Date:         Tue, 26 May 2009 23:54:35 -0700
Reply-To:     neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Front Suspension - Screws
Comments: To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
In-Reply-To:  <015601c9dcb7$49d5e410$6501a8c0@PROSPERITY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On Sun, May 24, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans
<scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> Those things sure get rusted together all right.
......

> it didn't matter what I did to the really rusted left  side - those three
> bolts with nuts on the bottom were totally seized in place.
> No amount of oxygen-acetylene torch heating helped........I put on gallons
> of really good penetrating oil....
> there was no way all three of those bolts would come out of there.
> Even with a nut off........hammering with a punch wouldn't drive out the
> bolt, just super stuck.

I know exactly what you mean Scott.

With the s**t storm I created, I tried a makeshift press using my vice
+ old socket + 13mm bolt, to press out the bolt remanents from the
lower BJ adaptors. This resulted (said 13mm bolt):

http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/FuckingBentBolt.jpg

To my credit, I did manage to get one bolt remenant out with this
technique. (and heat, BFH, broken punch etc.)

A word to the wise.

When removing the radius arm, clean the threads on the 3 bolt ends,
apply penetrating oil, turn each nut a LITTLE at a time working your
way around from one to the other. These nuts are metal self locking.
IMO, this, combined with dirt/corrosion, will create trouble if one
tries to "zip" them off too fast.

Neil.



Neil.

-- 
Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"

http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/

http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines