Another trailing arm bolt removal question

[Klueh]

After having reached a road block, I have read all the post I could find on removing the bolt that holds the trailing arm on to the chassis. I have tried various sockets and wrenches to no avail. Options remaining seem to be:

1. drop the engine and trans (really not prepared to do this)
2. saw the bolt off with a saws all
3. skip replacing the bushings as I update everything else (really don't want to do this after spending a couple grand on all new suspension parts)

So, I have my saws all and carbide blade ready to go. Nervous as I do not want to damage the trailing arm. Where and how to cut? I am assuming the blade should go between the flange and the face of the bushing but there is not a gap big enough to get the saw blade in there. - see pic

Can someone who has done this please confirm and offer any guidance?

The car is a 1989 stock G50 car.

Thanks

[r_towle]

Can you get an impact gun on the inside head of the bolt?
Might help to spin it for a while to break the hold the corrosion may have on it.

rich

[Driver_X]

If you are having so much trouble getting it off, what makes you think you'll be able to torque it enough to get it back on?

I just did this last week with the engine out, easy as pie with an impact gun......

At this point, you might just be better served to skip this item until such time as you are ready to drop the motor.

[gregwils]

I did this project when I pulled my motor the previous winter so I am not dealing with the nut removal issue. The most common approach I have seen listed if you must remove them is cut them off. My personal recommendation is #3. You need to heat the bushing to get them out so it's difficult to see the amount of deformation. However, once out, the rubber bushing did not seem badly deformed and I really didn't think it would have been necessary. My bushings appeared similar to yours - cracked and aged along the perimeter, inside where they were not exposed to the weather the rubber seemed fine. The spring arm bushes obviously bear the lions share of the weight, which makes sense since it is connected to the t-bar.

So, do what Driver_X says, take a pass for now. Heck, next weekend in mid-April, close the door on project season and open it on driving season.

[r_towle]

U-joint on an impact gun, spin it fast enough and it will melt the rubber just enough.

rich

[rwilner]

I was able to get the bolt out by using a thin wall socket (22mm I think? can't remember) on my impact gun with a U joint, like Rich suggested.

That said, my experience was the same as Greg's. When I finally got the trailing arms off and got the bushings out (major PITA), they seemed fine -- not deformed or rotted, even though the outer "ring" that's visible did seem to be perished.

Reinstalling the trailing arms is another very fun project. The new bushings need to be compressed to seat in the ears so you need to figure out some way to do that. I made a strange contraption with threaded rod, nuts and vise grips. Then, you have to pound the thing in with a rubber mallet...but of course you can't swing one under the car, so you have to whack some goofy angle on the trailing arm.

While you're doing this, your 1 year old will be crying and your wife will be yelling at you that your dinner is getting cold.

In any event I personally would not put a sawzall anywhere near that area as it would be very easy to damage things, but if you're very handy with a sawzall maybe you can try it.

If I had to do it again, I wouldn't do it again.

[Klueh]

thanks! With your feedback I am now leaning towards option 3 - passing for now on replacing the bushings. Not my first choice but hearing that two of you did replace them and found them to not be in too bad of shape makes me feel a little better about this pass. I am just real uncomfortable with taking a saw to it and no way in a position to drop the engine. Thanks for the quick feedback.

[rsNINESOOPER]

Drive it over to a shop that can put it up on a rack to get an impact gun on it to loosen it up put penetrating oil on it then snug it back up so you can get home and take it off.


cheaper and faster if you don't have the tools or time. DIY projects rely on having the proper tools and doing it right. If that isn't possible then pay a wrench to do just that part of your project so you can do the rest.

[Driver_X]

How many miles on the car?

Mine is a '74 with 175,000+ and they were pretty worn, but yours is 15 years younger and if you have a lot less miles, I would just leave them be and move on....

[gregwils]

Here is my bushing install tool - an odd mix of sockets, washers, nuts and an all-thread. I applied a modest amount of propane heat prior to getting the new bushing close to the arm. Chuck at ERP recommend sticking the bushing end of the arm into boiling water. I am sure it's a better solution, but my wife was home that day so kitchen access was restricted.

[zippy_gg]

Originally Posted by Driver_X

How many miles on the car?

Mine is a '74 with 175,000+ and they were pretty worn, but yours is 15 years younger and if you have a lot less miles, I would just leave them be and move on....

+1 on that. My 86 Carrera has 133K miles and a lot of corrosion on the bottom, yet the trailing arm bushings were still in good shape. I replaced them as I had the engine out, but in retrospect it was not necessary.

[RWebb]

possible to look fine but be hard (in terms of a durometer test)

I'd wait tho, like others said

[rwilner]

Most people replace them with sport hardness bushings I suspect anyway.

[glennspiegler]

I did them on jack stands. Took a 22mm wrench and cut open end off. Closed end and shaft of wrench left will accept a piece of pipe as a breaker bar. Funny though, as bad as all the bushings were, these looked brand new. Would do the rear wheel bearings if u get it off. Enjoy, Glenn

[r_towle]

Originally Posted by rwilner

While you're doing this, your 1 year old will be crying and your wife will be yelling at you that your dinner is getting cold.

HAHAHA

I needed a good laugh.

rich

[Scott R]

Did this job in just a few short mins last weekend, just need the right tool.



Snap On dot com.

[rusnak]

I say drop the motor, and do brake lines and all suspension bushings at the same time. Very worth it to get the small stuff on the motor while it's out, and re-torque various fasteners, including manifold bolts. Not worth it to niggle around.

The bushings go in very easily with a hydraulic press.

[Walt Fricke]

1) What were you thinking of sawing off? I think the issue used to be with bolts with the bolt head on the transmission side - no room to pull the bolt out that way. So you would pull it out some so you could saw off the bolt head, then push the stub out the other way.

But with the bolt installed as it is, there is a dent in the torsion tube. Doesn't that make room for pulling the bolt out once you have the nut off?

2) Are you doing this to install spherical bearings? If not, I think replacing this bushing is something with a very small return on your investment of time. As noted, these don't seem to deteriorate. The rubber involved is quite thin, so it isn't going to have distorted significantly. Certainly won't produce the benefits of, say, a Polybronze bushing on the torsion bar end of things.

3) I found the hardest part was prying the old bushing out - including the first steel sleeve. Once one was out, the other could be pushed out.

[Scott R]

Walt is dead on, every bushing on my suspension was shot except those. He's also correct on how the bolt comes out.

[lateapex911]

I agree. No way would I have bothered if I wasn't replacing my trailing arms with alum and the bushings with sphericals.