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View Full Version : Ideas for spring bolt

Nick
September 15th, 2003, 03:33
Has anyone ever had the leaf spring front bolt so frozen that it won't budge? What did you do to get it out? Is there a good chance that I'm going to need new spring hangers because everything needs to be cut off? I need to get this bolt out ASAP and I'm stumped.
Nick
September 15th, 2003, 03:36
Has anyone ever had the leaf spring front bolt so frozen that it won't budge? What did you do to get it out? Is there a good chance that I'm going to need new spring hangers because everything needs to be cut off? I need to get this bolt out ASAP and I'm stumped.
Lawn Cher'
September 15th, 2003, 04:10
I recently dealt with this problem... I removed about a cubic yard of dirt & sand from inside the threaded area of the forward spring hangers by drilling a 1/2" hole in the sheetmetal below the bolt (the angled portion, which houses the captive nut outboard of the frame rail.) Then I used a blowgun and a steel rod to break up all the caked dirt & rust and blow it out of the area. Then I liberally sprayed PB Blaster up into the hole, and one side broke loose. I wound up snapping the bolt on the other side because I didn't wait long enough for the penetrating fluid to work, so I had to drill it out and re-tap the threads (M14x2,) what a b_tch! Just take your time, and go about it rationally rather than brutishly.

Good luck!
Lawn Cher'
September 15th, 2003, 04:21
Replied in OEM-tech.
Kejtar
September 15th, 2003, 06:21
Man... thanks for confusing me so early in the morning... I looked at the question, moved on to check the other forums before replying and I saw the same question again.... then I looked around to see if there is any agents coming for me cause the matrix surely must have reset itself!!!

Anyways.... pb blaster is the key..... there is actually a hole in the frame rail I think just forward of the bolt that you can use to access the rough bolt area with a wire to check for dirt and such, and also so that you can aim the nozzle of pb blaster and just soak the hell out of it ! Then a very long breaker bar with gently pressure applied to it (no hammers!!!). If that doesnt work, try kind of rocking it (hard to describe): kind of push harder(but you gotta be careful as to not to over do it and bust the bolt) and let it come back... and so on....

Kejtar
korda
September 15th, 2003, 08:28
Same thing happened to me recently. My bolts were seized in the bushing. I ended up cutting through the leaf spring and bushing and then cutting the sleeve off the bolt.