Stuck damper bolts

[Molecular--Bob]

Any ideas how to get my lower damper bolts to shift (1990 De dion and original). They rotate in the tube boss after WD40,so not rusted into the tube, but the nuts are not for shifting. There isn't enough room to get any of the usual persuaders to fit.

 

Am i going to end up cutting them off?

[Dickie Normuss]

Front or rear dampers?

 

VX HPC - Loud and proud here

Watch out, whatever hits the fan will not be distributed evenly

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Localised warmth if you can get at the nut ?

 

Fine flame from cigarette lighter ?

 

Heat can do some magical things to seized fasteners (as long as nothing else nearby !!)

 

******************

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. new link to photos

[Irrelevant]

Guess you mean DD bolt, which on a 1990 car goes through the middle doesn't it - so you can get to both ends? This is good, as simple use of brute force will sheer the bu99er off - try and find hex headed 1/2" drive sockets though, air tool sockets are usually hex BTW.

If you're too wimpy to sheer it off, and it is a big bolt admittedly, you can either sheer it with air tools (you never know, it may come undone) or angle grind one end off and tap it through.

[Molecular--Bob]

Yes it is a through tube bolt. It will rotate, so if i can remove the nut, they will push through, not a lot of room to work though as the open end of the bolt sits about 1cm from the cv joint boot. I could saw through near the damper eye, using my usual level of mechanical sympathy, as the dampers are very dead and going in the skip.

 

Might try heat first, if i can find my plumbers heatproof mat to protect the CV boot.

[Irrelevant]

Bolt should be mounted with the nut forward - so when it's off, the bolt pulls backwards (to avoid the CV boot). You can get a socket on a 12" extention into the head of the bolt past the side of the fuel tank. Put a hex spanner or a socket on the nut and wedge it against the chassis. Proceed to undo the bolt head - it'll either come undone or it'll sheer - don't matter either way as it'll be off. Simple job, don't fart about wth heat by the fuel tank/fuel lines/carpetted boot, etc. etc.

[Molecular--Bob]

Should have something that will fit, but if it still won't go i have a half inch drive 3 foot breaker bar, just need to get a shallow socket to be able to fit it in the limited space.

[Alba 7]

MB,

If that fails you could try one of those nut splitters. It will bugger the nut (obviously) and probably the bolt thread as well, but I'm guessing you will replace these along with the dampers.

[Molecular--Bob]

Just realised that you can get a straight run at the bolt from the back of the car (thanks Adam), which meant that with all of my available extensions i could use the 3 foot bar, so they came off in 10 minutes.

 

Have to say that i love whoever built this car. All of the original fitment bolts have a nice coating of copper grease, and once the initial bond is broken they are coming apart like new. Not bad for parts that last saw the light of day in 1991.

 

i also know why my dampers started to leak oil, they had both been worn through by the springs 😳.

 

Edited by - Molecular--Bob on 9 Aug 2007 17:46:20

[millsn]

Having had a similar problem recently I was going to say the same thing about the rear access to that bolt but also to add that I found WD not as good as 3 in 1 at penetrating a joint.

[CageyH]

Plus Gas works better than WD40 too

 

Only dead fish go with the flow....!

[shn7]

Nut Splitter. Available from Halfrauds.

 

Steve.

Sussex (West) AO

Not forgetting Percy the Polar Bear