front control arm bolt stuck in bushing....

88hatchblack

New Member
Jul 25, 2004
163
0
0
Willard, Ohio
front A-arm bolt stuck in bushing....

ok, here's the situation- my right front A-arm bolt is seized to the metal insert inside the bushing and it WON'T come out. I've tried an impact wrench, but the bushing absorbs all the shock. If i use a breaker bar I can get it to spin, but the bushing spins inside the A-arm. I've also tried pounding it out with a sledge hammer---no luck. Any suggestions or tips? My new motor is coming next week and I want to have this stuff done. :mad:
 
  • Sponsors (?)


Talking about your rear control arm? foward bolt? OR are you talking about our A-arms? Have u tried lubing it up? Alot of guys seem to have trouble with removing rear control arm bolts. Do a search and you find more then enough info with pics and tips for removal.
 
SS, he said right front in his post (i miss those all the time). :)

do you have a drift? get room and use the drift and 4 pound swinging press to beat the snot out of the bolt. (drift is like a long shank that fits inside the bolt's boss). if you have removed a motorcycle rear axle, you know what i mean.

i think Mav had similar problems not long ago. might search his 'threads started' if all else fails (i cant remember for sure what his issues were, but this rings a bell).

good luck.
 
I had that problem with a rear control arm bolt. I beat the snot out of it, and got it to move 1/8". Then I cut the head off it with a sawzall and beat it the other way with a drift punch. It moved enough for me to cut the other end off and drive it the other way with the drift. It went far enough for the arm to drop and I beat it the rest of the way out after that. I put it back in with a new bolt, sure hope santa brings me some control arms. :nonono:
 
sirsureshot39 said:
Im interpreting that as right front bolt of rear control arm. The front a-arm bolts arent usually a problem.
i gotcha - you read more into it that i did. :)

the fronts can be a pain if they have rusted/seized and the bushing has failed. he hasnt come back so we dont know what he is working on. LOL.
 
sorry guys---i had school and work. Yes it's the A-arm. I tried some penetrating oil and WD-40 and stuff but it doesn't want to work. There's not enough room in the fenderwell to get a punch in--- and even if there were i've been hitting it with a 10lb sledge and it's not moving. I think i might try the sawzall....... :D
 
HISSIN50 said:
i think Mav had similar problems not long ago. might search his 'threads started' if all else fails (i cant remember for sure what his issues were, but this rings a bell).

good luck.

Ya, thats right. A sawzall and a few hours did the trick for me, for 3 of 4 bolts on my stock rear lower control arms. My front A-arms have the same problem, and i'm going to end up hacking them up with the cutoff torch when the car is on the road next summer, and replacing the whole a-arm with new poly bushings as well.

I feel your pain.. bushing sleeves seized to bushing hardware REALLY sucks..
 
Mavrick said:
Ya, thats right. A sawzall and a few hours did the trick for me, for 3 of 4 bolts on my stock rear lower control arms. My front A-arms have the same problem, and i'm going to end up hacking them up with the cutoff torch when the car is on the road next summer, and replacing the whole a-arm with new poly bushings as well.

I feel your pain.. bushing sleeves seized to bushing hardware REALLY sucks..

hmmmm...... guess i'll go with the sawzall idea then...

thanks guys!
 
im bringing this thread back to life because I just tried to remove my front A arms last night and I had the same thing happen to me.. the bolt is stuck in from the bushings and I can't get it out for the life of me. I can spin the bolt around in there but its all twisted up in the bushing.. I tried pounding it out and also tried prying it with a big ass steel pipe with no luck.. I think I'm gonna resort to a sawzall real soon unless there is any other suggestions to try. I've tried almost everything except heated it up.. I soaked everything on it with PB blast and can move the arm and bolt around but it requires force and still wont budge. Does anyone know if I cut the bolt if I can get a replacement bolt at a dealer and for how much? thanks.
 
brother-in-law and I just went through the same b.s. on his GT. We had to saw them off as well and then torch the rest of it out of the arm and replace the bushings with ones from Steeda. I got him the bolts from here at work. KC90Gt, see your other thread regarding bolt info. :nice: