coilover lower bracket completely seized..??

[vsp3c]

i have megan racing coilovers for my s13. i bought some new wheels and needed to raise my car. this is when i found out that the lower bracket for my front driver side is completely seized. wd40+mallet for 1-2 hours and nothing. took it to a local shop and they couldn't get it loose either.

any of you guys had similar/same problem before? do you think i can send it in to mr and have them replace the casing/lower bracket? or do any of you guys have a set of blown mr's w/ a good front driver side coil? :p

[JVD]

So could you loosen the locking nuts? When I took mine off I had a hell of a time too. Took a combination of liquid wrench and superhuman strength.

[vsp3c]

i had no problem w/ the locking nuts. it's the bracket itself that is somehow compeltely frozen stuck on the casing :uhhhhh:

[chmercer]

get a flathead screwdriver or a chisel and a hammer, stick it in one of the notches where the coilover wrench would go, and wail on it

if that dosent work get a torch but dont get it too hot or you could fuck up the inside of the shock

[NemeGuero]

What Chmercer said but use some lubricant.. WD40 style..

[!Zar!]

What Chmercer said but use some lubricant.. WD40 style..
If wd40 doesn't work, try KY.

In all seriousness, try using a breaker bar on the spanner wrench.

[vsp3c]

hahaah apparently my response to jvd is only visible to me...

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b122/vsp3c/stuck.jpg

pic stolen from spl and it's one of the front ones that is giving me problems.

oh and i don't even have coilover wrenches. i always use hammer/chisel

[Hailtothesilvia]

i used to have the same problem w/ my old pos Ksports

i sat there for about 1/2 hr, almost a can of WD-40, PB blaster, Flathead screwdriver, a Mallet, and A LOT OF F words

[chmercer]

put a breaker bar or fat screwdriver through the bottom hole and try to spin it that way while somone else holds the top with a spanner or whatever

or again, put a torch on it

[krustindumm]

torch would be bad. heating any contained liquid or gas is, especially when it is already under pressure. If you can remove the dampner from the sleeve first, the torch would be the best bet though. If you can't, get some PB blaster and a plastic faced hammer and beat the shit out of it. Eventually it will come loose.

shoulda put some antiseize on it.

[JVD]

put a breaker bar or fat screwdriver through the bottom hole and try to spin it that way while somone else holds the top with a spanner or whatever

or again, put a torch on it
That's how I did it... but without the torch. Also, lots of lube! I used some stuff called liquid wrench. Works better than WD40 I find.

[Ghost Dancer]

I've ran into this problem before. I just stick the coilover in a vice (wrap something around the threads so you don't frack them up) and tighten it down decent. Then I shoot some lube in it and let it sit for an hour or so. Then I run a big extension through the mounting point on the bottom. All you have to do then is slide a hernia bar (long metal tube... I use a steel pole that was originally meant to be part of a metal fence) over the extension and put some ass in it. You need to be very careful though because you don't want to screw up those threads.

[trsilvias13]

If it was the rear lowering bracket you could put a pipe though the hole where the bolt goes, but since it is the front I would use a huge channel lock or a vice grip or oil filter wrench remover with combination of pb blaster and then twist it. Put a rag between the weapon of choice and the coilover itself to remove, but if it was me I would not care since it is under the car and no one will see plus you would get a better grip, however it will leave some marks.

[vsp3c]

update: it seems that rust has developed between the casing and the lower bracket. i took the coilovers off the car, threw it on a bench vise, shot it with some some oil penetrator, and grabbed a pair of big ass pliers. my original intention was to expose as much rust as i could to clean it, but it was taking so long (lots of turns) that i just stopped after changing the coilover to the height i wanted.

so if you guys ever run into a seized lower bracket. set it up in bench vise, spray some oil penetrator, and grab the biggest pliers (or spanner wrenches) you can find :)