Suspension Bolts

kwm · 08-13-2007, 10:04 AM

I lowered the front suspension in all of 10 minutes yesterday. Then on to the rear, D'oH! Any tips in breaking the large bolts loose on the rear suspension arm. I was trying to frist break loose the forward most bolt that holds the ride height in place then the next bolt to the right that adj. the ride height. No dice on either and I did some pretty not-so-advisable things to try to get it loose. After a soak in liquid wrench I put my breaker bar on it and used a floor jack to jack against the handle of the breaker bar. It actually lifted the car off the ground and would not break the bolt loose. I stopped short of jumping up and down the back bumper while it was lifted off the ground.

Mighty2.0 · 08-13-2007, 11:06 AM

Let them soak overnight, maybe several days, before attempting to remove.

And / or use heat.

the · 08-13-2007, 11:11 AM

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

john70t · 08-13-2007, 12:02 PM

Ouch. I think I tried that method once and it ended with the nut rounded-off and the breaker bar flying across the room and breaking something(hence the name

.
-Try some heat from a Mapp or oxy/acet torch on the nut only which will expand its circle(don't get it cherry hot or it will temper though).
-Or use a 1/2inch impact gun, but give it a few taps clockwise first.
-Sometimes a few taps from a flat punch just smaller than the bolt will break the corrosion-bond. Not too hard though.

Funny anecedotes about lube: A driver brought in a trailer once with a sliding rear axle. I pulled the pin, he locked the rear brakes, and drove forward-as is standard procedure. Nothing. Just kept dragging the tires forward and back. After 10 minutes of that, I sprayed down the slide with WD-40 and it instantly popped loose.
Another mechanic would often "taint" his WD-40 spray bottle with Mavelous Mystery Oil (against MSDS regulations) which greatly improved the results on doors/cables etc.... Funny thing was, he'd accidentally leave it unmarked in the cabinet sometimes and it was impossible to use it as a drill lube anymore. Just kept spinin' and spinin'.

kwm · 08-14-2007, 04:28 AM

joh70t can I get a bottle of that mystery lube? Anyway, yhea I was exhausted last night when I got home from work but tonight I am going to lube them again for the rest of the week then try it Friday night with heat, and maybe an extension on my breaker bar. At least with me all logic and common sense flys right out the window then I get a stuck bolt. Plus it was like over 100 degrees this past weekend when I was working on it. Sometimes I just feel like a ravenous dog on stuck bolts and I just keep trying and trying and lets try this lets try that and they are never good choices in the literal heat of the moment. Oh well you live and hopefully learn and in my case hopefully with age you get more patience (first kid due in a few months...)

tonythetarga · 08-14-2007, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

+1 here. I think you should read up on lowering ride height before you start messing with the spring plate bolts. They make such a minor adjustment on ride height but will really wack out your rear toe and alignment settings. The only real way to properly lower your back end with stock spring plates is to re-index the torsion bars. When you pull those out you will see you need to address the spring plate bushings and, assuming you do it right, when all is said and done you will need your alignment done and car corner balanced again. By adjusting the front ride height you may have already ****ed up your coner balance.

kwm · 08-14-2007, 05:46 AM

Corner balance.....this isn't a purpose build track car it is a daily driver.... I am more concerned about rubbing the top of a speed bump at the grocery store than anything else. The 25mph on ramp is the biggest turn this thing sees on a regular basis.

AirCooledExcellence · AirCooledExcellence's Garage

Doesn't matter if it's a track car or not! If your corner balance is out your car will not drive properly! You may have trouble with it braking unevenly, pulling to one side etc...

Mattcamp · 08-14-2007, 09:41 AM

I used a seriously oversized rachet with a swivel, an 18" extension and a jackstand. The rachet was a friends garage sale score. I first tried a Dewalt impact with no success. Then we put the socket and swivel on the bolt.............put the extension on and put the jackstand under the extension where it clicked onto the rachet. (if your extension is long enough, you should be pushing down; not lifting up..........that should keep your car on the ground). It came right off. Keep in mind that this was no ordinary swivel/ rachet set. I didn't measure but it made my 1/2" drive rachet look like a kids toy.

Good luck.

DaddyGlenn · DaddyGlenn's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirCooledExcellence

Doesn't matter if it's a track car or not! If your corner balance is out your car will not drive properly! You may have trouble with it braking unevenly, pulling to one side etc...

+1 and all the disasters those problems can cause.

KFC911 · 08-14-2007, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwm

....After a soak in liquid wrench I put my breaker bar on it and used a floor jack to jack against the handle of the breaker bar. It actually lifted the car off the ground and would not break the bolt loose. I stopped short of jumping up and down the back bumper while it was lifted off the ground.

Those large nuts are one of the few places on my 911 that I'll use an impact wrench to loosen. They virtually unscrew themselves once they see me fire up the compressor and break out the I/R (600+ ft/lbs of torque)

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