rear suspension removal -- in junkyard

[finalfantasy]

I'm trying to get some straight control arms w/ whole hub drum etc out of a wagon rear. Whats the best way to get the damned bolts out of the subframe? All these welded nuts and fused bushings seem impossible. Also at a local yard where they put the cars in the air on rims so should I let the spring down slowly with a jack under the lower arm/blade? after unbolting the shock or something? Help! lol

[Tymes]

For rusty bolts, a lot of penetrating oil and the biggest baddest breaker bar you can find (since most u-pull yards don't allow torches). As for the springs, until you disconnect the control arm from the spring seat, it can't drop low enough to release the spring, regardless of the shock being there or not. But yes use a jack under the spring seat when you disconnect that bolt.

[finalfantasy]

A snuck in bottle Jack would have to do the trick. I sheared the bolt head off the control arm perch side -- that was a clean looking bolt, with a welded nut on the other side. God knows what the frame side one will do, it looks deep fried in rust!! Maybe an impact wrench (air wrench fit in smaller space?). Am I over complicating this yet??

Please chime in if ya been there done that...

[finalfantasy]

Originally Posted by Tymes

As for the springs, until you disconnect the control arm from the spring seat, it can't drop low enough to release the spring, regardless of the shock being there or not. But yes use a jack under the spring seat when you disconnect that bolt.

but you have to remove the shock too right or you cant get the coil out, right? they both limit, but the control arm more?

[redSVT_03]

Hate to break it to you but your best bet is to buy new control arms (Cheapest at rockauto.com). The bolts tend to seize up in the bushings, even if you cut the bolt heads off to remover the control arms there will still be the bolt sized in the metal bushing sleeve. Ive been there before with my own focus when I lowered it had to cut the old control arms off and replace them. and no they do not sell just the bushings, you have to buy new arms with them in it. good luck

[finalfantasy]

So can I get the brake drum/ hub off without needing an angle grinder to saw the arms in the yard? Basically I'm trying to go the cheapest route to get a straight rear end in there again. Drums are smashed and arms bent.

[Tymes]

^^ Yeah, the shock has to be unhooked to get the spring out.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

You're trying to get a good trailing arm off of a rear with smashed drums? Um... ok.

You should be very careful. You're going to have to jack or put something under that vehicle's body before you go removing the suspension. Even if you just slide stuff under there, you'll have the 1000+psi spring that is still sprung under there waiting to apply pressure to anything suspension that you're trying to remove. For example. If you were able to get the front bolt out (which you can't because its in a bind), it would probably be likely to slam the control arm up.

If you didn't know this sort of stuff before you started, you should stop now. Seek some other way to get your part before you seriously injure yourself. It wasn't too long ago that some guy killed his 3 yr old daughter removing a leaf spring. Suspension stuff looks all peaceful, but screw with it the wrong way and it will make mushy meat out of you. Furthermore, how freaking wise is it to even try to remove suspension parts on a car that is held off the ground by the suspension? The bolts are in a bind, the car is waiting to fall, and the spring is waiting to be unsprung.

[finalfantasy]

Originally Posted by whynotthinkwhynot

You're trying to get a good trailing arm off of a rear with smashed drums? Um... ok.

You should be very careful. You're going to have to jack or put something under that vehicle's body before you go removing the suspension. Even if you just slide stuff under there, you'll have the 1000+psi spring that is still sprung under there waiting to apply pressure to anything suspension that you're trying to remove. For example. If you were able to get the front bolt out (which you can't because its in a bind), it would probably be likely to slam the control arm up.

If you didn't know this sort of stuff before you started, you should stop now. Seek some other way to get your part before you seriously injure yourself. It wasn't too long ago that some guy killed his 3 yr old daughter removing a leaf spring. Suspension stuff looks all peaceful, but screw with it the wrong way and it will make mushy meat out of you. Furthermore, how freaking wise is it to even try to remove suspension parts on a car that is held off the ground by the suspension? The bolts are in a bind, the car is waiting to fall, and the spring is waiting to be unsprung.

First of all, the car is NOT held up by suspension, i think i mentioned that in my first post. It is already held high off the ground by supports the jy puts there. They weld two rims at perpendicular together and place a few underneath the unibody -- not on the suspension. So knowing that, how much of the spring energy has been released?

[Tymes]

This method of of supporting cars in yards is basically the same as having 4 jack stands under the car, but with a much larger base. They generally have 1 rim horizontal and another vertical in the center to the other and then weld the 2 together. It lifts the cars body about 3 feet off the ground.