rear spring shackle bolt stuck in spinning bushing sleeve!

help! on the rear spring shackle the upper bolt and sleeve are all rusty, the bolt is all the way out of the nut but now just spins with the bushing sleeve which is probably stuck/bound to the bolt.

i put my pickle fork/air hammer on the bolt head, used a plumbing wrench and wailed on it with a hammer but it won't come out. nothing to pry against since the frame cup is thin sheet steel. hammer does nothing since the bolt is basically captured in rubber bushing.

ideas?
since i'm replacing the shackles i was thinking of drilling a hole through them and through the sleeve and putting a screw in there to hold it? then hopefully the bolt will back out?

only other option is to fabricate some sort of press...

any other ideas?

thanks!

Cut it off, then replace the bushing and the bolt. that's what I did, the bushings shot anyway if the sleeve is spinning.

cut it off with a cutoff wheel btwn shackle and frame on both sides?

what size bolt is it and can i get it at my local hw store?

thanks for the reply!

What I've done many times is continue unscrewing the bolt. The sleeve will pucker the hole as it comes out but it will straighten out when the bolt goes back in. Then cut the sleeve off the bolt.

OoerictoO said:

cut it off with a cutoff wheel btwn shackle and frame on both sides?

what size bolt is it and can i get it at my local hw store?

thanks for the reply!

Click to expand...

Yea, start with the outside. Most of the time you can cut the bolt off and the shackle will come out without having to cut the other side.

The bolt is an M14x 2.0x120. That's going to be tough to find at a hardware store but Mopar dealers usually carry them. They are P/N:34202118.

Use a cutting wheel to cut the top shackle arm loose from the bottom shackle. Then try put some dish washing soap on the bushing sleeve and use your pickle fork to put pressure on the bolt head as you turn it. This might allow the bolt and sleeve to come out in one conjoined piece. If it does not come out then use your cutting wheel to cut through both sides of the upper shackle and take the whole thing out so you can work on getting the bolt out. You may have to cut through the bushing metal retainer and then the bushing at 180 degree locations to get the bolt and metal sleeve out. Once you finally get the bolt and sleeve out I have had good results using a map gas torch and a wax candle to loosen the rust up. Heat the sleeve as hot as you can get it and rub the wax candle over the threads and the bolt head area. Use vise grips on to hold the bolt head and another pair for the sleeve and start trying to wiggle the sleeve loose. Mine broke free and I put more wax on it which wicked into the sleeve allowing me to turn the bolt out of the sleeve. This also worked to get out a broken leaf spring bolt on an '85 xj.

Just stay patient as you work and wear eye protection, gloves, hat and long sleeves to keep those hot sparks from lighting you up.

A sawsall with a long blade is much easier to slip between the hanger and the shackle. Cut the bolt and replace it. My local truevalue had them in stock.

how many sawsall metal blades does it take to cut through a hardened steel bolt like that? i don't think my air cut off tool is gonna get in there...

Should only take one good blade. Run down to Napa and grab a replacement grade 8 bolt...

Took 2, 1 for each cut. If they are quality blades(I used miliwaukee demo blades), harbor freight blades I'd say you need alot more.

got these cut out, but NO ONE near me has these bolts. none of the auto parts stores. the big ACE hardware had one that was similar but it didn't look like it was threaded far enough up the shaft. in addition it wasn't a shoulder bolt but a standard hex head bolt. can i use one of those with a washer?

jeep dealer in beaverton wants $10 each and $8 shipping. #@$%
i guess i can try tacoma screw on monday when they are open.

any other online options for the oem bolt (tapered end, shoulder head) that will overnight and have the part at a reasonable price?

thanks!

i got new poly bushings (and sleeves, and grease fitting bolts) with the shackle kit for the spring eye.

do i have to remove that outer metal sleeve that was outside the old bushings? that doesn't seem to make sense, and i doubt i could without a hydraulic press and a special adapter...

the new bushings are almost exactly the outer size of those sleeves and very difficult to press in with my C clamp... i guess i could try dremeling a slope on the inside half of the bushing...

i just barely got one started and the slots are closing up on the inside of the bushing and i'd probably have to press the inner sleeve into the newly pressed-in bushings.
this doesn't seem right.

what part of the setup near the spring eye is supposed to rotate and what's the procedure for someone to press the new poly bushings in while the spring is on the car...

thanks!

I'm working on my LA upgrade now, and have been here several times to reference solutions to problems. From concerns about breaking the welded nut to the bolt stuck in the @#$ sleeve, these threads have been a great help.

Thank you!