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New Lift Kit Instal - Holy Crap!

B

boomer1

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Northglenn, Co
Ok, Ok:explosion
I really did search - but you've got to be kidding. My son bought a Rubicon Express 3.5, full leaf pack and front coils for his 1988 cherokee. We've been soaking down the rear leave spring bolts for about two weeks. Put a socket with a 1/2 drive breaker bar on one of the front bolts, on a rear spring, had two of us pulling and can't even budge it. Got out the BFH, and still can't move it. Same on the rear bolts. I figure I can take the sawzall and cut through each side of the rear bolts and just replace them with new grade 8, but what the heck do you do with the front bolts?

I understand that the nut is inside the bracket on the unibody. I even read about people saying that the nut inside broke loose, and then they really had problems.

I have to think someone else has run into this problem, rust and frozen bolts. Any help on how to get the bolts out and what to replace them with would really be appreciated.

Got basic hand tools, but really hate like heck to take it to a shop and have someone else put the springs on. Last quote I got was like $350 to put the kit on. Now I see why they charge so much!

Thanks in advance for any help :confused1
 
Alright, I can see cutting the rear bolts out, and even cutting through the front, now planing on using the stock springs, they are basically shot. But then what do you do about the rest of the bolt that is still stuck in the nut, inside the unibody, on the front mount?
 
You don't necessarily have to cut.

Try drawing the bolt out when its heated first.

If you have to cut, I prefer grinding the head off the bolt as that leaves the most shank to work with, I think the most common problem with the leaf springs is the sleeve in the bushing seizing the bolt... If you cant move it at all, air tools? Longer breaker bar? More ass for your morass?


If you've got a broken bolt-end sticking out, I've found that heat, vise grips, heavy metal music, and an extensive 4-letter vocabulary are your best friends.
 
Let me see if I got this straight - on the front mount of the rear leaf springs - grind or cut the bolt head off - leaving the bolt shank still frozen in the nut in the unibody frame.

In looking at that, you still have the outside of the spring mount in the way from being able to get the leaf spring out, so you can heat up the bolt shank and try and twist it out of the frozen nut. Do you just bend that outside part of the bracket up out of the way so you can remove the spring?

Appreciate the responses, looking for any and all help

Thanks :wow:
 
boomer1 said:
Let me see if I got this straight - on the front mount of the rear leaf springs - grind or cut the bolt head off - leaving the bolt shank still frozen in the nut in the unibody frame.

In looking at that, you still have the outside of the spring mount in the way from being able to get the leaf spring out, so you can heat up the bolt shank and try and twist it out of the frozen nut. Do you just bend that outside part of the bracket up out of the way so you can remove the spring?

Appreciate the responses, looking for any and all help

Thanks :wow:
Click to expand...

DON'T GRIND THOSE BOLTS!!!!

Sorry, that was my opinion on using a cutting torch to cut bolts off in general... I think that if you just grind the head off you do less damage to all the associated parts and leave yourself more shank to work with for the following extraction process.

I think that air tools, a bigger breaker bar/more people and heat are all needed to try to free your current fasteners before you look at destroying/cutting out any parts...
 
we cut some of mine out and were able to get them otua body cuz they were frozen in the bushing ...

bigger breaker bar ... works wonders but also did damage ... snapped the bot in the unibody in the rear ... holy pain in the ...

had to cut a whole from the trunk to get to the nut, oh man was it a mess
 
Ok
Here's my train of thought -
On the rear bolt, gonna cut take the sawzall and cut on either side of the spring, between the head of the bolt, then between the nut. I figure the rear of the spring will drop out and I can replace the bolt.

On the front of the spring, I thought I do the same. Then drill through the remainder of the bolt and nut, clear through the unibody frame to the inside. Thought I then take a really long bolt, from the outside, clear through to the inside of the unibody and bolt it back in that way.

What does anybody think? any other suggestions?
 
Sent you a PM
 
Im going to asked the stupid questions but sometimes the easy things are overlooked.

Do you have all the weight off the srings? Are you supporting the weight of the vehicle from the uni-body or do you have the jack stands under the axel?

There can not be any spring tension on the leafs when trying to remove them.

Just my .02 cents.
 
When I was removing my leafs the front bolts gave me the most problem. I ended taking the handle off the floor jack - its a long a$$ piece of pipe - and used that as the breaker. I worked the bolt out 1/32" and then back in 1/32" then out 1/16" and in 1/16", all the while dousing it in PB Blaster..... see where this is going??

On the rear, the upper shakle bolts ended up getting cut with a sawzall and I removed the bumper and relieved the covers over the end of the frame to access the ends of the bolts. After some liberally applied, regulated oxygen and acetlyne fire, I worked the rest of the bolt out with vice grips.


Patience and like I read from a previous post....... a good 4 letter vocabulary are your best allies. It took me almost the whole day (9 hrs) to r+r the rear leaves alone. Air tools and my 1/2in IR 600 ft/lb gun would not even budge the suckers. Sometimes airtools arent the endall of heavy service work. Good luck.

-RR
 
get your socket with a lifetime warrenty and put a piece of heavy guage conduit over it and crank away. My conduit was 6ft and i had to jump on it to get it to budge. then when your socket breaks go get a new one. repeat untill bolt is out or you break the nut.
 
I had to tighten mine first, 1/4 turn.. Then i removed them, didn't break one..Mine is a 89 from the beach, So get some air tools an go for it
 
The socket and a 5ft piece of black iron pipe as a breaker bar. Like everyone said, the problem is most likely the bolt seized to the sleeve.
 
when you have bolts really stuck, i use heat and then spary them down with penetrating oil or sorts, i fing this normally draws the oil up into the thread and normally works well.
 
lazarus said:
when you have bolts really stuck, i use heat and then spary them down with penetrating oil or sorts, i fing this normally draws the oil up into the thread and normally works well.
Click to expand...


I have also used Gulf Paraffin Wax... .It melts pretty low temp and yet wicks up the threads very well.

I have used it on hub bolts, pinion nuts and several others.
 
Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Job's Done!

Actually, it wasn't really bad. Started with the passenger side rear, suprisingly, both bolts came out with a long breaker bar. The driver's side was something different. The back bolt came out no problem, the front bolt took PB plaster, heat, BF breaker bar, cut off wheel, but 3 hours later that spring was replaced, using all new hardware. The front coils turned out to be the easy part of the job. Taking everyone's suggestions, front springs replaced in about three hours.

As usual, everyone was great, and another job under our belt.
Thanks again
 
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