I had to cut the nuts off both sides on my black79 with only 8K miles.
Spring Bolt removal for 82
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 14
From: Dallas-Fort Worth TX
Spring Bolt removal for 82
Hello, in the process of removing the differential. Getting into one snag after another. First it was the exhaust and rusty bolts. Got that resolved, sort of.
Now for what ever reason, I am having a difficult time removing the passenger side rear spring bolt. Have not tried the driver side yet.s Seem easy, back the top with a wrench and then unscrew the nut. I removed the cotter pin and soaked the nut with WD40. I have placed a jack under the side of the spring to remove some tension, although it keep sliding. This car has the composite/fiberglass spring. Anyway, Im afraid of stripping that nut if I pull any harder on it. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. I am following the service manual step by step. They have some surface rust, but they are not that bad. Not sure why they will not turn.
Thanks,
R
Now for what ever reason, I am having a difficult time removing the passenger side rear spring bolt. Have not tried the driver side yet.s Seem easy, back the top with a wrench and then unscrew the nut. I removed the cotter pin and soaked the nut with WD40. I have placed a jack under the side of the spring to remove some tension, although it keep sliding. This car has the composite/fiberglass spring. Anyway, Im afraid of stripping that nut if I pull any harder on it. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. I am following the service manual step by step. They have some surface rust, but they are not that bad. Not sure why they will not turn.
Thanks,
R
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,343
Likes: 4
From: Anderson SC
Yes, use a 6 point socket, secure the bolt, and use a long breaker bar.
A: The nut will come loose
B: You'll snap the bolt.
Win-win
-W
PS Make sure the car is SECURE before going all gorilla under there with great leverage. I have a friend who is dead from a '68 Camaro falling off.
-W
A: The nut will come loose
B: You'll snap the bolt.
Win-win
-W
PS Make sure the car is SECURE before going all gorilla under there with great leverage. I have a friend who is dead from a '68 Camaro falling off.
-W
Last edited by Clams Canino; Jul 19, 2009 at 12:55 AM.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
There are still more bolts to remove to get the differential. Suggest you already spray some lube on the three bolts holding the spring on the differential, the two on the carrier-to-frame bolts and the one bolt on the front mount of differential! This one I removed with an impact wrench, got the tip here in the forum.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,209
Likes: 12
From: Montgomery Alabama
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06
Get you some PB Blaster and soak it for a few days. Make sure you use a "good" socket, not some cheap crap or you will round off the bolts. Get some of the hardened impact 6-point sockets and use your jack handle as an extension. The bolt should "pop" and then loosen. Of course, the "pop" might be it breaking, too.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 14
From: Dallas-Fort Worth TX
OK. 72-454, yep, I read your post. Looks like we did the same job. I think I hijacked your thread after wards, im bad about that. I actually did spray the 3 bolts that you mentioned. So hopefully that will help when I get to those. I am using Snap On wrenchs and sockets, all different sizes. So I think I got the tools covered. I am not sure what is meant by an impact wrench...?? I forgot to mention that I do have some new 8 inch bolts on order from VB&P. So If I break them they are going to be replaced anyway. I wanted to lower the rear a good inch or two after this job is done. Thanks for all the tips and safety warning Clams.. Now ya got me worried.....
I will post my results.
Thx
R
I will post my results.
Thx
R
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
So if you replace the spring bolts anyway why not cut them through?! I don´t know impact wrench is the correct English word for it - I mean this power tool usually driven with compressed air and usually it comes with extra strong sockets. Hope this helps.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,364
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 14
From: Dallas-Fort Worth TX
Well they did not budge. So I had to take the hacksaw to them. I was stubborn for a few hrs since I did not want to saw on car anymore. I prefer to use wrenches... Anyway, I put some support to the composite spring and cut each one. That did it. I also marked the camber bolts, removed those and then removed the strut bracket and strut rods from the differential side. I have noticed that the bushing/gasket, whatever it may be called on the strut rod end looked pretty bad. They were ripped and the end washers were all corroded/rusted. Im guessing I should be able to by some new rubber bushings to replace , instead of having to replace the whole strut rod. I assume the strut rod on the wheel side will have worn bushings as well. I guess I need to check out VB&P or my local part store to see if their is a bushing kit. Let me know if anybody has done this.
Thanks for all the help thus far.
I will attempt to remove the half shafts, drive shaft tomorrow. Those have a nice coating of grease on them. Maybe they will turn easier.
Thx,
R
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 876
Likes: 0
From: Canastota Ny
i just did my strut rods. you did good by marking the camber adjusters first. you can get the old bushings out with a drill or burn em. i replaced mine with poly bushings. note they will not go it nice and straight like they cam out unless you already have the rear pulled.. mine had what little tension on them to begin with and when i went to put em back in i had to pry the lower spindle mount about an 1/8 to get them to slide back in. but you seem to be on the right track so far.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
The strut rod bushings on my 82 were finished as well. Luckily I had new poly bushings laying around, so I pressed the old ones out and put the new ones in. Easy job - however for removing the old ones it´s good to have a press or just a bench vise.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 14
From: Dallas-Fort Worth TX
Hey Guys, Well I have read a few threads about removing the strut rod from the wheel side. Im having a tough time when I look at this. Do I need to remove the shock or loosen the shock bolt? Does the strut rod come off by pulling towards the back of the car or does it go forward. The large nut I removed from the bolt on the strut rod wheel side, well it looks like the bolt is all one piece, unable to tell if that rod slides over the bolt. Looks like people have used pullers, soaked the area in PB Blaster, hit with a hammer. Im just trying to figure out which direction to pull it from??
Thx,
R
Thx,
R
