These have to be the most frustrating thing to remove on the car. I've done front exhaust manifolds, everything else on the suspension, but this is the worst. I've been at the lower control arm bolts for hours now... banging, heating, more banging... how in the hell do you get these things off? I've read through the archives... heating them seems to be the most talked about method... but its not working for me. Somewhere else in the archives, someone mentioned on the inner sleeve there's a seam that you can try to split open... I've been at that seam for another hour itself. Anyone have any ideas? Feel like taking a crack at them? I'm gonna be like Homer soon, tearing my hair out.

Brad

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'85 SE V6, undergoing GT conversion!

When they're froze, ain't no undoing.

Gotta be cut and replaced. I used a rotozip with the 90° adapter and the cutoff wheel for steel. Only thing I fiound to get in there without cutting anything that shouldn't be cut.

It worked, cut the bolt off on each side of the arm then burned out the bushing, bolt and all, but that is a scary tool. On or off, no variable and when it's on it just rips.

A rotozip would be nice, but I don't have one... and won't be able to get one either. I've got a nice big grinder, but that would only be able to cut off one side of one of the bolts. Hmm..

Brad

Dont know if you have one but I have a torch and I heat the bushing then take my air hammer with the punch bit and drive the bolt out

-dan

Bump to see if anyone has any ideas how to get these off... all I've got to work with right now are a torch, hammer, and a grinder that probably won't fit...

Brad

The only way I got mine off was cutting through the bushing with a Dremel tool and reinforced cutting wheels.

The inner sleeve of the bushing rusts to the bolt completely over time.

You do have an small chance of getting them off by trying to split the seam of the inner sleeve. If you look closely you'll find a seam that you can force a well-sharpened flathead screwdriver into. This technique didn't work for me, but I've heard of it working for others.

-Jeff

Lets jump ahead to having gotten the bolts out......are these a commonly stocked item at, say, Autozone or do they have to be ordered. If not readily available where can they be gotten? I ask because I will be doing this same thing before too much longer and I am following all front end threads for info.
Btw wish I could help but all I can do is offer my best wishes.

Not easy to find and not normally stocked in auto parts stores.

If I remember correctly they are M12x1.75x95 in a 10.9 hardness at least for the 88's but I think they are all the same. Not too hard to find that size, but most places don't carry that hardness.

You can get them here:

http://www.boltdepot.com

They don't have the 95 length but the 100's will work.

[This message has been edited by whobeyoube (edited 02-29-2004).]

Ive been in your situation before, all the other control arm bolts came out except 1, front left lower control arm, hard banging, lots of heat, air powered punch gun, hacksaw, various helpers, the only way mine came out was with a steel cutting disc and an old dremel unit that sat on the floor. good luck

When I replaced the rubber bushings with poly on my rear control arms, I had to soak them with PB Blaster for a few days then put a short breaker bar on one side so it wouldn't move and use a large breaker bar on the other side with a 3 foot section of pipe on the end to break them loose. I'm really glad I won't have to go thru that again any time soon. It took me the better part of 21/2 hours to get them both off.

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AIM-jaxpac257

Okay, thanks for the replies. So I need better tools Grr... this is gonna cost me. Ah well... +'s all around

Brad