I'm having much trouble getting my old leaf springs off. I have been soaking the nuts on them off and on for over a month (gives you something to do while you fill up). But everything is totally frozen.

To start, I did not have a torch, so I got an abrasive cutting wheel for the grinder and cut the head and nut off of one of the hanger bolts, thinking I could then drive it out. Well I can't, I think its frozen inside of the metal sleeve in the bushing.

I have now gotten a torch to the truck (a pain, since I'm down one truck). I am thinking that I will try heating all nuts and bolt heads, as well as that stuck bolt shaft. I have all new hardware and shackles, as well as springs, so I'm not worried about messing those parts up, just the frame and the hanger plates in the front.

I have all sorts of destructive ideas in mind , but I wonder if anyone (from the land of road salt especially) might have any experience with my predicament.

BTW, I'm not real experienced with torch, just done a little bit of cutting in the past, so this should be interesting, since I imagine I DON'T want to do any cutting in this instance (I'll use the welding tip to heat up the bolts, just to be on the safe side).

I hope it doesn't rain too much tomorrow,
Ian

 

I wouldn't suggest using a torch because this usually just melts the bushing in there making matters worse. What you really need is some PB blaster and an impact wrench. The mechanical kind not the pneumatic kind. In short it is a device when struck with a hammer turns the socket. If you have access to a pneumatic i would try that first. As far as getting the torched one out, you will need a drift punch, a friend who trusts you, and a sledge. If you do decide to heat the bolts using a torch you shouldn't need any more heat than a simple propane torch from any hardware store can provide. They usually run about $15-$25. If you start pounding on the bolts and they move ever so slightly and won't move anymore... stop and re coat with PB and give it 15 minutes to soak in. I lived in chicago all my life so i know about corrosion and have replaced many leafs coated in salt.

 

Thanks John, I have a pneumatic wrench, have to see if I can rent the kind you are talking about. Makes sense that the torch will ruin the bushings. I'm not worried about them as there are new bushings for the new springs. PB blaster is what I have been soakin everything in so far.

"I lived in chicago all my life so i know about corrosion and have replaced many leafs coated in salt."

Feel like visiting the great state of ohio anytime soon?

 

Not visiting till ya'll get rid of all the flippin cops ya'll got....lol...n-e-ways... it wasn't so much ruinging the the busging i was worried about as i have seen the bolt get so it melts the bushing and stick to the bolt.... then its like hitting a hammer against a giant super ball.... it was quite commical the first time it happened to me (wqell after the fact anyways) and downright idiotic the second time. is it just the forward bolts or both sides of the shackle too?

 

I had the same trouble as you just a few months ago. I soaked those bolts in everything and nothing worked. As you mentioned the problem was the bolt was rusted to the metal sleeve inside the bushing. On both sides of the truck I was able to eventually get the nut off the bolt using a piece of 4' fence post on my socket wrench for extra lever. This works good on one side because I was able to pound the bolt loose with a sledge hammer and get it out. The other is more difficult because the gas tank wouldn't let me pound it out.

On the gas tank side i eventually got the bolt/sleeve combo to turn in the rubber bushing (failed attempt at heating). In other words, when you turn the bolt it broke free of the rubber bushing and the whole crappy mess is therefore stuck in the hanger. I took a grinder with cut off wheel and it just barely fit between the hanger and leaf spring. I had to cut both sides of the bolt off this way, which took forever because my grinding wheel would only go part way through the bolt. So i'd have to turn it a bit grind, turn, grind etc. Eventually after fully cutting through the bolts on both sides of the leaf spring if came free.

USE extreme caution when grinding next to the gas tank as it could catch fire and kill both you and your truck. Good luck.

 

got an air hammer? if the heads are already off, you can drive a thin air hammer head into the hole, it will loosen...

 

we ended up using a sawzall and cutting the bolt at both ends (inside...between the spring and hanger) took about a dozen GOOD blades (bimetal)

On ours, the metal sleeve finaly tore loose from the bushing. So it would spin, but wouldn't come out. I'm a mechanic so I had good quality air tools, and the air impact hammer did not work. Thats why we used the sawzall.

 

I have an airhammer-no effect. Thats why I initially cut (with grinder, not a torch) the nut off, thinking I might then get the bolt out. No luck there, so, frustrated (not the best way to work on something) I cut the head off the bolt too, thinking I coulduse a big punch and drive the shaft of the bolt out (did I say this already?).

Thats where I am right now. Everything else (shackle bolts, the other hanger bolt) seems to be just as bad. I have located the mechanical impact as suggested by surelly09, have to go pick it up, but its raining, so no hurry.

Yoda- I had the sawzall idea too-went and picked up a fresh pack of the "Torch" blades from Milwaukee, haven't tried it yet, but its in my arsenal.

To top all this off, my loaner car is falling apart around me-gotta get the draggging exhaust fixed before i got pick up any more tools.... (is it just me, or were mid 80's Volvos not as well put together as earlier ones? I had a 71 and 79, both drove better than the piece I'm using now-gotta get the truck done!)
Jim A- could you describe your suggestion a little more in detail for me?

 

When I replaced the control arm on my father's 87 cheby I heated the nuts using propane, then sprayed with non-flam liquid wrench. The heat causes the metal to expand, the liquid wrench cools, the metal contracts and pulls in the liquid wrench. Repeated a few times, everthing came apart easily. Faster than soaking parts for hours. I'm not sure how the bushing will react to the heat....

 

If you cut the head and nut ends off outside the hanger, just spread the hanger apart enough to slip the bolt ends through the holes so they can slip out below. I also have a tip that I wrote up for a Toyota Trails Truck Tech colum a while back:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/TLCA_Tru...ech.04.01.html

Scroll down to the last Q&A...

 

I've had a lot more no's then yes's in terms of using heat in conjunction with rubber bushings.

I like your tip on spreading the hanger out Roger, I take it flexing that much isn't likely to damage the welds that hold it to the frame?

I Sawzalled through one of my front hanger bolts today (talk about slow going), the one I'd cut the ends off alread-sheesh, I should have thought of the spreading idea myself and saved some time.
I made it though one side of the shackle pivoit before it got dark-I'm just cutting the shackle off the truck as they are in pretty bad shape, and i have new ones ready.

Where the shackle attaches to the frame, I belive I will be left with the bushings inside of the piviot "tube", as well as some pin inside. Any tips on getting those remainders out? Can I melt the rubber and scrape everything out? It seems like the rubber should melt at a temp far below one that would overheat the steel in the pivoit, right?

Lastly, I noticed that a little bit of the front hanger got chewed up by the sawzall blade, should I do anything besides grinding it smooth and maybe painting?>


Thanks for the help and encouragement guys!

 

No problem spreading the sides of the hanger, it is stamped steel and the welds are along the base, not the sides. If you have the sleeve out or if the rubber bushing is toast, leave the sleeve out and run an 18mm bolt in place of the 14mm + sleeve, that way it won't rust together next time you try to remove it.

 

When I put in the OME shocks and coils...I just used a propane blowtorch on the bolts...worked like a charm.

 

I tried the sawzall too but got frustrated with the slow going. Thats why I went with the grinder, just have to be more careful. I also used some of 4crawler's advice and did a little spreading of the frame hanger, i was worried about damaging it too. It seems to be just fine though.

Good luck.

 

Thanks gang, I'm mostly going with daystar poly bushings which use a bigger bolt and no metal sleeve, so things should be easier next time around.

Got one side apart and about ready to go back together.