Stuck lower strut bolt, any ideas?

[Bits]

I have a 2010 ram 1500, doing a bit of a suspension refresh, trying to get the strut out to replace the shocks but the lower bolts on both sides are not budging no matter what. It’s a Michigan truck so rusty. Nuts are already off, just the bolts are stuck in the bushings I’ve been soaking it in breakfree every day and banging on it with a sledge or running an impact on it, but got nothing more then turning the bushing a tiny bit on one side. Anyone have any ideas or am I going to just have to keep soaking and banging it til something happens?

 

[Daw14]

Melt them.

 

[jws123]

As mentioned above get the torch melt it or cut the bolts this happens to me every time I try to remove them. It is a pain in the ass they sell new bushings to press in which isnt to bad or just replace whole lower control arm.

 

[zrock]

just replace your lower controll arms.. mor than likely the rest of the bushings are due to be replaced anyway..

 

[DILLIGAF]

Liquid metal.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I don't know what your tool-set looks like, but if you can get in there with an air impact hammer on the threaded end, you should be able to back it out. You could easily make a bit by cutting off a regular bit to a blunt end, then tack weld a short piece of pipe ...so the bit won't slide off the bolt. You could probably just gorilla-tape a piece of pipe on it.

Helpful hiint: Have someone support the back side of the bolt (the hex end) with a heavy object (like a maul) ...with a large socket or piece of pipe which fits *over* the bolt head/flange. That makes a more solid object to hammer against. I bet if you do that it'll walk the bolt right out w/o damaging your strut or bushing. Good luck

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Those bolts are hardened so they don't rust up too hard.

 

[Jeepwalker]

If you don't have an air hammer, one of these would work:
($50)

Professional Medium Barrel Air Hammer

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A blunt tip as in the image below:

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Or, I've done this in the past:
Fabricate a U-shaped ring or loop out of 3/8" steel rod, or bolt. Weld it onto the bolt head. Then somewhat quickly get on the loop with a slide hammer. The combination of heat on the bolt (to break the rust), and the slide hammer action will sometimes pull it out. But, overall, the above air impact hammer method (above post) is usually the better way to go.

 

[Bits]

Replacing the lower control arm would just give me 4 more higher torque, also rusted bolts in rubber bushings. Otherwise that would’ve been my first option. Where can I get just the new bushings? I wasn’t able to find any. I was also hesitant to torch them since it’s right under the (gas) shock body, maybe I just read to many warning labels lol

I’ll look into the air hammer idea. Thanks for suggestions

 

[Jeepwalker]

Torching is the most messy and crudest method. And like you say, sometimes leads to further downstream damage which takes time to clean/repair, etc. Sometimes it comes to that, but a guy can almost always get stuck bolts out with the right finesse/tools and heat. Like I say, they should be hardened bolts and therefore they don't rust as bad, even in MI. One other thing I was going to recommend, is if you tent the area off with some thin sheet steel and heat the bolt head with an acetylene torch ...not red hot, & not long enough to get hot enough to melt the bushing, you can usually then get on it with some good hammer whacks and drive it out. The heat loosens the rust bond. The sheet steel keeps the flames from going all over the place. I'm not sure you need to do much tenting off in this area, but if you do, it helps prevent further damage to adjacent components.

But the real key is to get behind the head with something solid ...like a helper with a maul and piece of 1.5" pipe (that fits *around* the bolt head). Then you can get some real purchase and drive the bolt out. I hope you're not hammering with a claw hammer ...you need something heavier than that. These are the kind of situations that make a seemingly easy job a tough job. Been there. I sympathize with you.

 

[buckeyexx]

Replacing the lower control arm would just give me 4 more higher torque, also rusted bolts in rubber bushings. Otherwise that would’ve been my first option. Where can I get just the new bushings? I wasn’t able to find any. I was also hesitant to torch them since it’s right under the (gas) shock body, maybe I just read to many warning labels lol

I’ll look into the air hammer idea. Thanks for suggestions

I had to cut mine out when I had my 1500. You can buy the bushings at any local automotive store. Here is one from oriellys.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/masterpro-strut-mounts/masterpro-strut-mounts-strut-shock-bushing/msp0/fm1964/v/a/95963/automotive-truck-2010-dodge-ram-1500?q=lower+strut+bushing&pos=0

 

[Bits]

I had to cut mine out when I had my 1500. You can buy the bushings at any local automotive store. Here is one from oriellys.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/masterpro-strut-mounts/masterpro-strut-mounts-strut-shock-bushing/msp0/fm1964/v/a/95963/automotive-truck-2010-dodge-ram-1500?q=lower+strut+bushing&pos=0

Perfect thanks for the link! Excuse the dumb question, but where did you cut and how did that help?

 

[caulk04]

Cut 'em. My last vehicle was a Jeep Grand and this was a hilariously common issue that so many people wasted countless hours trying to remedy only to give up and cut the bolt anyway. Buy the bolt and the bushing, hack it out and move on.

 

[Bits]

I don’t understand what cutting would do. I assume you mean cut the head off? Then I have a headless bolt that’s still stuck in the bushing…

 

[Bits]

Back with a update/results.

It occurred to me I would have to get the lower control arm bolts free either way to get an alignment, which I would badly need after a level. However as I expected those things were not coming loose for anything. After trying all the methods I ended up getting a buddy with an acetylene torch to come hoping that would heat them up enough to break free, no go on that either. So I was forced to go with the last resort, use the torch to cut through the bolts on either side of the lca bushings. And in doing so accidentally cut the frame. Great. So now I have to get another buddy to come out and patch the frame back together. I’m very fortunate to know the right people who can do that otherwise I’d probably be looking at a repair bill double the value of the truck.

So my advice to anyone wanting to do this is, just don’t. Lifted is cool and all but it is 110% not worth it if you have an older truck like this. And I can assure there was no other option that was going to get those bolts out.

So in the end it will work out, it’s just taking a whole lot more money and months longer then planned. Again if I wasn’t fortunate enough know the right guys I would have been stuck with either parting out the rest of the truck or swapping a new frame on, either way would be a several thousand dollar loss. Never trying this again but ya live and ya learn I guess.







So now the plan is obviously all new lca nuts, bolts and alignment spacers, new strut bolts etc, new lcas and ucas, new strut assembly (not even attempting to disassemble those old ones), and I might through some new CV shafts in while I’m at it as well as sway links and bushings.

Lastly I have one question, I already have bilstein 5100 struts, and am now looking for a strut assembly to install them on. Will I be fine with a cheap assembly off rockauto? Or should I be looking for a used OEM strut or order an assembled strut with the 5100s already installed? As you can see my oem assemblies are in very rough shape after 160k miles and I’m not even going to touch them.