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I'm in the process of installing my Hayames. The bolt that holds the bottom of the stock strut is completely seized onto the bushing. After a generous application of Liquid Wrench, I managed to get the bolt to move about ~1/8th of a turn. I can see the bolt moving on the end of it. The problem is that it's totally and completely fused onto the stock rubber bushing that inside the bottom of the shock housing.

I've tried an electric impact wrench and my 1/2" drive ratchet with a 12" handle. I was thinking of heating up the bushing with a propane torch - would this help? My only other course of action would be to take it to a mechanic, although I'd like to avoid that since It'd probably cost me $50 just to get it up on a hoist...

Thanks in advance!

 
Rep Power: 424

you can't sieze a metal bolt to a rubber bushing. Its just stuck. Once the bolt comes ouf of the threads, the spring releases and pushes the shock down. This wedges the bolt in there and you can't get it out. Stick a jack under the A arm and fidget it up and down until you can work it out. There's not much you can do beyond that. Put a spring compressor on the spring and get it to release, you can work with it a little easier. Its just a pain in the ***.

 
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The problem I have is that I can't even get the bolt out of the threads. The rubber bushing is so seized onto the bolt that it won't budge past 1/8th of a turn. Since I won't need the rubber bushing, I'm going to do the only thing I can think of - heat the **** out it with a torch to soften the rubber. I'm going to give that a shot tomorrow after work and see where that takes me!

 
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ELaudio, how did it work out?

my bolt was so seized on one side that the welded on nut broke right off after we heated up the rubber and the nut. i think the gun was torqued too high.

now i gotta figure out how i'm gonna fix that all up. any ideas?

 
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Don't they have a metal tube through the rubber bushing though?

 
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Yeah theres a metal sleeve inside the shock end that the bolt goes through. Here's what I did to compress the spring enough to remove the bolt. I took my floor jack and placed a small socket on top of it and jacked up the shock. Theres a section right under the shock thats cut out enough to allow this. Once I jacked up the shock, it lifted it enough out of the LCA to allow me to remove the bolt. I had the same problem getting the shock back in, but after using the same method with the socket and floor jack I was able to slide the bolt in easily.

 
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Just jack both sides of the car even if you are only working on one side. IT HELPS. The sway bar just loves messing around with you. Same goes for the front suspension jobs.

 
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(old thread I know)
Weird...I was just changing shocks on the back of my 01 EX Sedan awhile back and came across this same problem...

Yes there is a metal tube going through the rubber bushing. Mine was one huge chunk of rust (bolt to tube inside bushing) whole way through. My removal method, and only option remaining seeing as I too broke off the mtg tab with threads on the front side of the affair, was:

A few remgrit blades and angle die with a cutoff wheel later (lookout for gas fumes!) my new shock is in. I tried PB blaster, Liquid Wrench, Amsoil PM, WD40, everything...when I was done the thing was one big chunk of solid rusted metal.

Just weird it seems to happen on one side and not the other?