I know there's tons of threads about this, but I'm having some success in removing my lower strut bolt that mounts it to the lower control arm; and I really don't wanna f*** this up and break something.

After several copious sprays of penetrating lube (alternated between PB Blast and WD-40 Specialist series Rust penetrant spray) over the past 24 hours, hammering with a sledge, cleaning threads with a Dremel, and using a 24" breaker bar I managed to get the nut off of the bolt, plus using the bolts own threads to back it out a bit.

Now, before I go any further (since I don't have access to a spring compressor at the moment) I was thinking of jacking up the knuckle to compress it a bit, then use several ratchet straps or chains to hook the spring and keep it compressed as I "attempt" to lower the knuckle and remove the bolt without damaging anything.

Your thoughts or suggestions before I do something stupid and possibly get myself killed?

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If you have the upper ball joint loose and the lower A-Arm is not being compressed with a jack you can take that bolt out no problem. (ive done this a few times.)

 

Ok cool, I just read a few threads about people having issues getting the strut to line up with the mounting holes when they go to put it back in and figured it might make it easier for me if I just hooked it and kept it compressed. I could be totally wrong tho lol

 

I see what your saying. What are you removing the strut for again? I use a super long but flat piece of steel to twist the strut to line up with the holes when i RE-assemble. it can get twisted and wont line up on both sides. just takes some force to line it up.

 

I know that I don't really have to take it off to get the strut out, but I do have a leveling kit, so it can be a pain to get back in. Main reason is knowing how bad they can seize and that I had my struts and everything redone just before winter, I wanted to get them off, clean up the bolts, and use the best rust inhibitor I can find, so in the future it would be no big deal...plus, I was thinking about painting everything eventually.

 

OHHH, but the problem that I'm fixing is my Upper Strut Mount Bushing that failed. Just picked up a Moog Part # K160049 ...hope it does the trick.

 

Since school is out, I'm trying to take my time and do this right... I wanna clean these up like this... Also, if any of you have some tips for the best kind of rust prevention and what kind of grease to lube the threads with please speak up!

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The major problem with all the bushing bolts on this truck is that there's no way to permanently keep moisture out of the bushing. Once the rust starts, the expanding Iron Oxide jambs the bolt solidly in place requiring them to be cut out - then you have the problem of finding new bushings. A grease nipple would have solved this problem. As it it, if you can pull the bolt out, I'd recommend a liberal coating of anti-seize compound on the bolt and nut before putting it all back together. I've used grease for this in the past, but see that anti-seize lasts longer and is more of a block to moisture than general purpose grease.

 

Thanks man! I'll be sure to pick some up...I'm thinking my best bet would be to clean it the best I can, use the rust inhibitor, and use the anti-seize like you said...after that I guess I can only pray.

Of course, I'll have to check on the possibility of just getting a new bolt to give me better chances. Sucks that they make the new bushings so hard to find.

I saw a couple videos on YouTube for compressing the spring that seemed like they might be legit...what say you?


I'll be sure to record the whole process with my new head mounted camera rig that I made last night.

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Ok, so good news...the ratchet strap technique worked... Unlike the video link I posted, I had my spring and strut on the truck already. Jacked up the lower control arm to compress it a bit. Then I wrapped the strap between the top and bottom coil all the way around the spring. Worked the ratchet a couple times to make sure it had the strength to compress the spring more than it already was. Once I was confident that it was going to hold I lowered the jack slowly and BADABING! It actually worked, so then removing the bottom bolt was easy and didn't damage anything... So, now I got it all off, gonna add another strap and try to compress it just enough to see it move away from the upper strut mount and then disassemble the whole thing and put the new one on. I got video of it all just now and I'll be posting it in a few (as soon as it finishes exporting)