel pipe from Home Depot. For some reason, I believe I found it near the lumber aisle. Good luck. Great Thanks...I have been using a 1/2" breaker bar with no luck. I am going to try the cheater bar AND a torch this morning. This may be where the lift becomes handy, I'm going to have a tough time finding the space for a cheater bar with only 30deg of travel. Also, the bushings are so shot that they allow quite a bit of rotation because they are torn/cracked. Thanks again for the advice, I will let you know how it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amcdonal86 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I didn't remember having a huge problem taking it off. But I do remember having a hell of a time trying to get the strut rod back on. The trick is to kind of place the end with the rubber in its position by sticking a wrench in there and kind of using the wrench to wedge it in. Hopefully that will help. Otherwise this repair could take several hours and be incredibly frustrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith20 Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 I didn't remember having a huge problem taking it off. But I do remember having a hell of a time trying to get the strut rod back on. The trick is to kind of place the end with the rubber in its position by sticking a wrench in there and kind of using the wrench to wedge it in. Hopefully that will help. Otherwise this repair could take several hours and be incredibly frustrating! Then I'm screwed....I have spent my couple hours trying to get these crazy things out. Actually ripped the driver side bushing so that the bushing tube is separated from the strut arm! Then I tried to torch the bushing which only started the bushing on fire but did nothing to free the bolt (although I don't thing I tried hard enough on this one. My next approach is to try an angle grinder to cut through the bushing and bolt. For sure on the driver side this seems like my only option as the bushing and bolt now just turn in the strut bar housing.ugh...I thought getting the nuts off was going to be the hard thing and that proved to be relatively easy. Thanks again for the feedback. BTW - do you know what the groaning noise coming from the driver side front bumper would be? I hear it when I turn off my car, I thought it was some sort of pressure system and it actually made a few grunts this afternoon, after it had been off for 48h...any idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amcdonal86 Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I have no idea how that happened. The bolt you are trying to remove should be independent of the strut rod bushing and should turn freely inside it. You must have had an incredible amount of corrosion in there that caused it to be seized to the metal tube inside the bushing that guides the bolt. I have no clue about your groaning issue. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith20 Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 Eureka! Nothing a 6" cut-off wheel can't take care of! Check out the pictures of what remains of my strut bars :-) Another good side note is I found that the RH support bar had rusted through...so I'll be fixing that this weekend. Thanks for the help - amcdonal86...not sure why my bolts were so stuck, but it was bound to be something and that wasn't so bad overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhoward Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 (Used to be an small equipment mechanic - lots of corroded, and stubborn nuts/bolts), and never had an issue removing a nut/bolt (always had acetylene torch to heat up the nut, also had other methods). However, in the field, you can try a cigerette lighter on the nut (after a few minutes it just might expand the nut to remove it). Sometimes, I also would soak the nut with penetrating lubricant and let sit awhile prior to prying. Breaker and cheater bars work as well, in conjuction with a 5 pound hand sledge hammer. Easy-off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsmith20 Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 (Used to be an small equipment mechanic - lots of corroded, and stubborn nuts/bolts), and never had an issue removing a nut/bolt (always had acetylene torch to heat up the nut, also had other methods). However, in the field, you can try a cigerette lighter on the nut (after a few minutes it just might expand the nut to remove it).Sometimes, I also would soak the nut with penetrating lubricant and let sit awhile prior to prying. Breaker and cheater bars work as well, in conjuction with a 5 pound hand sledge hammer. Easy-off! Thanks John...unfortunately the only item you mentioned I didn't have and try was the acetylene (although I tried MAAP gas...a little). I soaked in penetrating oil for over 24hrs, before twisting the bushing in half. The nuts were the easy part. I also thing that the bushing took a lot of the shock when I tried both the breaker bar and an impact wrench. Oh well, they have been replaced and drive MUCH smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amcdonal86 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Well, that's great news. Glad I could give you some pointers, although I couldn't help you with your specific issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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