Need specific help... front Leaf bolts stuck!

Yes I searched but it seems like I've been blessed with a unique difficulty. Everything was going fine and moving along with the BB... Everything is unbolted except for the front leaf bolt. I has come out part-way and seems to be stuck inside the bushing I keep hosing it with PB (because That's all I bought), I tried putting a pry bar on the bolt and turning it. I even put a gear puller on it while my buddy was shaking and moving the leaf around...I pulled hard enough to bend the puller. The leaf is loose inside the last hanger, the bolt is in the middle of the outside frame hole... it's not hung up on anything outside. I don't know how to get the bolt out. Can someone give me an idea? The axle is as low as the barke line will allow.

cut the bolt. buy a new one.

Cutting torch

Why are you removing the main leaf for a budget boost? None of the BB kits I know of replace the spring packs -- they use an AAL, an extended shackle, and/or a spacer block. None of those require removing the main leaf from the vehicle.

More info on what your budget boost consists of would be helpful.

I'm putting in a newer pack with much less sag and the aal already in the pack.

If I only have an angle grinder so I would rather not cut the bolt.

Griffin,

The same exact thing happened to me when I was putting on my leaf packs.
The bolt is fused to the sleeve and the sleeve is fused to the rubber bushing.
My son the mechanic applied heat to the bolt and applied and air chisel to the back of the bolt head. It will probably destroy the bushing but they are cheap.
Let me know if you still want the jack and radio.

Bill

been there. took probably 7 hours trying to save that *%@# bolt. it sucks. the only way is to cut the bolt, or EVERYTHING from around the bolt. so if you want to keep your old spring, you're gonna have to cut it. the steel sleeve inside the bushing is to big to go through the bolt hole. so you could cut the leaf eye, melt the bushing, and then beat, pry/ possibly cut the sleeve from around the bolt, i think the bolt was $7. something @ the stealership. hope this helps. and i thought i was the only one...

ok half way done... except for getting the bolt/bushing out. Just whack the crap out of it?

you could try heating up the bolt. but then heat will expand it and make it worse. one of my buddies sprayed wd40 on the bushing and then burned it out. gave more room for everything to move. since you already have it .5 way out-try a air hammer if you can get one!! good luck

Slow down and take a deep breath. There's plenty of time to panic later.

Is the threaded portion of the bolt free of the weld nut inside the frame? From your description it sounds like that's the case -- you wrote you can move the spring around in the spring pocket. If so --

Try sliding the sprng as far toward the outside of the vehicle as you can. Find some sheet metal or something you can cut to make shims that fit TIGHT around the bolt, so they are supporting the shoulders of the sleeve. Drive the shim(s) in between the sleeve and the inboard side of the spring pocket (the frame rail). Get a torch (a utility propane will do, but a welding torch would be better if you have access to one) and heat up the bolt as hot as possible. You're not trying to cut it off, though -- just get it good and hot. Then whack the head with the biggest hammer you have. The goal is to break the bolt free of the steel sleeve inside the bushing. Once you break the rust, the rest should be easy.

OK here's the conclusion:

I ended up cutting the bolts out... each bolt had to be cut twice, once on the outside and once on the inside of the leafs. On the outside I could get most of the bolt with the 4.5" angle grinder. The rest of the outside and the inside bolts had to be cut with my recently purchased sawzall. On the passenger side I had to cut through the rubber bushing, metal bushing, and bolt. That took about 15 bucks worth of blades right there. Tomorrow moring we'll get new bolts and slap the thing back together. Then do it to my buddy jeep which is sitting next to mine, waiting it's turn. Then put on the springs in the front, RE discos, t-case drop, coil spacers on my buddy's front and go tear it up on the test drive. Let's hope that tomorrow is less eventful than today.
Thanks for the advice!

Griffin

Bill: If I don't swing by in hte next day or two, please give them to someone else. Thanks alot for your patience!