Spring Pocket Bolts - 74 Firebird
So I'm wanting to R&R my leaf springs to fit new bushings and isolator pads. Everything has come off cleanly except for the 3 x spring pocket bolts on the drivers side. Every one of them is turning, but not undoing. I suspect the captured clips have broken loose and I don't see where I can get to the backside of them.
Any easy way to handle this, or am I faced with grinding the heads off the bolts? The one closest to the rear of the spring pocket is going to be a PITA to get at. |
The bolts do use captured clips. It's been a few years, but I had to grind the head off at least one of the bolts. Maybe someone can chime in here, but there might be an access point in the subframe through which you can wedge something into the back of the clip, but that isn't always feasible. I'd buy some new bolts and clips before I did anything drastic; I believe mine came from Summit Racing.
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Quick update - I finally got ONE side done;
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...o/IMG_1852.JPG All three of the spring pocket bolts spun - the captured 'nut' simply broke away from the clip. I had to grind the heads off the two most forward bolts but I could not reach the rearmost one. Fortunately I was able to tilt the socket enough that the nut stayed in position and I was then able to wind it out. I needed to do some cleanup under the spring pocket as there was a lot of surface rust. I ended up ordering new hardware from our sponsor - spring pocket bolts, front eye bolts etc. The biggest time factor in the project was waiting for those parts to arrive from the US. The new spring pocket bolts and clips are a much better design. Everything went pretty smoothly once I got the spring pocket out. The only other problem I had was getting the top shackle bolt back through the new frame bushings - there's not much room up there and that bolt is not a loose fit - even after sanding it smooth and lubing it. Passenger's side next. I'm hoping I don't have the same problem with the spring pocket bolts but I'm guessing I will. |
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I've booked it in next week to have a local shop do it - they can deal with it. For anyone else that ever runs into this, this is what the captured nuts look like and what they do when you try and unbolt them. Silliest design ever. The RH bolt and clip in the picture is the new style that our sponsor supplies - much better design; https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...)_IMG_1878.JPG |
Yup been there. I had two that spun, but I was able to chisel the bolt heads off.
The bigger issue on my car was that the entire leaf pack on both the driver and passenger side was cracked in half. The leafs literally fell apart when I released the clamping load from the u bolts!! |
Anti-seize is your friend!
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Yeah, but you just went thru the painful part, might as well never have to deal with that again!
I just got a couple anti-seize sticks, hope that will help not getting it EVERYWHERE whenever I pull that large bottle with a brush out! . |
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Heat can be you friend too.
GT |
Oxy acetylene cutting torch, or a plasma torch and burn the head off of the bolts, done in 2 minutes, been there, done that, dozens of times. Living in the rust belt, twisting wrenches for a living, necessitates a cutting torch. Having always had access to a cutting torch, makes working on old cars so much easier, and faster. For heating up rusty bolts to remove them, or severing them when they're too rusty to save. I can't fathom working on cars without one. My last major purchase for the garage was a plasma torch, having both now is the height of using heat for disassembly of rusted parts.
If you think you'll ever have to remove them again, the never seize is invaluable. |
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Large sharpened chisel & hammer is the safest .
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