Very tight large bolt removal tricks?

Discussion in 'The whoa and the sway.' started by BuickV8Mike, Jan 14, 2020.

  1. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I was commenting on your original post about removing the large bolts in the spindle. The bolts that hold the cross shafts are knurled like a wheel stud. You would need to lift one side of the engine up to get the upper arm off. I take the motor mount bolt off the side I want to lift and use my engine crane. You'll need to loosen up the fan shroud so the dan doesn't hit
     
  2. Buicksky

    Buicksky Gold Level Contributor

    Mike he is talking about the spindle bolt you referenced earlier. Not the upper A arm bolts in your picture. You may want to try a breaker bar and pipe again or you could heat up that bolt with a torch. and get new bolts.
     
  3. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    I'm thinking of going new with new bolts. Seems the only reasonable solution. Thanks guys! Mike
     
  4. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Like I said, they're like wheel stud. They need to be pressed out. If you dont, you'll eff up the knurl in the frame and the new ones wont press in anymore. You can try using a 4 foot prybar and use the exhaust manifold as a fulcrum. I've had limited time success that way.
     
  5. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    What are my options if the prybar doesn't work? Cut them, remove the arm and press out the stubs?
     
  6. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I often thought about making a tool to remove them in the car... Why is lifting the engine a no go?
     
  7. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    Hi Jason, unfortunately I'm not following how lifting the engine will help? Could I then remove the arms without loosening those bolts?
     
  8. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    The issue is that you cant slide the arms inward enough to clear the bolts because the exhaust manifold is in the way. Lifting the engine will allow you to gain the clearance.
     
  9. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    Got it. Might prefer to remove my manifolds.
     
  10. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    Any way to simply jack one side of the engine from below?
     
  11. Quick Buick

    Quick Buick Arlington Wa

    Your better off jacking the whole motor up. You dont need a engine hoist. Floor jack and wood blocking..
     
  12. 64 skylark mike

    64 skylark mike Well-Known Member

    DON'T make the mistake of turning them with a breaker bar or cheater pipe etc. It will definitely mess up the knurled part in the frame and you have to use a wrench on top and bottom to set the alignment. I made that mistake on the passenger side on my '64.

    I would recommend lifting the motor with wood block and floor jack. You take a big chance breaking off bolts removing exhaust manifolds.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
  13. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    Yep. They are tight. Trying to decide where to Jack the engine up from. Underneath works so much better for my situation.
     
  14. 436'd Skylark

    436'd Skylark Sweet Fancy Moses!!!!!

    Don't jack the engine at all. Lift it with a crane. A jack under the balancer is no good.
     
  15. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    Well it looks like the steering shaft needs to be removed as well. I guess I'll start the detective work on the simplest way to get the lower shaft out. The good news is I'll be able to paint in and hopefully get my horn working by cleaning the ground contact in the rag joint. Should I just take out my steering box? Thanks everyone. Cheers, Mike
     

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