So I thought I'd just toss on a new shock (steering stabilizer) because mine looked like crap from rust. I figured, ah - maybe 20 minutes max. I started it yesterday afternoon... getting that bolt out of the outer tierod end isn't trivial.... and mine is still in there. After a couple hours of tapping, squirting penetrating oil, trying the double hammer technique, heating it with propane torch, and losing my patience and really smashing it with my BFH... Its still in there, freaking laughing at my silly a** thinking I 'd be done in 20 minutes. It was looking pretty mashed so I tried to remove any mushrooming and ended up sheering it off at the top of the hole. At that point, I just stopped and cleaned up.... came in and hit the internet and finding that I am not alone with that kind of issue. I now wish I had done my research prior, but I didn't even think about running into problems...

So I think its still drive-able, but I ended up bending up the shaft on the old shock - so I'll need to cut it off. I'm considering taking it to a local shop and let them remove it.... or just start taking off outer tie rod and putting it into my press. I'm pretty confident if I could get it off the truck, I'd be able to get it. But now I'm gunshy about removing joints that go into rods, and that left outer plugs into another rod.

Suggestions please!

 

Supposedly a puller will get it out. If not, do what you said and get the tie rod off and use a press or vice. Tie rods pop pight off with a pickle fork which you can rent. I'm glad I have a 99 which had a different simple two bolt setup instead of the one bolt and stud design. Ram jumped around with front end designs a bit.

I was where you are with a friend's 95 and I gave up. A shop got it off in no time.

 

How about a photo or two of what you're dealing with?

 

Its dark, so I just lazily screen grabbed on someone's video... You can see where the dampener mounting bolt goes through the rod. I suspect that I can't drive max vibration with the BFH while its on the truck. Haven't touched it today, but did source a 12mm bolt for the other side - it was rusty enough I didn't want to clean and reuse.

I don't have an oxygen acetylene setup, invested in plasma instead. I was kicking around the idea of using my TIG, and put 200 amps on the bottom side of that bolt - that'll surely get it a little hotter than propane.

 

I think hitting it with the electric welder might make it become one with the tie rod..... 50/50 chance there.

Pickle fork would work there though.....

 

Hmmm...I've MIG welded alot of nuts on broken/frozen bolts before without fusing, I think I'm more concerned I may fry electronics. Guy in the video I screen grabbed hit that bolt twice and it popped right out. He probably doesn't live in the rust belt...

The existing mount doesn't have a spot to stick a fork in there. The new bolt does, and flat spots to twist it as well.... Maybe I could put a couple flat spots on it and get a wrench on it and start twisting it a bit to get it unfrozen...

 

Thanks for the clarifying photo. I think a quality long barrel air hammer with a punch or hammer end in it would take care of it.

 

Good suggestion... but not sure I have room for my air hammer in there, I know the IR composite impact wrench didn't fit. Truck is stock 8800lb height.... the picture is from someone who added 6" lift prior. Also watched the video a bit longer... side note he makes is he put on all brand new MOOG components a year ago... so that is probably why he had a easy time (he hit it 12 times and it dropped out).

 

Can you beat a 4x4 or 2x4 in between the shock shaft and the tie rod to where the tension is pulling the two apart and then go between smacking the stud and smacking the tie rod to (like removing a tie rod end).

 

Steering damper, not dampENer. It doesn't make things moist.

Anyway, rent a pitman arm puller and get crazy tension on the bolt, then start whacking. In between whacks, heat up the tie rod until glowing. If that fails, get new tie rods.