Re: stuck rear suspension bolt

[Brett Van Sprewenburg <brett@netacc.net>]

>Hi all -- I was going to replace my suspension today, but I ran into a
>problem when trying to remove the right-rear shock (luckily this is where
>I started). The bolt which secures it at the bottom is very stuck (the nut
>comes off fine). We tried everything we could think of (including lowering
>the weight of the car onto a wrench) but to no avail. It appears that it
>is frozen in the metal sleeve which the bolt runs through. The bolt
>appears to turn, but will immediately turn back once the torque is
>released; I assume this is because the metal sleeve is fixed to the rubber
>which surrounds it.
>
>Anyway, does anyone have any bright ideas? Some possibilities: drill off
>the bolt head, and try to pull it out from the other end (perhaps using
>the nut to pull it out by tightening it); press the bolt out (I don't
>believe it's threaded into anything beside the nut, but I could be wrong);
>impact wrench. Heat wouldn't really be appropriate given the rubber.
>Anything else?
>
>Thanks,
>Oliver

Don't be so sure about the impact wrench or heat! ;)  I've been in
your shoes before, and I've done each one:  Burned it out, cut the
ends off, then drilled it out to make the bottom thin enough to
lift out, and finally, impact gun.  If you heat it a bit, then hit
the crap out the 'nut' end, it should come out...see if you can
combine the smacking the crap out it (technical term) with someone
vibrating the shit (another term) out of the other end with an
impact gun.  If this fails, it's probably cut-n-drill (last term, I
promise) time.

Oh, you've exactly identified the problem, the bolt is rusted to
the sleeve, which is bonded to the rubber, which is bonded to the
shock body which is connected to the leg bone.  Yeah, it does suck.

later.

==Brett

 \/  '84 Scirocco (ITB racer 2B) | "Hot VW's, take two home. They're small"
\/\/ '88 Scirocco 16v (Show), '85 Scirocco (Winter) | - brett@netacc.net

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