Sheared bolts!

[Oldgearz]

I'm converting to Chevelle springs on the rear, had to get the stockers out first....sheared lower control arm bolts from the bottom that hold the bottom spring perches. cut springs out, then sawzalled bolt to get it flush. Now I need to try and get it out. I've lubed them up plenty and can't punch them out. Also tried drilling, ruined a bit on those grade 8's. There shouldn't be any threads inside the control arms, right? Do I need a torch or what? I don't have a welder. Here's a pic of what it looks like from the top where the bottom spring perch goes.

[markeb01]

Kind of hard to make out in the photo, but I’m assuming that’s looking straight down on top of the trailing arm. It appears the bolt is encapsulated in something, like either someone welded the sides together or the cavity has filled with rust. We recently changed the rear springs in my 1960 GMC and the lower spring retaining bolts were a loose slip fit. The only threads that could be in there might be one or two turns at the top where they were cut off. In any event they shouldn’t be keeping the bolt from coming out. A torch is probably going to be the only practical solution.

If solid rust is causing the problem, you might want to inspect the arms and consider replacing them as they may be so rusted as to be a safety problem. I’ve seen photos of some that were so bad the two sides separated.

[chevy_mike]

Yeah, I agree, likely a build up of rust and dirt.

At this point I would say a good air chisel with a pointed bit and possibly some heat from a torch. Nothing is threaded in there so it's just 40+ years of crud/rust. Good luck.

[Oldgearz]

Thanks for the advice. The pic was of the top of the arm looking down at the perch bolt. It's an AZ truck so it's minimal rust but maximum grease and sludge all over the place from po never fixing any leaks. I think I'm going to try some CLR to see if it'll eat some of the stuff around the bolts, then liquid wrench and I guess I'll have to buy a little torch at Harbor Freight. Hopefully it all works out and the truck will be lowered by next weekend. How about an adjustable panhard bar? Anyone know where to find one cheap??

[El Campo]

CLR won't cut that rust I dont think. The best rust cutter chemical I have ever used is muriatic acid but it is wicked evil stuff if you do not neutralize it correctly. I love the smoke wrench for that kind of stuff I would put a tiny drill bit in and try to drill the rust or crap out around the bigger bolt. Rust should drill out easily and give you some wiggle room. And then I would beat on it some more.

[TopFuel1966]

Forget the CLR, that won't help. Get some Gibbs Brand penetrant or equivalent, an acetylene torch and an air hammer. Give the bolts several good applications with the penetrant over a couple of days or so then heat them up real good and drive them out with the air hammer.
As mentioned in a previous post, you may need to replace the training arms if there was enough corrosion formed to the extent that the bolts are rusted solid.

[62 Longbed]

When we had things like that , we would heat it up with a torch , and put parifin wax on it ... Funny how the wax would seep into the area and work as a lube ... A chevy fuel pump rod works great as a driver when hit with a sledge hammer .. Case Hardened Steel ...

[Oldgearz]

Update! Took a trip to Harbor Freight got me an air hammer for $13 and some small drill bits. I cleaned around the bolt using the drillbit, then applied generous liquid wrench over the course of a day, then took the air hammer to it this morning and out they came! No torch necessary. I also ordered new retainers with bolts and adjustable panhard bar through SOCAL vintage parts (local Phoenix). The retainer kit was $20 and adjustable panhard bar $60. Chevelle springs=free. Not bad, eh?

[markeb01]

Good for you. I'm glad it worked out and didn't require major expense.