I've posted this many-a-time, but I was doing a side job that had some fairly rusted parts so I figured I'd take a few pics and post 'em up. This was a Toyota Sienna mini van. IDK how or why, but somehow, I've become Park City's premier, Sienna lift kit installer. That's right...people around here want 3" lifted Sienna minivans. Whatever. Anyway, this one had wheel speed sensor bolts, frozen into the rear knuckles and exhaust bolts rusted solid. In fact the exhaust bolts were rusted to the point where the original 14mm bolt heads were rusted down to about a 12.5mm A 13, 6 point would spin on 'em and I couldn't pound a 12mm on to 'em. So I used HEAT (and a welder).

First was the Wheel speed sensor bolts. To the extent that I could, (w/o melting the sensor and CV boot below), I heated the ear of the knuckle where the bolt was, then broke the bolt off, about flush w/the hole. Removed the sensor, heated more, and then welded a nut onto the broken stud, screwed it out....

 

On to the exhaust....have a look at that bolt head; you can't tell where the head ends and the flange begins! Likewise w/the nut and the bolt's threads. You can see I tried to grind two "flats" onto the bolt head to get a bite on it...no dice. Then I ground the bolt head down to have a good platform to weld onto....





Then, I propped up my MAPP gas torch and started heating the nut-side....






While the nut was baking, I welded a nut onto the bolt head. Lots of HEAT there!.....





With the nut welded onto the bolt head, the exhaust nut glowing red, I hit it w/my impact.....





....and right on out, she came. Like BUTTAH!





Here is the collection of stubborn sons a'....

 

That's great info, and thank you, but what I really want out of this thread is a picture of a lifted Sienna minivan

 

Every time I take off exhaust to do cats or headers I don't even try taking it off without heating them up red hot. The nuts just come right off. IF I try to just take them off without heat they strip or break. Then I end up having to do your procedure which takes a lot of time. Just heating up the bolts red hot the first time saves time. Plus always using impact. Impact works best on these.

 

Last bolt I heated was the stud on the 55s exhaust manifold. Took a pipe wrench and about 10 feet of cheater and every ounce of strength in my body but it squeaked and went finally. It was shocked it didn't snap.

 

I've deleted pics of the ones that I've done.....I've done about 10 of them so far. But here is what it looks like after a 3" boost....
SIENNA LIFT KITS





I should up-sell a deep river fording kit!!

 

A funny story, unrelated to rusted bolts, is the first two Sienna's I did. My neighbor two houses up, has one. He knows that I work on car stuff. He comes down to my shop one day and starts asking me what I think about putting a 3" lift on a '16 Sienna. What do I think? I tell him that I think it's a terrible idea! What is he thinking? What's the point? WHY!? Furthermore, I think it's going to mess with drive line and axle shaft angles, wear out CV shafts prematurely, and make it ride and handle poorly. He says he "needs" the ground clearance for the snow. I tell him, with good snow tires and AWD, he can plow snow w/that van and not get stuck.
He is keen in the lift kit....I tell him it's a bad idea...and dumb.

6 months or so later, someone else in town, is referred to me by a car-guy friend. He comes to me w/a Sienna and the lift kit, "can you install this lift kit?". Yeah, I can install it. I tell him my rate and he tells me to go for it. I do. You see....he didn't ask what I thought, he asked if I would do it. Sure. I'll take your money and do it. So I did. I was about 3/4 through the job -lift is installed and I'm just fabbing the exhaust....and my neighbor is walking his dog, comes past my open shop door....sees this other van, already lifted and I'm doing the exhaust. He exclaims, notably annoyed, "What the **** is THIS!?" Oh. Yeah....you asked....now I'm.... Yeah, I get it. I explained that I still thought it was a dumb idea, but that this guy bought and paid for the lift and wanted the install...not the advice. Neighbor asks me, "NOW will you do mine?" I said sure. By then, I could see that the drive line angles were minimal and essentially unaffected in a meaningful way. The kit is good and it won't hurt anything. So yeah, I'll do yours too.

Once I got that first one done and drove it, I also learned that it didn't affect drivability at all. It still handled great, cornered flat and confident, I was impressed. So? Now I've done about 10 of 'em. I even did one for a lady, all she wanted was to be able to enter and exit her driveway w/o crunching the chin spoiler. And...my neighbor is super stoked and happy about his, too.

 

If I'm being honest, when I first read 'mini-van lift kit', I thought WTF....but I have to admit that the van in your picture actually looks pretty cool! Amazing to me, because I have never cared for mini-vans at all, but this gives me a new perspective on their potential! Still gonna keep the wife and kiddos in a Yukon, but interesting just the same👍

 

I have to admit, I originally thought it was dumber than dumb. A total "Park City" thing where these guys have to feel all tough and "Outdoorsy" and make a statement with their ******* mini vans! I'd do the jobs b/c it's good money, and pretty easy/rewarding work but the first few, I was like, "Sure, I'll do it. Whatever, dude....waste your money!"But the fact is, the vans are damn low, stock and giving them a little lift really does make them a lot more practical and usable w/o hurting anything meaningful. It doesn't look that bad or dumb...the proportions are not bad, really.

Still, I can't stand Sprinter vans with the full racking, gas cans on the back, ladder up the side multi space-cases on the roof...and a deep river fording kit. **** YEAH!!! That guy is ready for a safari! The outback! Survival! Then you see Mr Super-cool going to Smith's to get groceries with the ******* thing. DUMB!

 

Well done, Tom.

Welders are handier than **** to have in a shop.

 

I have to admit, I have several of your posts of "USE HEAT IDIOT, USE HEAT" tattooed in my brain when I'm in the garage struggling with a stubborn bolt or nut.