Stuck wishbone bolt

[Wolvesboy]

Hi,
Thought whilst my car playing up (misfire) and in the process of swapping shocks I decided to take the rear wishbones off, clean them up and repaint etc.
Two things:
1) Do I really have to remove exhaust, shield etc to loosen the handbrake cable to release the handbrake cable? Then take the rear springs & brake shoes off before removing the cable?
2) more importantly I have a bolt turning under stress only that I cannot pull out.



It is the upper rear wishbone on the driver’s side. The bolt is the one at the back with the nut next to the body so no leverage possible top left in photo). The bolt turns under extreme pressure as if it is caught with the bush and I have to push the wishbone as well - like an elastic band so to speak. I have undone the nut a bit to give some room for the bolt to move away but it will not budge out. Lubricated, hit with a prying tool, heated with a hot air gun all to no avail. It stays tight and “elastic!”
Any ideas how to get it out?

[ukkid35]

If you can force some steel plate between the nut and the fibreglass, you may be able to force the bolt out part of the way as you hold the nut and undo the bolt.

[phillpot]

Looks like a hacksaw/padsaw required!

Cut through bolt between wishbone and inside of chassis bracket both sides, shouldn't take long ...

[tofts]

Yep, need a hacksaw, this happens quite a lot! and not worth mucking about, cut of off, get a new 3/8 bolt. Job done!

[Wolvesboy]

Ok - got the extendable saw and chopped off the nut end. Took ages as very little room with other pipes and cables in the way. Still cannot get the bolt out as it is stuck big time! The bolt rotates with the wishbone ok but is spongy/ elastic when turned with force against the wishbone either way.
I have tried some calipers to squeeze the bolt out (failed) and also used a metal plate to lever against without any success. The fibreglass back is not a good surface to push against.
The join between wishbone and chassis is pretty tight and I cannot see how this can be sawn through. Is this the only way or am I missing something?

[phillpot]

The old bush should be wider than the end of the wishbone it is fitted in. You need to cut through the visible bit of the bush and the bolt.

[TwinKam]

This ^^^^ is the only way, get to it!

[Byker28i]

TwinKam said:

This ^^^^ is the only way, get to it!

Well, not the only way. You could lift the bodyshell off

[ukkid35]

I would try an impact wrench using a UJ

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401450269005

Hopefully enough room for a electric impact wrench, but definitely enough room for pneumatic

Trying to cut through the bushes steel centre by hand, on both sides, looks more difficult than an Escape from Alcatraz

Damaging the chassis suspension mounts would be irritating to say the least

[TwinKam]

ukkid35 said:

I would try an impact wrench using a UJ

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401450269005

Hopefully enough room for a electric impact wrench, but definitely enough room for pneumatic

Trying to cut through the bushes steel centre by hand, on both sides, looks more difficult than an Escape from Alcatraz

Damaging the chassis suspension mounts would be irritating to say the least

I wouldn't advise an impact wrench with a UJ and it will probably have little effect as the impact will simply be absorbed by the rubber, there is nothing solid to impact against.The bolt will be rusted 'solidly' to the inner metal sleeve (consider them now as one) so repeated turning of the bolt head will only serve to drag the sleeve around in the rubber. As the sleeve's OD is larger than the holes in the bracket, it won't ever come apart that way (well perhaps if you burnt out the rubber and heated the sleeve to cherry red it would...).
The 'cleanest' (if not therefore strictly the only) way to remove it, is to saw through the ends of the sleeve and the bolt as mentioned, taking care not to damage the wishbone or the bracket. You'll have a bit more room to do the second cut...
I've had to do loads of these over the years on all sorts of cars, it's always been a problem.

[spitfire4v8]

Its a shame youre on the other side of the world with high postage prices because the easiest way to do this is sacrifice the wishbone and cut it out of the way to get better access on cutting the bolt out. For a garage it makes sense because you can soon rack up enough labour in saving an old arm to have just replaced it with a new arm with bushes already fitted.

[SMB]

off the wall idea, how about removing the fuel tank, drilling a hole in the fibre glass in line with the bolt and drifting the bolt out?

could be sealed after with suitable grommits?

I assume that you have tried to pry the bolt out aswell by levering against the bolt head.?

[ukkid35]

TwinKam said:

I wouldn't advise an impact wrench with a UJ and it will probably have little effect as the impact will simply be absorbed by the rubber, there is nothing solid to impact against.

I can't see that there's anything to loose.

I accept the rubber might eventually disintegrate, but there's also a chance that the bolt will break the corrosion.

You'd find out fairly quickly too.

[TwinKam]

SMB said:

off the wall idea, how about removing the fuel tank, drilling a hole in the fibre glass in line with the bolt and drifting the bolt out?

could be sealed after with suitable grommits?

I assume that you have tried to pry the bolt out aswell by levering against the bolt head.?

All that will achieve if, as I strongly suspect, the bolt and sleeve have become 'as one', is a bent wishbone bracket.
And a hole to fill.
And a fuel tank to refit.
And boot carpet to re-stick.
And you'll end up cutting the bolt anyway.

[SMB]

TwinKam said:

All that will achieve if, as I strongly suspect, the bolt and sleeve have become 'as one', is a bent wishbone bracket.
And a hole to fill.
And a fuel tank to refit.
And boot carpet to re-stick.
And you'll end up cutting the bolt anyway.

well it gives better access, if the cutting goes wrong next step might be body off to repair a chassis

[Wolvesboy]

Amazing responses to remove a bolt! Thanks all!
I ended up sawing each side of the bush with the extended hack saw provided in a picture earlier. It was a squeeze initially and once one side was done it became clear that the saw would track along the chassis.
Took ages to do accompanied with a few choice words that made the cat squirm!
No need for the body off or fuel tank removal!
Now onto the hub - do I really have to remove the metal barrier and exhausts to undo a handbrake cable on the hub? Is the process remove the springs, pads then the adjuster?
Thanks.