Rear Arms removal

[tonyabacus]

I recall that fairly recently someone posted an easy solution to the age old problem of the inner bolts on the rear suspension arms being fitted the wrong way round, making them difficult to remove. I have had a search but cannot find this particular response can anyone point me in the right direction, as I now need to rectify this error made by a PO.

Thanks in advance
Tony

[512BB]

Even one of the best can make that mistake. My Mick Miller car came with one rear bolt like that. I forgive you Mick, rest easy my friend.

There are only two solutions as I see it, lift the body just enough to get the bolt out, or drill through the shaft of the bolt with succesively larger drills. Start small and as close to the centre line of the bolt as you can and it will give it up in the end. Tap it out. Fin

It might be possible with a rotating cutting disc in a dremel, I would have to look at that more closely.

Leslie

[tonyabacus]

Leslie
I thought about using a Dremel but don't know how tough the Dremel discs are and rather hoped someone had maybe tried it and would respond here.

If anyone has experience as to how tough the discs are or has used one in a hard cutting application or recommendations please let us know
Tony

[Andy8421]

Leslie
I thought about using a Dremel but don't know how tough the Dremel discs are and rather hoped someone had maybe tried it and would respond here.

If anyone has experience as to how tough the discs are or has used one in a hard cutting application or recommendations please let us know
Tony

Tony,

Dremel cutting discs will go through the bolt OK. There are 3 types I have found - 'diamond' dust metal discs, reinforced abrasive discs (like a baby angle grinder disc), finally hard, thin, red abrasive discs. In my experience, none last very long. The thin red discs break when you do up the mounting screw up, so those aren't much good. I haven't tried the baby angle grinder discs, but they look hopeful. I am not sure if the 'diamond' discs have ever seen any diamond, but they seem to last OK (though you should assume you will get through quite a few cutting the bolt). The good news is they are all dirt cheap on eBay. £6 buys a pack of 54 of the baby angle grinder discs.

A bigger problem might be that the diameter of the disc isn't big enough to cut through the bolt without the mandrel bottoming.

Could you 'old school' it, and just use half a hacksaw blade?

[512BB]

Just drill it Tony, it is a simple task. Use sharp, quality drills. Put a flat on the bolt shaft for a good start. You may have to finish the bolt off with a hacksaw blade.

Leslie

[snowyelan]

I haven't had to do this before, but looking at it I'd suggest a jigsaw with the blade backwards, or a Sawsall. I think the jigsaw will have a shorter stroke and the Sawsall may slip off the bolt based on the clearance between the chassis and bolt.

[tonyabacus]

Thanks to all who responded, it sounds like drilling is the way forward
Tony

[billwill]

Just drill it Tony, it is a simple task. Use sharp, quality drills. Put a flat on the bolt shaft for a good start. You may have to finish the bolt off with a hacksaw blade.

Leslie

Leslie, do you mean drill the bolt head off? I cant see how you could drill the bolt without drilling through the bush holder and the existing bush if the intent is to get the bolt out.

Drilling the nut end of the bolt, won't help,( I think). If the bolt has been inserted wrongly with the nut facing towards the other bolt.

[512BB]

No Bill, you do not drill the bolt head. This is how I did it, from memory, as it was about 15 years ago.

Bolt 31 in your picture, is obviously installed the other way round, or we would not be having this conversation. I just undid the nut on the end of the bolt. Pushed the bolt through about 1/2" and started drilling at the bolt head side, but not the bolt head, the shaft. If it is possible to grind a flat on the shaft of the bolt, then all the better for getting a small drill started along the centre line of the bolt. Its as simple as that.

I do not remember why I was trying to remove the wishbone, but if the rear suspension was not in the way or attached to the car, the wishbone could be swung down out of the way, making access with a drill much easier. I think that was how I carried out the job.

So remember good people, on the rear suspension, the inner A frame bolt heads FACE EACH OTHER

Leslie

[billwill]

Ah, I see.
I was assuming the bolt would be a b*gg*r to move in the bush. {I have a trunnion bolt stuck like that} so getting the head off (by drilling the bolt or its head) would just be the first step in a difficult task.

Good luck to Tony the OP, lets hope the bolt is not seized in the bush.

[Lotus Guy]

To remove my bolts which were also seized in the bushes, a pneumatic hacksaw was the solution. at 10,000 stokes per minute, it took 15 mins to get through the bolt. Would hate to think how long it would take if doing by hand.

[tonyabacus]

Bill
I think the last posting by LotusGuy conjures up my worst fears, hence my original posting!
So looks like drilling is still the favourite.
Tony

[billwill]

By the way when I said drill the head off, I meant drill through the SIDE of the head of the bolt as close to the bolt shank as possible., and as Leslie says, use progressively bigger drills Eventually, your drill hole will be as big as the bolt shank and the head will fall off or be twistable off.

If you are doing it this way instead of Leslie's way, it will be because the bolt has seized in the bush centre sleeve, so you then have the problem of getting the bolt out of the bush, by forcing it towards the centre of the A frame. (i.e towards the other bolt).

I still haven't solved my seized trunnion bolt. I am contemplating drilling a small hole sideways through the side of the trunnion, bush and inner sleeve of the bush and making a dent in the bolt itself, then squirting plus gas (releasing fluid) into that tiny hole and leaving if for a day or two. This will probably render the trunnion unusable, of course.

[512BB]

40 years ago Bill, I had the same problem as you, what I remember of it. My first car, a Sprint, must have failed its MOT due to play in the trunnion. On trying to remove the bolt to replace the bushes, the bolt was seized in the steel bush. Poor maintenance by the previous owner!

All I remember about getting the bolt out was bashing away with a club hammer, and it eventually gave up. I don't remember anything about sawing the bolt, but it was a long time ago. If you wanted to give that a go, undo the nylock about 4 turns and start bashing away on the nut. Do not bash directly onto the bolt head, as that will splay it, and it then will not pass through the steel bush.

This method may not work of course, depending on how corroded the bolt is in the bush, and cutting the bolt may be the only option.

Plenty of copper slip on your bolts on assembly folks will prevent this senario from happening in the future.

Good luck

Leslie

[tonyabacus]

Apologies this is posted in the wrong place, it should be in response to the question regarding "Removal of a seized front trunnion" posted by Bill

Bill
Can you remove the hub off the trunnion, which means being able to get the top arm free from the hub and then unscrewing the hub from the trunnion. if so it may be easier to remove the trunnion and bottom arms as a unit so you can get them into a vice. Use a suitable socket to act as a spacer against the head of the bolt, on the other side loosen the nut a turn or two and then use the vice like a press to force the bolt through. At least in the vice you can get to the trunnion to apply some heat or penetrating fluid, easier than in situ on the car. Also it will enable you to work the bolt whilst trying to get some fluid in there.

It may also work if you leave the whole thing in the vice overnight under tension so the release agent can do its stuff.

An alternative is once in the vice, grind off the head of the bolt so you can either punch or drill the bolt out.
Tony