Front Control arm/crossmember nuts

[Witchsilver]

hey gang,
I thought I would swap out the front sway bar bushes - and then I had this bright idea of swapping all of the bushes, control arm and anything else I could find that looked old & cruddy!!

So the sway bar bushes were so easy!!! I though, great, the rest will come apart easily after spraying them with the usual rust remover/penetrators...

I ended up wasting an entire afternoon trying to undo just one nut!!

The one that goes from the control arm up through the crossmember/subframe.

Can anyone explain the easy way to do this one - I can't get decent leverage on it - there must be an easy way!!!

Is it worth me dropping the subframe? Is it simply undoing the bolts?

Thanks

 

[t-tony]

If you're talking about the nut on the inner ball joint I undo these from the top using a socket, long extension and a U/J on an Impact wrench. Sometimes the hard part us breaking the tapered pin free.

Tony

 

[Witchsilver]

If you're talking about the nut on the inner ball joint I undo these from the top using a socket, long extension and a U/J on an Impact wrench. Sometimes the hard part us breaking the tapered pin free.

Tony

I will have another go, see if I can get in from the top with long bar, if not then its angle grinder I reckon. I have a u/j splitter fork and a big hammer!

 

[t-tony]

The worst.one I've done up to now after removing the nut I couldn't break the taper and ended up shirting a 1/2" drive Impact socket so it was shallower than the length of the thread then used it on the socket extension to hammer on the end of the taper. Hope that makes sense.

Tony.

 

[Lee]

hey gang,
I thought I would swap out the front sway bar bushes - and then I had this bright idea of swapping all of the bushes, control arm and anything else I could find that looked old & cruddy!!

So the sway bar bushes were so easy!!! I though, great, the rest will come apart easily after spraying them with the usual rust remover/penetrators...

I ended up wasting an entire afternoon trying to undo just one nut!!

The one that goes from the control arm up through the crossmember/subframe.

Can anyone explain the easy way to do this one - I can't get decent leverage on it - there must be an easy way!!!

Is it worth me dropping the subframe? Is it simply undoing the bolts?

Thanks

That's a lovely job....not.

When I used to do it on the floor I would drop the roll bar to give better access to the nut. Normally a 21 or 22mm depending if its been changed before. I would then heat the nut up so it expands. Once I had cracked the nut and undone it about half way I have a cut down 21/22mm spanner so I can speed up the process. Bare in mind you'll be reheating the nut every minute or two.

Hope that helps.

 

[Andyboy]

hey gang,
I thought I would swap out the front sway bar bushes - and then I had this bright idea of swapping all of the bushes, control arm and anything else I could find that looked old & cruddy!!

So the sway bar bushes were so easy!!! I though, great, the rest will come apart easily after spraying them with the usual rust remover/penetrators...

I ended up wasting an entire afternoon trying to undo just one nut!!

The one that goes from the control arm up through the crossmember/subframe.

Can anyone explain the easy way to do this one - I can't get decent leverage on it - there must be an easy way!!!

Is it worth me dropping the subframe? Is it simply undoing the bolts?

Thanks

What's a sway bar?

 

[t-tony]

American for Anti-roll bar.

Tony.

 

[Andyboy]

Aaah.

 

[Witchsilver]

Yes I didnt know what they were either until I went into Halfords last week when the spotty kid had no idea what an anti-roll bar was until I said sway bar!!
It is listed as sway bar on lots of sites so hence my phrasing - sorry!!