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Stuck leaf spring bolts

H

HIWYH8R

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Canada
90 xj. I tried to lossen the leaf spring bolts (changing springs) and the frame mount bolts are siezed. I imagine the bolts are siezed to the bushing sleeve. I sprayd the crap out of them with penatrating fluid and will spray every day and work the bolts back and forth and hopefully they'll come loose. Since the nuts are welded inside the frame channel I can't just cut the bolts.

Any other ideas that might help me?
 
I used a breaker bar and a big pipe and backed the bolt out of the nut until it got stuck in the bushing then took a sawzall and cut the head off the bolt. Then i bent the bracket out so the leaf could fall. Next i spend 3 days trying to find the bolt i cut from a jeep dealer. Ended un driving 100 miles to get on so i could finish my lift. it was the hardest part of my lift by far.
 
Put some heat to the head of the bolt. Then rap on it with a hammer to loosen the rust. The bolt can be found at any "good" hardware store. Chances are that it is rusted to the bushing and not the nut-cert in the frame. Good luck it can be a PIA. Be sure to put some anti-seize when you put it all back together.
 
Ben H said:
Put some heat to the head of the bolt. Then rap on it with a hammer to loosen the rust. The bolt can be found at any "good" hardware store. Chances are that it is rusted to the bushing and not the nut-cert in the frame. Good luck it can be a PIA. Be sure to put some anti-seize when you put it all back together.
Click to expand...
Its is a very hard bolt to find. We have a Fastenal Dealer here (huge nut and bolt store) and they couldnt even order them. It is special because it is not threaded all the way to the end. It is tapered for about the last 1/4 inch. I was told it was so you can use a hammer and hit it and it will line itself up kind of. If you use a regular bolt it will just mess up the threads on the nut and make a mess
 
If you are lucky it is only stuck in the sleeve. Two methods of last resort for you. Since you are changing the springs you could cut the spring eye and remove it(Grinder or Plasma), then remove the bushing around the sleeve so that you can then remove the sleeve itself. If you are really lucky as I was, the nutzert will break loose from its welds inside of the unirail. If this happens then you will have to cut yourself access to the nut so that you can get to it with a wrench. Just be sure to weld it back into place when you are done.
 
RandyD71 said:
If you are lucky it is only stuck in the sleeve. Two methods of last resort for you. Since you are changing the springs you could cut the spring eye and remove it(Grinder or Plasma), then remove the bushing around the sleeve so that you can then remove the sleeve itself. If you are really lucky as I was, the nutzert will break loose from its welds inside of the unirail. If this happens then you will have to cut yourself access to the nut so that you can get to it with a wrench. Just be sure to weld it back into place when you are done.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much exactly what I had to do. Except I didn't have the plasma..and probably wouldn't have used one anyway due to the proximity of the fuel lines. I made DriveKore 75 bucks richer by purchasing one of their 2-1/4" step-drill bits to make an access hole. Yes...that part of the lift was the BIGGEST P.I.T.A!!!!
 
ArcticCat843 said:
Its is a very hard bolt to find. We have a Fastenal Dealer here (huge nut and bolt store) and they couldnt even order them. It is special because it is not threaded all the way to the end. It is tapered for about the last 1/4 inch. I was told it was so you can use a hammer and hit it and it will line itself up kind of. If you use a regular bolt it will just mess up the threads on the nut and make a mess
Click to expand...

Well the next time you need one, let me know. I'll just go down the block and get you one.
 
hey guys, i know about the front leaf bolts getting stuck (all too well) but when i did my lift i didnt change the shackle so the rear bolt was never taken out.

now on my new heep im putting a shackle on and i want to know if im going to regret ever attempting it. (BTW i dont have a welder)
 
rocklandxjer said:
hey guys, i know about the front leaf bolts getting stuck (all too well) but when i did my lift i didnt change the shackle so the rear bolt was never taken out.

now on my new heep im putting a shackle on and i want to know if im going to regret ever attempting it. (BTW i dont have a welder)
Click to expand...

Rear leaf spring bolts aren't any problem.
 
Cut the spring eye off with a torch. Cut the thinner outer metal sleeve of the spring bushing with cutoff wheel in a die grinder. Cut the rubber of the spring bushing with a sawzall and pull the rubber off. Heat the bushing inner sleeve (the part that is rusted to the bolt) until red hot. Hit it with PB Blaster while hot along the seam line. Grab the sleeve with vise grips, and turn the bolt easily out with a socket.
 
one thing u may want to try is actually taking an impact gun and loosening and tightening the bolt, as well as adding heat to the bolt head before each cycle. this should in theory brake the rusty sleeve loose from the bolt. I on the other hand had to cut the spring eye, cut the bolt, and cut the unirail and replaced the bolt with a decent sized sae bolt and nut. this was of course on my old jeep, on my new jeep i just took all the leaf springs off except the main,and added on leaves underneath it.
 
ah, the rear botls can be a problem when they brake the tack welds holding it to the frame.then off comes the bumper holes cut and a fun time tightening it back down.three of the four stuck,broke welds,and make me bleed.i had to use a die grinder and a angle grinder to get mine off.highly recommend the gas ax!
 
I had to use a breaker bar and add some heat to it. On one side the bolt broke off inside the rail, thankfully I was able to hold the bolt in place and get it back on with a mig welder. If the bolt is that bad u should replace it, most of my hardware was replaced from bolts at the John Deere dealership.
 
Trying to spread the word--this stuff REALLY worked for me:
For whomever reads this from now on, I may have the answer to stuck leaf spring bolts and bushings problem. I used PB Blaster every few days for three weeks, even to the point of taking the rear bumper off so I could shoot the top shackle nuts. The front main leaf eye bolts have a small hole in the body that you can at least spray them. Three weeks, still would not budge.

Then I tried Loctite Freeze & Release, which "ultrafreezes" the nut and bolt causing "microfractures that draw in the penetrant", according to their website. Not only did this break the nuts free, it also loosened the bushing sleeves around the bolts, so no bolt cutting for me!

I do not know if it was the PB or the Freeze & Release or the combination, but they are all off now!:guitar: It was about $17 a can and each bolt gets a 5 - 10 second blast, so it will not last long, but that was a whole lot cheaper than my time to cut a hole in the floor or frame rail and weld in nuts.
 
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