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front leaf spring bolt

A

andrewf844

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Kindsbach, Germany
the front leaf spring bolt i was able to get out about half an inch then it broke... i was able to wiggle and pry the leaf spring out and now have the remaining half of the bolt stickin out about an inch... i put some vise grips on it and some heat and pb blaster and it still wont tighten or loosen..... any suggestions would be nice.... i thought about drillin it out and tappin it but i dont even know how i would get a drill bit in there straight on.... do i need to just beat it with a hammer and break the welded nut off and then cut an access hole to drop a new nut in?
 
this is what i got to work with....

S7301508.jpg
 
I broke mine and had to cut it off nearly flush to get my spring out.

I spent nearly 2 hours trying to get the broken bolt out. I drilled the center and used a bolt extractor. I applied lots of heat with a Mapp torch then soaked it in PB Blaster. I kept repeating that until it finally broke loose. Took a 1/2" breaker bar with a cheater pipe to get enough leverage.

I thought I was doomed to cut the whole thing apart and fab up a new one, but with enough patience, I was able to get it out without too much drama. Since you have that nice stub sticking out, you should be able to grab it with a pipe wrench or grind some flat spots on it to get a good hold with Vice Grips.

Take your time and good luck!
 
ive had something similar with a bolt once. I filed down a flat edge and got a plumbers basin wrench on it. But not sure if this will work here.
 
Hi,
What about if you weld a nut onto the stub, that will give you something to get a good grip on and might do the trick. Good Luck.
 
today i picked up a new bolt from the dealer and a set of stud extractors from sears but they just seemed to slowly strip the remaining threads off more.... so i guess tomorrow get a pipe wrench and try that .... if that doesnt work ill try welding a nut on the end... and then im out of ideas if that dont work...
 
Are you using heat and oil? That is probably the most important part to the whole thing. I used PB Blaster, but I have seen wax used. Just heat the bolt 'til its nice and red and then hit it with some wax or PB. It will wick into the threads and help break up the corrosion for you.

Just be careful spraying PB Blaster on anything hot. It may catch on fire with enough heat. I did have mine flame up a few times, but just kept a wet rag on hand in case it got a little crazy.
 
I say get some strike hold. I know it might not be widely known but all you have to do is spray it once let it soak for about 10-20 minutes and go at it... It may be a pain but you will get it...
 
Front leaf spring bolt: Does anyone know what size that bolt is? I was trying to replace my springs today and it wound up that the bolt was fused to the metal from the bushing. I wound up stripping one side out by continuing to try and loosen the bolt. I finally got them out using a grinder but now I need to find the bolts. I do think that I'm going to have to cut into "the frame rail" and put a nut behind on one side.
 
I'd go from the floor board down. It is easier in my opinion. I drilled a 1 3/4" hole and put a plastic plug in it when I was done. You can then remove the weld nut and tack your own in there.
 
andrewf844 said:
today i picked up a new bolt from the dealer and a set of stud extractors from sears but they just seemed to slowly strip the remaining threads off more.... so i guess tomorrow get a pipe wrench and try that .... if that doesnt work ill try welding a nut on the end... and then im out of ideas if that dont work...
Click to expand...


Start with welding on a nut. The heat alone should help break things loose.
 
Hi,
I forgot to mention but it can help if you try to tighten it a bit first, only 1/2 a turn or so and then loosen it a bit, now tighten it a bit and so on, it worked for me with the rear upper shock bolts. Use plenty of WD40 or similar and a bit of heat should help. Good Luck
 
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