Coilover install trouble

[SkidPalace]

So the problem is not so much the new coilover install, but rather the old coilover removal.
I cannot get the bolt out of the lower shock mount.
It seems to be fused to the rubber bushing. The bolt is free and I can crank the shiat out of it but it just turns about 45 degrees in a rubbery sort of way then returns to the original position. My impact wrench just hammers away with no success. Granted it is a fairly basic wrench being fed by a 6 gal pancake @ 150 psi, but still.
I cant budge it the bolt by hammering on the end of it. The more I hit it the more I start to mushroom the end of the bolt.
Has anyone dealt with this before?
Any solutions other than cutting the bolt off (not even sure how I would get a sawzall in there)?
Would a better impact wrench get the job done with my wimpy compressor?

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[shootmymime]

if the nut is off the bolt like it looks like it is, than is looks like it time for BFH.
big F-ing hammer.

Edit: i guess i should have read more, it helps to but the nut back on and thread it on so all the threads are touching, then hit it with the hammer so it will prevent the mushroom effect on the tip of the bolt.

what about placing the jack under the lower A arm and relieve some of the tension off the bolt. or take the upper ball joint loose so the shock is holding it rather than the bolt.

 

[Atrox Caeda]

Yea I would have a jack on the bottom and impact and hammer going all at the same time.

 

[SkidPalace]

Yeah, so the jack/tension thing is that the sway bar link was still attached and the passenger wheel was still on the ground, so there was already some upward tension on the joint. I could pry down with a bit of force on the UCA and the unbolted top hat would free up from the perch. Besides, the bolt was moving quite freely in the mounts. Unfortunately, the shock bushing is moving right along with it.
I may have to just upgrade the impact wrench. My 400 ft/lb Craftsman is really just a tire changer. Shoulda went with the HF Earthquake.
Pounding the shiat out of the bolt made me feel like I was bending the mounts. I am thinking an air attack might be the best offense.
Might give a go with a gear puller also.

 

[scrap metal]

I think you are making this more difficult than it needs to be?

Youre doing this with the wheels on and the 4runner on the ground still?

Take the wheel off and jack up the car. It shouldnt be a problem to take that bolt out since you have the nut off already.

Like mentioned before, put the nut back on and hammer it out....
Or... take a torch and heat the bushing up if you arent reusing those shocks

 

[slowpoke99]

i had that same problem on mine. fortunately for me i wasnt reusing the parts so i took a sawzall to it. the bolt on mine rusted and fused itself to the sleeve inside the rubber bushing. did the same thing you mentioned. it turned but had some "springback" from the rubber. like the others said, grab a BFH and have your way with it.

 

[SkidPalace]

i had that same problem on mine. fortunately for me i wasnt reusing the parts so i took a sawzall to it. the bolt on mine rusted and fused itself to the sleeve inside the rubber bushing. did the same thing you mentioned. it turned but had some "springback" from the rubber. like the others said, grab a BFH and have your way with it.

So you have seen the same thing. The funny thing is that the hardware really doesn't look rusty or corroded.
I guess I will have to source a couple of bolts and cut the old ones off.
Or I could take the easy route and drop the pig off at the mechanic around the corner. The guy is a pretty straight shooter for light work like this.

 

[TCMach]

Your new coilovers have their own bushing correct? Get out the torch. See if a little heat will coax it out. Or just burn the bushing out :flamethrwoer2:.

 

[SkidPalace]

So I have given up for now.
Pounding the bolt only bends the shock mounts on the lower control arm.
Been juicing the bolts with PB Blaster twice a day. Finally called it quits this morning.
In the meantime I had moved to the rear and installed the new '99 Moog coils and KYB Gas-a-Justs. That was fun. Got an inch and a half lift over the tired '00 coils and stock toasted shocks. Needed to replace the rear sway bar end links as one of the old ones snapped on removal.
So I dropped in to the local repair shop to have them bust out the front lower shock mount bolts. To add insult to injury, they tell me they are flat out for almost a week. That sucks.
I may just head to Harbor Freight and grab the 21 gal compressor and Earthquake impact driver. Try to twist that ***** out and if not just cut it off myself.
Trying to get all this done before my trip down to the dunes on Nantucket this weekend.

 

[blizz86]

So I have given up for now.
Pounding the bolt only bends the shock mounts on the lower control arm.
Been juicing the bolts with PB Blaster twice a day. Finally called it quits this morning.
In the meantime I had moved to the rear and installed the new '99 Moog coils and KYB Gas-a-Justs. That was fun. Got an inch and a half lift over the tired '00 coils and stock toasted shocks. Needed to replace the rear sway bar end links as one of the old ones snapped on removal.
So I dropped in to the local repair shop to have them bust out the front lower shock mount bolts. To add insult to injury, they tell me they are flat out for almost a week. That sucks.
I may just head to Harbor Freight and grab the 21 gal compressor and Earthquake impact driver. Try to twist that ***** out and if not just cut it off myself.
Trying to get all this done before my trip down to the dunes on Nantucket this weekend.

[MENTION=82211]TCMach[/MENTION] i would just follow this idea.

get a burner from HD or something and just burn that sucker out.

 

[TCMach]

If you want a better idea of what I meant when I said take a torch to it. Take it and heat the bolt up a bit. Try to turn it a bit and break that bond between the bushing and the bolt. Then take a hammer to it. With heat and some coaxing by the BFH I would be surprised if you couldn't get it out. Oh make sure you have the nut on it so you don't mushroom it any more.

Worst case scenario just put the torch on the bushing itself and see if the heat will shrivel it up or melt part of it out. Hopefully that will give you room to work the bolt out.

 

[twitchee2]

Get a tie rod puller from HF for $10 and press it out?

 

[Harleydoc]

Heat and an impact is all I have ever used even with one that was stuck in my 96 had 230k on it when I lifted it and it was a beast but 5 mins of head the hit is with the impact it all came out you can also put the bottle jack on the UCA and jack it from the wheel well to take some pressure off the bottom shock bolt and see if that helps. I have never taken off ball joint to out front coils on a toyota 4runner just jack the UCA down to make room and install the new one and remove the jack. Here is a photo of where to place the jack.

 

[rideexileex]

If you can still twist it in the bushing, my guess, as others have alluded to, is that there is too much shear force on the bolt from the springs/control arms. Using jacks/pry bars will hopefully get the tabs on the lower control arm to perfectly line up with the mounting hole of the shock, and hopefully the bolt will pound right out.

Boston area? is the bolt seized up with the metal sleeve at all from rust?

 

[TheeMikeB]

I agree with rideexileex, sounds like too much force on there. Jack the vehicle up, take the tire off, let the spring fully expand down, use a bottle or scissor jack on the upper a-arm and try with varying amounts of downard pressure to get that bolt out.

 

[steezemcqueen]

I bet the bolt has seized to the metal sleeve inside the bushing. If thats the case, twisting the bolt more is just going to tear the bushing which will cause it to spin freely inside there but you still won't be able to pull it out. Same thing if you burn the rubber with a torch but i wouldn't do that. Heating up a shock isn't a good idea.

Get out a sawzall and cut the bolt inside the shock tabs

 

[SkidPalace]

Hi Guys,
No the bolt is free in the LCA shock mounts. It is fused to the metal sleeve/spacer within the rubber strut mount. When I crank on the bolt head it flexes the rubber shock bushing but does not break the bolt free form the sleeve.
Trying to pound the bolt/nut with blunt force is bending the LCA shock mount ears over. The bolt is not budging form the sleeve.
I would consider heating, but logic tells me when you need to free a peg in a hole, you heat the hole not the peg. Heating the hole in this case means burning through the rubber bushing and heating the sleeve. That is an option, but not one I can try today in order to guarantee an operable vehicle for my road trip in the morning.
The only thing I haven't tried is a gear/ball joint puller on the end of the bolt. That is likely a non-destructive option I can try now.

 

[jamess]

I was in this situation when I had my Tacoma. You do not want to burn it out, you will still be stuck. Like steezemcqueen said, you need to cut it out within the shock mount. This can be done. I used an pneumatic angle grinder on mine.