stuborn ass bolt

[eastcoastS14]

trying to put my coilovers on and I cant get the bolt that connects the stock strut to the knuckle out.....ive tried everything, hammering the shit out of it, WD40, using a ratchet on the other side while hammering it.....Im thinking the only way to get this damn thing out is with a torch. Only problem is I dont own a torch and its a pain in the ass to bring it to a shop to have them do it. So anyone have any suggestions, this thing is really in there, already broke my friends snap-on flat head ( I know its not a pry bar)....my friend suggested using an impact gun but i was thinking that that will only spin it in place since only part of it is threaded....any one with any tricks let me know

[LA_phantom_240]

trying to put my coilovers on and I cant get the bolt that connects the stock strut to the knuckle out.....ive tried everything, hammering the shit out of it, WD40, using a ratchet on the other side while hammering it.....Im thinking the only way to get this damn thing out is with a torch. Only problem is I dont own a torch and its a pain in the ass to bring it to a shop to have them do it. So anyone have any suggestions, this thing is really in there, already broke my friends snap-on flat head ( I know its not a pry bar)....my friend suggested using an impact gun but i was thinking that that will only spin it in place since only part of it is threaded....any one with any tricks let me know

So... wtf? Is the thread stripped and won't back out regardless of turning?

[smurfgcr]

pb and lots of love...oh and beer too.

[eastcoastS14]

no the bolt is only threaded for like last say 1/8 of the entire thing...they are supposed to press out....I just wacked the ones on the other side with a rubber hammer and they popped right out...I beat the shit out of this thing with every hammer i have and it wont move

[LookOut Nick]

get a little propane torch heat gets the most stubborn bolts out heat+patience+ tiny little wiggles with your ratchet or wrench

[xcusememisswyn]

Propane torch could do what you need



would take about two days to pull off tho

[gotta240]

Impact ftw. /

[eastcoastS14]

^^ do you think that would work....my friend suggested that and by his thinking if you impact it it will get the bolt turning enough to break it free and it should just slip out....would that really work? seems to me like itll do a whole lot of spinning and then be just as stuck

[xcusememisswyn]

cant you just put a wrench on the other side and hold it with your foot, a brick, the ground, the control arm, or your face, and impact the other side.

17mm on one side and 19mm on the other.

Wouldnt that stop the spinning?

Its late, I think I have it mixed up, seems too easy.

[240on430]

sounds like there's tension on the bolt. did you disconnect the swaybar links? or did you try using a prybar to move the control arm down to free up the bolt?

did you get either knuckle bolt out?

[projectRDM]

I've had one do that too, it rusted in place. No amount of force, even with an impact gun, would break it loose. I finally took the spindle off and put it in a vise, then used a 3ft sledge hammer on the bolt. It finally gave way after crowning the threads nearly flat.

[Dream240]

trying to put my coilovers on and I cant get the bolt that connects the stock strut to the knuckle out.....ive tried everything, hammering the shit out of it, WD40, using a ratchet on the other side while hammering it.....Im thinking the only way to get this damn thing out is with a torch. Only problem is I dont own a torch and its a pain in the ass to bring it to a shop to have them do it. So anyone have any suggestions, this thing is really in there, already broke my friends snap-on flat head ( I know its not a pry bar)....my friend suggested using an impact gun but i was thinking that that will only spin it in place since only part of it is threaded....any one with any tricks let me know

Does the bolt rotate in place? If it won't even turn then you've got what Russ mentioned, RUST.

If it will turn then it's a simple matter of releasing the tension on the bolt. You prolly still have the sway bar attached, which is fine, you can get the bolt out if you simply use a jack on the ball joint and jack up right under the joint. Continue to smack the bolt from the thread side as you slowly jack up the knuckle. It should just pop out. Most of the time the "free spot" is at the bottom of the struts travel. In other words you shouldn't have to jack the knuckle until the car starts to lift up. Turning the steering wheel so that the thread side of the bolt is facing you more will help you get better leverage on it when you whack at it with a mini-sledge.

Don't use a carpenter's hammer, they suck when working on cars.

If this doesn't work then remove the knuckle from the car and smack it out that way.

GL