I'm trying to drop the gas tank - hit a snag with the rear stabilizer. The nut cam off ok, but cannot get the bolt out of the hole. It seems completely locked in there. I used impact gun trying to remove the bolt - no luck. Heated up the bolt/hole as best I can - only have a propane torch. Still stuck. I hit the bolt with a 2 lb hammer - nothing, didn't budge.

I have liberally sprayed WD-40 on it, and will let it sit a while.

Any ideas?

Another view. I don't know why the mount is bent - I didn't do it

 

There's a steel sleeve inside the bushing. It the bolt rust together and become one. Same thing happens to sway bar end links, control arm bushings, etc.

WD-40 is UTTERLY WORTHLESS for that. More worthless than **** on a chicken. Actual penetrating oil MIGHT free it up, doubtful but definitely sorta maybe, something like Kroil or PB Blaster, but not that. WD-40 is really useful stuff but not as penetrating oil.

Meanwhile if you used heat, the bushing is destroyed. It now needs a new Panhard bar... with new bushings in it. There's plenty of good quality aftermarket choices. DO NOT hallucinate that you're going to do yourself any favors by putting "genuine GM" back in, in that place.

Wizz-wheel the bolt out, bend the bracket back straight with some BIG-A$$ pliers, replace the bar and the hardware. Done, and done.

 

I was afraid there was a bushing in there....not that there's a lot of choices to free up that thing.
I didn't use a lot of heat, just some. Who knows if it cooked or not.

So that's the panhard bar? There are 2 such bars back there. Which is which?

 

I found this useful print....the bar that I can't remove is #9 in the photo. Isn't #8 the panhard bar?

 

That's the panhard bar brace, there is no bushing on that side. The sleeve is solid on that piece.


You either need more heat, or you'll have to just cut the screw on both ends

 

Air hammer will generally knock those loose.

 

cut the bolt then when its out try to hammer out the piece using an old bolt and a vice or something similar.it might work,it might not.i had the same exact issue taking off a lower control arm and i cut the bolt off.

 

Thanks everyone. I got it out. Had to cut the bolt head off with a grinding wheel (wizz-wheel?), then cut the bolt threads as close to the mount as I could - a little wiggling and the brace came out. Bolt, what was left of it, completely seized in the brace. It took oil, heat, wire-brush on my angle grinder, more heat, more oil, and a big ol' 2 lb hammer. eventually, it came out.

For the most part, I think the brace is salvageable A little cleanup, some paint (I'll coat it with truck bed liner) and that's that.

On to the tank.... thanks for the help!

gene

 

I just went through the same thing last weekend. There was a lot of swearing going on!! I ended up just cutting mine with the cutting wheel. It's hard to believe that a 35 year old Massachusetts car would have rusted parts