Removing Leaf Spring Bolts? **UPDATED**

[dnixon]

Okay well as some know I am doing the SOA and right now I am just taking apart my old suspension getting ready to put the RB inversion kit on. Well I had soaked all the nuts and bolts in Penetrating Oil and all the nuts came off fine.. but know how should I go about getting the bolts out?? I jacked up the frame and put it on stands and I have the rear end on top of stands to see if I could take out some of the pressure on the bolts.. Is it just going to be brute strength and endurance that will prevaile in this matter or does anyone have any tid bits of wisdom to help with the removal???... I figured I could just beat it out but before I started banging on anything to hard I just wanted to hear what you all had to say..

[ September 09, 2002, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: dnixon ]

[Michael]

Use a good size punch and a small sledge hammer and knock the he#@ out of them!!!! I would put a jack under the rear end and jack it up too...to releave any tension on the springs.

I would put c clamps on the spring and then undo the ubolts too and seperate the axle from the leafs. It makes it much easier to work with. Other wise you may not be able to line everything up when you put it back together. Just my .02

[ARJeepman]

Use a torch and heat em til the rubber runs out!

[River Beast]

torching is good if you are replacing the bushings.... just getting the bolt out of the center pin of the bushing is a whole other situation.

First off... do the bolts rotate withing the center pins of the bushings? If so... it should be easy to punch them out with a drift punch and BFH.

If not... you got some work ahead of you.... try heat and penetrating oil to get the bolts to rotate... once they rotate, you can start beating away. this may take time.... I had to rig up a contraption to actually use a long bolt and bracket to PUSH the bolts thru.

It's much easier in the long run to disconnect the shackle to frame (leaving the shackle on the spring) and taking the spring out and working on it off the vehicle.

Keep us posted....

Did you get my email on the UPS tracking
? your kit went out Friday. :D

[dnixon]

Originally posted by River Beast:
torching is good if you are replacing the bushings.... just getting the bolt out of the center pin of the bushing is a whole other situation.

First off... do the bolts rotate withing the center pins of the bushings? If so... it should be easy to punch them out with a drift punch and BFH.

If not... you got some work ahead of you.... try heat and penetrating oil to get the bolts to rotate... once they rotate, you can start beating away. this may take time.... I had to rig up a contraption to actually use a long bolt and bracket to PUSH the bolts thru.

It's much easier in the long run to disconnect the shackle to frame (leaving the shackle on the spring) and taking the spring out and working on it off the vehicle.

Keep us posted....

Did you get my email on the UPS tracking
? your kit went out Friday. :D yeah i am trying to get the shackle off the frame first. All but one are turning in the bushing except for one. Its in the front on the passenger side. When i go to try to turn it it kind of "loads" up with the bushing.. so its stuck to the bushing and the bushing just tightens up and twist.

About the UPS i got the email but UPS doesn't seem to accept the code.. I just figured it wasn't in their system yet.. but thanks again!! I for sure will keep you all posted.

[mdill]

Many times (Like most every one I have had to do) the center bushing
and the bolt rust together and become one. If you are lucky the the sledge
will push the bolt out if not I have used a sazall to cut the bolts just out
board from the spring on each side to allow the spring to be rmoved
(being carefull not to cut either the spring or hanger/shackel). then the
spring can be taken ove to the press for some serious pushing.

Mike D.

[dnixon]

Okay I have all the bolts out except the front passenger side one for the rear leaf. It's right next to my muffler so I can't beat on it and it is fused to the bushing but the bushing spins inside the eye of the spring... am I going to have to melt it???
If I melt it will I have to get some sort of press to get the new bushings in???.. for some reason I remember something about it being really hard to get them in. any advice would be great!!

[okidoc]

Did you get the bolt out?
I jack up the "Y" pipe slightly and was able to angle a punch in there and sledge it out.

[dnixon]

yup i got it i used a heavy duty ratchet (only thing that would fit in between the frame and the muffler) and banged on it got it started then pryed the other side as I twisted it with a combo wrench...

[River Beast]

ENGINUITUY!!! Good Job!!! I have done that before...with the combo wrench... ;)