Need Advice: LCA Removal

95 XJ 4WD, 130K mi:
My project for today was to replace the lower control arms (got new ones from Quadratec). The passenger side one was "fairly" easy to get off and replace. The driver's side was not so easy. The front bolt came out with a little effort but the rear one, even after soaking with PB Blaster, won't budge. Problem is the rubber bushing. The bolt is so tight in the metal eye of the bushing that the old and cracked bushing rubber is acting like a bungee...as the bolt is turned the rubber wants to spin it back into its original position, I tried pounding on the thread end of the bolt, first with a dowel, and then hammering the nut (unthreaded to the end of the bolt) with a five pound hammer...and it barely budged the bolt. I stopped striking it before the bolt was damaged. Then I used an air wrench, set to full power, to try to unscrew the bolt out. Nothing. The bolt would turn slightly and then return to the original position. I stopped that wen the air wrench (a big 'un) started to strip the bolt. Anyone ever run into this before? Anyone have any thoughts on how to get this sucker out?

Tried using a breaker bar, too. Nada,

I had the exact same thing happen to me, Its crazy that the rubber will hold it in place, I took a torch to mine, I got fed up and just got out the old map torch and burnt it up till it had no hold at the same time heated the bolt and it came out easy after that, be careful if you use a torch under your truck, Good Luck

You can use a torch but in a deferent way. Be careful though. You need to get rid of the rubber part of the bushing so that you can get access to the metal sleeve that the bolt runs through. That is what is actually holding the bolt in place. Once you get access to that you need to split it with a air hammer/chisel. Then use a penetrating lubricant and some care with the air gun should work it free.

what about a BFH?

Two words: Impact Gun.:viking:

BigIrish said:

Two words: Impact Gun.:viking:

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x2 on that, took me 10 minutes to replace my lca's, and most of that was trying to move the axle to squeeze in the longer ones