Hello. I am trying to drop the axle and I had to cut the LCA nuts off. And busted a few other ones off. Well I cut the LCA nuts off but I can't get the through bolt out. Any Ideas? All I have to do is get the LCA bolts out and the TQ arm off and then ill have to off. Thanks.

 

use lots and lots of PB blaster if its rusty. then get a hammer and some kind of flat but skinny punch to try to pound out the old LCA bolts. they fit in there snug even when new and i need to use a socket screw driver (has a flat 3/8 or 1/2 inch socket attachment end on it) and my rubber mallet hammer to punch out the bolts. i just use the hammer to punch the bolts back thru again

 

I am having a problem with that. When I cut it I closed my eyes so I didn't get any sparks in them. Well I cut them flush with the bracket so its going to be hard to hit. I tried using a screw driver and a hammer and a ton a PB blaster and nothing. I can turn the bolts with a wrench but they won't budge.

 

Bend apart the brackets on the frame and the rear that the bolts go through. Then straighten them back when you put the new control arms in (since you're going to be getting new ones). I suggest the Lakewood ones; great bang for the buck.

 

I was really trying to avoid replacing the LCA's for now. I don't have a ton of money to cram into this car. I am just tried to get rid of most of the rust and she has alot. I heard of undercoating a car with motor oil and then driving down a dirt road. And that will help prevent more rust(its probably not legal but oh well) Its only a 6 poper now. I want to get the rust out and then drop an 8 into it. I want to get it running mosty reliably and then do the rest of the mods. But I think I am going to have to cut the LCA's in half and get new ones. The lakewoods arnt that expensive 100 bucks from summit. I may have no other choice but to take that rout.

 

OK, I have to... wear a pair of safety glasses when you cut and you're not serious about oiling the underside of your car, are you?

The lakewood lca's are a good deal, you'll wind up paying half that for a used set from a yard. Another option, though, is to ask here on the boards for a used set of stockers.

 

Think about it... if you can't get the bolts out now because they're rusted solid inside those little sleeve things inside the bushings, what's going to change when you get the LCAs off? You're still going to be stuck trying to cut a piece of hardened steel out of sheet metal and rubber. Might as well try to cut a knife out of butter without disturbing the butter... ain't going to happen. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes it's better to just face the reality up front, take your lumps, do what you gotta do, and move on.

The oil thing is disgusting. Don't do that. Won't work anyway. One trip through a car wash or even a heavy rain, you'll be right back where you started.

They make a substance similar to POR-15 except in a spray can. If the rust isn't too serious, that's the best thing for that.

If the rust is ANYWHERE NEAR any structural parts, which would include the floor pan and the "frame" and ABOVE ALL the strut towers, you're better off throwing the car away and getting a rust-free one. Few things in life suck worse than dumping a whole bucketful of money into a car, and then having it fall to pieces anyway. You'll spend less money on buying a non-cancerous car than you will fixing the cancer. See the last sentence of paragraph 1 above.

 

I had the same problem with a few of the rears I have taken out. If you can spin the bolt try hitting with a punch as suggested and have someone turn the bolt with a wrench. That always worked for me.

 

mine is the same way...the bolt turns freely but doesnt come out.. you have to punch it out. its not hard it should budge out unless you got a bent bolt or lca mount.

 

As for the rust I've seen worse. But I do have a few holes (they are all small sizing from a dime to a half dollar) in the floor pan and one near the strut tower this one isn't on the strut tower it if a few in. away in the engine bay. But here in PA we have harsh winters that kill cars. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack to find a Camaro around here with little or no rust especially in my price range. I have a friend that has a sand blaster. I was going to cut out the really bad spots in the floor and grind and blast the hell out of the rest. And weld in new peices of the floor. The frame looks okay. Its a little chewed up in one spot, it looks like a jack slipped and messed it up. I was going to weld 1in steel plating over all of that. And get/make sub-frame connectors. Its going to be alot of work but It can be done. I am in the process of tearing the car completly apart. But for the reason of this post I am stuck in one particualar area. I am going to try to get the bolts out one more time and if it doesn't work I am going to just cut the LCA's in half. and one more thing about the rust is its only on the under carrage (the most important part) the rest is good.

 

carefull what you use when you blast the car regular sandblasting will eat through sheet metal in a very short time.

If your gonna reinforce the frame dont go with 1inch plating it will add WAY to much weight just get some sheet metal about the same thickness as the stock stuff.

 

I have a set of stock LCA's with new front and rear bushings in them.Came off a 1985 Iroc-Z. If you pay for the bushings($10.00) and the cost to ship them(?), you can have them. Just sitting in my garage collecting dust. PM me if interested. BadmanP.S. Feet not included.