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Installing lift, front leaf bolt stuck in leaf...

FutureXJOwner

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Largo, FL
Trying to remove the last bolt from the front leaf mount on the passenger side. The bolt is out about an inch so it is out of the frame, but it seems like it is siezed to the metal bushing in the leaf spring and keep turning... how do I get this thing out?

We've tried a ball joint fork, air chisel, impact wrench...

edit: it's a 90 XJ.

Please any help.

:us:

Chuck
 
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FutureXJOwner said:
Trying to remove the last bolt from the front leaf mount on the passenger side. The bolt is out about an inch so it is out of the frame, but it seems like it is siezed to the metal bushing in the leaf spring and keep turning... how do I get this thing out?

We've tried a ball joint fork, air chisel, impact wrench...

edit: it's a 90 XJ.

Please any help.

:us:

Chuck


I can tell you it happens more often than not. It's a direct result of your bolt rusting to the inner sleave in the bushing.

There are many threads on this but I personally don't have the experience to tell you how to do it, otherwise I would.

Thats why I have yet to mess with the main upper leaf on mine. While I live in Wa my rig was originally from Ohio and all I can say is "SALT SUCKS."

Since you mentioned you have some space in there, maybe you could use a grinder between the spring, and the frame plate on the outter edge.
 
Get a good Sawzall blade - I don't remember the brands but a friend of mine went through this awhile back - took several cheap blades to knock the surface rust off, but once they sprung for a 'real' blade it cut through the bolt like buttah...
 
im a fan of the miluake "for rescue and demolition only":firedevil blades...
 
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if you have an angle grinder that takes a 4½" cut off disc. I had the same problem, 30minutes later i didnt....the cut off disc works MUCH better than a sawzall, atleast from my experience...

Oh yeah, and its easier to cut the leaf off so the only thing left the wrapped part stuck in the mount and then go at it. Also dont cut off the bolt tight to the frame or your jammed and unless you have any left handed drill bits will be a bitch to get out of you have nothing to grab hold of.

Jason
 
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had tha problem on my cj. heres whatcha do... get a pickle fork. wedge it between the bolt head and the bracket the bolt is stuck in. put an impact gun on the bolt head and spin it while prying on the pickle fork. have somebody spraying wd-40 in the hole from the backside while all this is going on...the bolt should slowly work its way out. good luck!!!
 
olivedrabcj7 said:
had tha problem on my cj. heres whatcha do... get a pickle fork. wedge it between the bolt head and the bracket the bolt is stuck in. put an impact gun on the bolt head and spin it while prying on the pickle fork. have somebody spraying wd-40 in the hole from the backside while all this is going on...the bolt should slowly work its way out. good luck!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself..............:cheers:
 
THANK YOU ALL, for your help. I knew I could get the help I needed from fellow Jeepers.

olivedrabcj7 said:
get a pickle fork. wedge it between the bolt head and the bracket the bolt is stuck in. put an impact gun on the bolt head and spin it while prying on the pickle fork. have somebody spraying wd-40 in the hole from the backside while all this is going on...the bolt should slowly work its way out. good luck!!!

Good idea.... tried this and went one step further, used a pickle fork on an AIR HAMMER, tried for almost 10 minutes, still wouldn't move. On to drastic measures.. Sawzall

Yucca-Man said:
Get a good Sawzall blade - I don't remember the brands but a friend of mine went through this awhile back - took several cheap blades to knock the surface rust off, but once they sprung for a 'real' blade it cut through the bolt like buttah...

You said it! Darn harbor Freight crap blades were dulling in 10 seconds, went to Lowes and bought some Milwaukee Metal "Torch" blades and had it cut through in 5 minutes. :) Then pryed the leaf out with a crowbar.

JasonY said:
if you have an angle grinder that takes a 4½" cut off disc. I had the same problem, 30minutes later i didnt....the cut off disc works MUCH better than a sawzall, atleast from my experience...

While at Lowes I picked up 2 metal cut off grinder wheels, then I couldn't find the dang grinder. Aaargh.

Well, we finished installing the rear leafs and the rearend. Still waiting on the front coils & shocks to arrive (UPS). Next comes the fun part, the front end.

BEFORE: The rear leafs were shot! He's running 30" A/T's.

DCP_1936.jpg


AFTER: ** (3" Rusty's Offroad Spring Pack w/ the Optional 30lb heavier spring rate)
(In this pic, we have FOUR pails of drywall plaster (67 lbs each, over 250lbs) sitting in the rear to help to the leaves sit.)


DCP_22501.jpg



Chuck :thumbup:
 
I had the exact same problem, here's the solution. With a cut off tool cut the spring leaf off as close to the eye as you can so that the eye bushing is visible. Remove the rest of whole spring from the car. There is a metal sleeve around the rubber bushing, cut it with the cut off tool and peel the sleeve off the rubber bushing. Using a razor blade, cut through the the rubber bushing down to the inner steel sleeve and pull the rubber bushing out. You might have to rotate the bushing and make multiple cuts and remove it peice by peice like peices of pie. Now the inner sleeve is exposed. It has a seem in it, rotate the sleeve till you see the seem. Soak it with penitrating oil and start pounding on it with a BFH and chizel. The seem will split, and then the bolt will come right out.
 
Ron Hyslop said:
I had the exact same problem, here's the solution. With a cut off tool cut the spring leaf off as close to the eye as you can so that the eye bushing is visible. Remove the rest of whole spring from the car. There is a metal sleeve around the rubber bushing, cut it with the cut off tool and peel the sleeve off the rubber bushing. Using a razor blade, cut through the the rubber bushing down to the inner steel sleeve and pull the rubber bushing out. You might have to rotate the bushing and make multiple cuts and remove it peice by peice like peices of pie. Now the inner sleeve is exposed. It has a seem in it, rotate the sleeve till you see the seem. Soak it with penitrating oil and start pounding on it with a BFH and chizel. The seem will split, and then the bolt will come right out.

Just wanted to show a pic of my results from doing the above process:

leaf13qp.jpg
 
FutureXJOwner said:
makes for a good write-up for other folks that may be having the same problem. :)

Yeah, just wanted to post the pic incase someone needs it if/when they run across this problem. Hehehe...seems like people get critisized for not using and using the search feature.
 
96mdxjcountry said:
Welcome to the Unibody world... cut it grind it...it'll come out
?????

I fail to see how a steel bolt siezing to a steel sleeve inside a leaf spring bushing is in any way a function of unibody chassis design.
 
another way to tackle this problem is to use a 1" hole saw and cut out around the bolt. this will allow the sleeve to come out on the bolt. then just weld on a washer over the hole.
 
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