I use mapp for piping.... I'm impatient lol

 

Still not sure about the freeze-off. Since the bolt head was a little rounded I used a craftsman "grippy" socket on my impact driver and after a few rounds it sheared in half. I'll have another go at it tomorrow.

 

Um. This may be a stupid question, but was that an impact rated socket?


Either way, at least it was a craftsman and you can get a free replacement

 

that's a bolt-out

That's one crazy stuck bolt wes... what's the bolt on? the jeep?

 

I'm pretty sure that those sockets aren't impact rated, but still.....That's why I used the craftsman set in case it broke.

The bolt is on the RX7 on the front passenger side (see picture). It connects the wheel spindle to the lower control arm. There are 2 major problems with this bolt: it's upside down therefore water and rust can easily get into the threads, and the lower control arm prevents having easy access to it.

The problem is I already replaced the driver side, so if I can't get this off and replaced by Saturday morning, I'll miss CDC.

 

Yeah I know it was a bolt-out, I was just wondering if it was impact rated as well. It has the black Iron look of one, but obviously split like it wasn't.


I know those bolts, those are huge suckers. I had to remove them when I was replacing my bearings because the steering linkage wasn't allowing me to remove the caliper. Maybe drop the lower control arm and detach the steering linkage to remove the whole thing as a sub-assembly? then you could throw it in a vise and really get some leverage on it. If that still doesn't work, grind the head off and buy another bolt for the new suspension.

 

If I grind the head off the bolt, how would I get the threaded part out?

 

have you tried using a pipe wrench? they're surprisingly good at gripping round things....

 

I guess I should state that the bolt doesn't connect to the control arm, but to the steering linkage. The control arm is right below. Sockets need to be shallow to be above the arm, but then an extension is needed to clear the brake disk and the bottom of the arm. So there is no room for a pipe wrench or vise grips.

I guess I'll try to remove the whole thing and then take off the arm.

 

If you broke or cut the head off, you'd have to drill out the threads or use an extractor. What kind of impact gun did you try it with? You may have more luck with a more powerful gun or by increasing the operating pressure if your existing gun (which might damage it). More applications of PB blaster and heat may also help, it takes time to penetrate and do its thing.

 

those bolt-out sockets hardly ever work and Im nearly 100% certain that those craftsman ones are NOT supposed to be used for impacts because when I was looking for a set that could be used w/ an impact the only one I found was the Irwin sets. Either way it STILL didn't work. Sorry to be a downer but most likely your gonna have to bite the bullet and drill it out. Make sure you get cobalt bit from HDepot (around $20) and some zoom spout oil or 3 in 1 oil for cutting oil and get'r done. IF you still want to try to bolt out PM me and you can borrow my IRWIN set that is definetly meant for impacts but I'm tellin you I highly doubt its gonna work. (And thats with my IR Ti 1/2" dr. impact gun rated for 750 torque). I re-read your post and am unclear whether the bolt is rounded or just stuck. Right now HF is having a sale on 3/4" impact guns rated for around 1000 and believe it or not it is one of the few pneumatic tools from them that has good reviews, with a 20% coupon it can be had for under $80 , you may want to consider this an option. I almost bought one cuz I had an honda axle nut that wouldnt budge with my IR ti 1/2" and almost bought one but found a friend with a more powerful IR gun i could borrow.

 

Half the time I get them out, half the time I take the head of the bolt off... either way, it comes apart :-)

 

I thought the bolt passes through the Control Arm and threads into the Shock/Spindle assembly? Isnt that the part you are replacing? If so, you wouldn't need to get the threaded part out.

 

It does slide through, so I cut the head of the bolt off. Turns out there is some serious rust or something keeping the spindle to the steering linkage, they are not separating. Being that I can't get them apart, I won't be going to autox tomorrow. oh well.

 

Bah, that sucks. You should still come and co-drive my car.

 

Well I was finally able to get the coilovers on. I ended up leaving the bolt as-is and just took apart the lower control arm. It's funny how when you start working on one thing, you notice about 8 other things that need worked on. The never ending fun of working on an older car.

 

How does it drive?

 

Battery is charging. I'll probably take it out tomorrow morning.

 

Congrat's Wes. I'll be working at replacing my rear tomorrow. Hit me up if you want to drive down and show off your new setup.

 

Wish I could, but I got plans with my mom.

 

There's a broken down 1st gen on Rt 28 near Chantilly. Is it one of you guys?

 

Well I drove it around. It is absolutely fantastic on smooth roads. Bumps are now much harsher, but not too bad. However, the front suspension sounds like it's going to fall apart every big bump I hit. I guess it's due to the top of the coilovers not being in contact with the strut tower, is that normal?

 

it shouldn't sound that bad.... do you have a picture of how the top mounts are stacked?

You'll probably get some popping noises because the springs aren't preloaded anymore so they might fall out of their perches sometimes (not usually)

My car is slowly getting ready for the track day this weekend:

 

Doubtful, our cars never break down around here

 

My breakdowns are always planned....but they do seem to last longer than anticipated.