Rear leaf spring question...advice needed

I started my lift today on the XJ...it took me all day from about 3 until an hour ago to get partially done with just the rear springs. When I say partially done, I mean I got one out. and the other one almost all the way unbolted.

The main problems I'm running into are the front and rear bolts. The rear ones come off fine, but the bolts absolutely will not come out of the bushings..I've soaked them with pb blaster for hours, hit them with a sledge multiple times...I finally had to cut the left rear out...then onto the front bolts. No matter what I can't get them to budge. I don't have air tools, but I do have an electric impact and I'm just cranking on this thing and it won't budge.

Suggestions?

The only way i could get mine off was with a 4 way tire lug wrench. one of the lug sockets is the exact size, with the 4 way wrench you get twice the power into the bolt.

Iput a breaker bar on then used my floor jack to press it up. real slow process about 2 hours each bolt. But no hernias and got it done.

Well if you plan on keeping the leaf springs I can't help ya. Otherwise cut the thing off, cut through the bushing, take a chisel on the seam on the inner sleeve to open it up, undo bolt, Done!

Hit it with PB Blaster, let it soak for about 20 min, then heat the bolt with a torch until you see smoke coming from inside the frame rail (where the weld nut is). Let it cool for 10 to 15 min, then go at it with a breaker bar. Repeat as necessary til it starts to move.

I cut mine out...

I pressed mine out with a puller. Did this with them still under the jeep. Took about 2 hours to do all four. Hardest part was figuring out exactly how to do it.

98XJLongBuild said:

I pressed mine out with a puller. Did this with them still under the jeep. Took about 2 hours to do all four. Hardest part was figuring out exactly how to do it.

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I had to do this with the rear bolts (they were seized to the bushing sleeves, so I couldn't remove the shackles). A ball joint press worked well for this.

On the puller front, I bought this little guy unnecessarily on another project a long time ago, but have found it INCREDIBLY helpful on a number of occasions since (easily converted between 2- and 3-jaw operation):

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=516519_0_0_

I'll remember that next time if either of the frame-side bolts get stuck like the OP described.

I don't understand how you could use a press to get the bolts out on the front eyelets? The nuts are welded to the frame and captive inside the frame. I understand how it could be used on the rear portion, but not the front portion.

samger2 said:

I don't understand how you could use a press to get the bolts out on the front eyelets? The nuts are welded to the frame and captive inside the frame. I understand how it could be used on the rear portion, but not the front portion.

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Agreed, a press is only useful when you can access the tip of the bolt (such as the scenario I described with my rear leaf spring bolts). On the fronts, you can only use a puller as you've suggested (and I assume this is only necessary when the bolt is so seized to the bushing sleeve that you can't pull it out by conventional means once it's been loosened).

I torched the bushing enough to get to the sleeve inside the old bushing then put a par of vice-grips on it. Luckily the threading in the old bolt backed the bolt out for me. I think it took me some 6-8hrs to get my rear leafs swapped... So glad that's over with.

I just put my new lift spring on the rear about a month ago and spent the whole weekend just getting the rear of the lift on my Jeep, I have two kids and was watching them part of the weekend too.

Obviously I soaked everything with PB then I:

The rear I heated the nut and used two breaker bars and threaded the nut off(used two hands on one and my foot on the other). One bolt came out of the busshing the other I just used my sawsal and cut it out, at that point I would rather buy a new couple dollar bolt than try to get it out.

The front I tried lots of things and finally realized there was a frame hole under my jackstand just ahead of where the nut was for the front bolts. I moved my jackstands and put my torch inside the hole pointed at the bolt and got it good and hot, then used a breaker bar with a pipe and cranked on them until they were all the way unthreaded and then cut the bolt out on either side of the spring (the one side will have the alignment part of the bolt still in the frame so it needs to be cut too.)

My electric impact was useless as well.

Well, I have some ideas then. Thanks gang!