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Best way to cut suspension bolts off

W

wasz

Paul Ricard
Joined
28 Dec 2012
Messages
3,107
Recently I replaced both rear track control arms on my 996.

In both case the bolt was stuck fast (galvanic corrosion) inside the aluminium bushing.

Turning the bolt just trashes the bushing and the lot just spins inside the arm.

Impossible to get much heat on as its inside the arm, inside the bushing.

No room to get a grinder in.

The only solution I came up with was hours of hacksawing, OK for one bolt:

EaFnp62.jpg


Now, I've got to do the rear coffin arms, and all 4 top dogbone links on the rears. Thats 10 bolts likely to be stuck fast similarly..... I'm not hacksawing through all those by hand.....


What methods do people use to get these bolts out? Any creative ideas? Or do I take it to garage and let them use an air die grinder (praying they don't cut through my subframes too....)

Anyone had success with a reciprocating saw?
 
Get some heat on them with a proper Rothenberger torch and MAP gas.
Hot/cold cycles should shift them.
 
:agree:

Red hot then chuck cold water on. Repeat a few times and it should free it up.
 
So... get the bolts cherry red! I usually avoid using that much heat as Im concerned about damaging the alloy subframe heat treatment.

Have you guys done yours this way?

Getting them that hot will likely melt the bushing so how to keep the alloy inner of the bushing still whilst turning the bolt?
 
A bit of common sense has to prevail regarding any kind of heating up.

If anyone believed they can bluster through any kind of DIY work on a car, they should consider leaving it to experts.....

That goes for any kind of work on any type of car.
 
Are the ball joints on tapers? If so, I take it you've tried a splitter?
 
alex yates said:
Are the ball joints on tapers? If so, I take it you've tried a splitter?
Click to expand...

I'm talking about the bolt on the other end of the coffin arm and either end of the dog bone links. Ball joint is no problem.

These bolts stick to the alloy inner bushing pretty well and are difficult to remove as the whole lot ends up turning. You can only apply heat to either end of the bolt, I'm wary of using too much heat.

I was hoping someone had done this specific job on a 996. The US forums talk of cutting them with a small air grinder.

Honda S2000 have the same issue, they just cut them too.
 
Can you not press them out?
 
difficult to explain but for the coffin arm inner bolt I undone the nut then flipped it around so the "washer" part was on the outside. I wound it back in so some of the bolt was poking out through the nut. I then got a socket that sat over the end of the bolt and sat against the thick side of the nut. the other end of the socket was close to the subframe.

I then used an open ended spanner to undo the nut again, this pressed against the socket which pressed against the subframe and eventually popped the bolt out towards the rear of the car.


clear as mud sorry
 
paul_mck said:
difficult to explain but for the coffin arm inner bolt I undone the nut then flipped it around so the "washer" part was on the outside. I wound it back in so some of the bolt was poking out through the nut. I then got a socket that sat over the end of the bolt and sat against the thick side of the nut. the other end of the socket was close to the subframe.

I then used an open ended spanner to undo the nut again, this pressed against the socket which pressed against the subframe and eventually popped the bolt out towards the rear of the car.


clear as mud sorry
Click to expand...

Thats genius, so it will effectively press itself out! Will try that :)

All this might be moot as all ten bolts might just come out fine....but 2/2 were stuck fast so far...
 
Beg steal or borrow one of these http://www.boltbusterinc.com/kit/ or similar.

When I did mine I gave it a quick blast and all but one came straight out. The one that didn't got an excessively long blast until the rubber bush drained out the bottom of the joint and the collar split with a small air grinder.

Also useful for heating up your tea/coffee if it's gone cold via a spoon in it or recreating Home Alone by heating the toilet door handle to several hundred degrees whilst someone is in there ;)
 
$550 seems a little expensive for what it is :eek:
 
Drill close together holes through the arm along the line of the bolt then use a cold chisel to break the in line holes open to remove the arm - controlled violence or heat is usually the answer.
 
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