Hi All,
Trying to remove OLV lift shackles. Upper bolts are stuck in shackles.
Springs are off, nuts are off the bolts, shackle and bolt combo rattles in the mounting holes in the body, but the upper bolts through body and shackle do not budge as if they are fused into the shackles.
With a socket and breaker on the bolt side through the body, the bolts can be rotated (barely), but do not back out. The stock shackles on both of my vans have had steel sleeves through the center of the bushing, are the OLV shackles different. I don't remember fighting with this when removing the stock shackles. When the bolts rotate they creak and pop like they are embedded in the rubber (poly?) bushing somehow.
Minimal clearance and odd angles make prying difficult, and even with a custom cut wood block and a 30" pry bar the bolts do not budge at all.
I never lubed the shackles at the grease fitting, but I remember specifically greasing the bolt when I installed them a few years ago. If I get a grease gun and pump grease into the shackle will the bolt magically slide out?
Vehicle is a California car and there is very little rust. Shackles have been in place for 3 to 4 years.
What am I missing here? Is there some technique? Do I need to cut those suckers out? Can't really get a grinder up in there, maybe a sawzall between the body and the shackle to cut the bolt on both sides. Will a sawzall cut through those hardened bolts? I guess I will find out soon if nobody shows up with a magic solution.
p.s. I am removing the lift shackles to replace the stock shackles because I just installed S-10 springs and am not going big with the lift, just enough to nicely clear 236/70-16's. Even with the springs in the 1st hole (least lift) on the shackle, I am getting a lot of driveline vibration. With the stock springs and the third hole, (highest lift), I had 2-degree shims in there to smooth things out (mostly, but not completely). I tried 4-degree shims first, but they didn't work as well as the 2-degree shims. I was hoping that with the s-10 springs and the stock shackles I would be back to stock geometry and would be rid of the vibration issues. Everything else was easy, but now these bolts are stuck in the shackles and I am scratching my head.
Stubborn OLV Lift Shackle to Body Bolts.
Stubborn OLV Lift Shackle to Body Bolts.
Current Rig - 2004 Safari AWD, 270K+, Daily Driver, Dark toreador red, coated fender flares and blacked out grille and front bumper, OLV 2" lift blocks, SD Truck Springs S10 rear springs, Airbagit -30 lift keys, KYB monomax shocks, 3.73 gears, 235/75/16's on Black American Racing AR172's, Gibson Exhaust, Rear shock mounts relocated, FF Dynamics electric cooling fans, custom cold air intake with Ebay tubes and K&N cone filter.
-
Astrophysics
- I sleep in my van
- Posts: 974
- Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:23 pm
- Been thanked: 9 times
Re: Stubborn OLV Lift Shackle to Body Bolts.
Hi,
I have the OLV 2" lift on my 2003 AWD for about 5 years now. Wow, i don't remember if i put anti seize on the shackle bolts.
Did you spray in WD 40 or other spray lube?
Can you put a drift or punch and tap bolt with ball peen hammer?
Good luck.
AP
I have the OLV 2" lift on my 2003 AWD for about 5 years now. Wow, i don't remember if i put anti seize on the shackle bolts.
Did you spray in WD 40 or other spray lube?
Can you put a drift or punch and tap bolt with ball peen hammer?
Good luck.
AP
Re: Stubborn OLV Lift Shackle to Body Bolts.
Got the drivers side out after what seemed like hours of wrenching and prying. Then I felt stupid for starting this thread. Then I went back to the passenger side, and after what was actually hours, I am back.
Sprayed with penetrating oil, let sit overnight. Long pry bar lined up for a good straight pull, pulled by my son. Myself wrenching on the other side with a socket, extension and pipe over the handle. After many, many, and I mean many revolutions the bolts has backed out enough to make the washer just barely spin. Trying to hammer a pry bar or chisel in behind the washer to break the bolt loose yields no results. Feels as though the sleeve and bolt are one unit that is spinning in the bushing and that is why the bolt won't back out at all, but I can't tell for sure.
No way to drift the bolt out. No clearance. Unless I wanted to pop off the cladding and drill a hole in the bottom of the rear quarter panel, which I don't. I might consider it, but my van is in pretty good shape, and I am planning to remove the body cladding.
On the other shackle that I got out, the shackle was in fine shape and the sleeve fit nice and tight around the bolt in a good way, but it looked like the threads that were inside had bit into the sleeve and then a little bit of surface rust was enough to keep it in place. Lucky for me it eventually backed out enough to be able to pry a little.
Going to try to heat it up as best I can with MAP gas (I don't have a real torch), see if I can get enough heat to get a little expansion/contraction happening on the thread side. Last resort will be attempted cutting of bolt, which will damage the shackle and the body at least somewhat. If I have to I will just hack the whole shackle to bits, I hope it does not come to that, it would be nice if myself or somebody else could re-use them. God forbid I should need to limp to a shop and beg for help.
Sprayed with penetrating oil, let sit overnight. Long pry bar lined up for a good straight pull, pulled by my son. Myself wrenching on the other side with a socket, extension and pipe over the handle. After many, many, and I mean many revolutions the bolts has backed out enough to make the washer just barely spin. Trying to hammer a pry bar or chisel in behind the washer to break the bolt loose yields no results. Feels as though the sleeve and bolt are one unit that is spinning in the bushing and that is why the bolt won't back out at all, but I can't tell for sure.
No way to drift the bolt out. No clearance. Unless I wanted to pop off the cladding and drill a hole in the bottom of the rear quarter panel, which I don't. I might consider it, but my van is in pretty good shape, and I am planning to remove the body cladding.
On the other shackle that I got out, the shackle was in fine shape and the sleeve fit nice and tight around the bolt in a good way, but it looked like the threads that were inside had bit into the sleeve and then a little bit of surface rust was enough to keep it in place. Lucky for me it eventually backed out enough to be able to pry a little.
Going to try to heat it up as best I can with MAP gas (I don't have a real torch), see if I can get enough heat to get a little expansion/contraction happening on the thread side. Last resort will be attempted cutting of bolt, which will damage the shackle and the body at least somewhat. If I have to I will just hack the whole shackle to bits, I hope it does not come to that, it would be nice if myself or somebody else could re-use them. God forbid I should need to limp to a shop and beg for help.
Current Rig - 2004 Safari AWD, 270K+, Daily Driver, Dark toreador red, coated fender flares and blacked out grille and front bumper, OLV 2" lift blocks, SD Truck Springs S10 rear springs, Airbagit -30 lift keys, KYB monomax shocks, 3.73 gears, 235/75/16's on Black American Racing AR172's, Gibson Exhaust, Rear shock mounts relocated, FF Dynamics electric cooling fans, custom cold air intake with Ebay tubes and K&N cone filter.
-
doyoulikeithere
- ASV Supporter
- Posts: 2060
- Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:27 pm
- Location: Misty Mountains of Cowichan BC.
Re: Stubborn OLV Lift Shackle to Body Bolts.
You might be able to reach up there with a sawz-all to cut the bolt without much further damage.
Then, once its apart you will be able to drift out whats left of the bolt etc...
Then, once its apart you will be able to drift out whats left of the bolt etc...
2021 Yamaha Tenere 700 - Blue.
2016 Yamaha XSR900 - Silver.
1990 Astro - AWD - Brown.
1987 Astro - With 5 Speed & 4wd - Silver & Blue.
2016 Yamaha XSR900 - Silver.
1990 Astro - AWD - Brown.
1987 Astro - With 5 Speed & 4wd - Silver & Blue.
Re: Stubborn OLV Lift Shackle to Body Bolts.
Just in case it ever happens to somebody in the future and they end up searching for advice...
Tried a perfectly cut hardwood block clamped in place,a well placed pry bar, and socket some more, bending car body before bolt backs out.
I tried heating the bolt up, got it red hot and smoking, was probably a mistake (think polyurethane glue). Tried a couple heat/cool cycles. No luck.
Was able to eventually (long minutes of continuous cutting) cut the bolt off on the head end with a sawzall. I used a diamond coated blade for cast iron, as it was the only metal cutting blade I had on hand at the time. Had to cut through bushing end. Got out a punch and a mallet. Wow! Bolt still will not budge with heavy hammering.
Tried heating it up red hot and then attempting to punch the bolt out. Nope. Tried heating it up red hot and smoking bubbling. Nope.
Tried to cut off bolt on other side of shackle. Clearance issues, poor angles. Get 1/2 way through bolt (and part of shackle) and blade breaks. Would have been a lot easier without spring and tailpipe in the way.
Get fresh, long thick metal cutting blade, fits better up in there. Able to finish the cut and extract shackle with minimal scarring on body.
Got it out just in time to not be able to get to NAPA for a replacement.
Put the shackle in vice, try to punch out bolt. No luck. Sleeve pushes out of bushing.
Put sleeve with bolt in vice, punch, no luck. Bolt and sleeve still inseparable.
Maybe I will try harder or even cut the thing open to investigate, but probably not. i just want to get on with it now that that episode is over.
Theories: Hardened steel bolt threads are cutting into softer steel of bushing sleeve. The sleeve fits so tightly around the bolt that even with the threads biting into the sleeve the clearances are such that a small amount of surface rust is sufficient to glue the to pieces together. Add in the melting of the polyurethane bushing to the point where at least a small amount of it was liquified and subsequently wicked into the threads and any space between the bolt and the sleeve. Still hard to explain why the parts seem to be so tightly fused together. ?!?
Tried a perfectly cut hardwood block clamped in place,a well placed pry bar, and socket some more, bending car body before bolt backs out.
I tried heating the bolt up, got it red hot and smoking, was probably a mistake (think polyurethane glue). Tried a couple heat/cool cycles. No luck.
Was able to eventually (long minutes of continuous cutting) cut the bolt off on the head end with a sawzall. I used a diamond coated blade for cast iron, as it was the only metal cutting blade I had on hand at the time. Had to cut through bushing end. Got out a punch and a mallet. Wow! Bolt still will not budge with heavy hammering.
Tried heating it up red hot and then attempting to punch the bolt out. Nope. Tried heating it up red hot and smoking bubbling. Nope.
Tried to cut off bolt on other side of shackle. Clearance issues, poor angles. Get 1/2 way through bolt (and part of shackle) and blade breaks. Would have been a lot easier without spring and tailpipe in the way.
Get fresh, long thick metal cutting blade, fits better up in there. Able to finish the cut and extract shackle with minimal scarring on body.
Got it out just in time to not be able to get to NAPA for a replacement.
Put the shackle in vice, try to punch out bolt. No luck. Sleeve pushes out of bushing.
Put sleeve with bolt in vice, punch, no luck. Bolt and sleeve still inseparable.
Maybe I will try harder or even cut the thing open to investigate, but probably not. i just want to get on with it now that that episode is over.
Theories: Hardened steel bolt threads are cutting into softer steel of bushing sleeve. The sleeve fits so tightly around the bolt that even with the threads biting into the sleeve the clearances are such that a small amount of surface rust is sufficient to glue the to pieces together. Add in the melting of the polyurethane bushing to the point where at least a small amount of it was liquified and subsequently wicked into the threads and any space between the bolt and the sleeve. Still hard to explain why the parts seem to be so tightly fused together. ?!?
Current Rig - 2004 Safari AWD, 270K+, Daily Driver, Dark toreador red, coated fender flares and blacked out grille and front bumper, OLV 2" lift blocks, SD Truck Springs S10 rear springs, Airbagit -30 lift keys, KYB monomax shocks, 3.73 gears, 235/75/16's on Black American Racing AR172's, Gibson Exhaust, Rear shock mounts relocated, FF Dynamics electric cooling fans, custom cold air intake with Ebay tubes and K&N cone filter.