Need some quick help...

So I've been in the middle of a nightmare (Halloween!) of a rear sway install. First off, by sway links were so rusted that I just used the angle grinder to cut them off. Next up, I removed the plate that's on the rear side of the knuckle that holds the brake line so I could grind off the ball joint on the sway link. Onto the driver side, started to remove the bolt on the holding the strut to the knuckle so I could take said plate off. Bolt head sheared off.

Anyone know any good ways to remove this bolt so I can finish my sway install?

Also, I'm putting in a Koni/H&R setup 2 weeks from today, if I can't remove the bolt can I drive the car? It's still completely threaded on the one side and about half way into the other side of the knuckle... obviously not what I want to do...

for the sheared bolt, they have these sockets designed for stripped bolts. Those work really well. I used it for my exhaust before....came right off. good lucky man...i remember doing my sways...such a biatch. I ended up driving down the street to my buddy's shop and have him do it. mind you my sways were half way off lol

if the stripped bolt sockets don't work you might just have to get an attachment welded onto the end of the bolt and have it removed that way.

^^^ word.

Or drill it out.

I snapped four bolts off while attempting to change my RSB

tnguyen600 said:

for the sheared bolt, they have these sockets designed for stripped bolts. Those work really well. I used it for my exhaust before....came right off. good lucky man...i remember doing my sways...such a biatch. I ended up driving down the street to my buddy's shop and have him do it. mind you my sways were half way off lol

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theres a difference between sheared and stripped. sheared is where the bolt head snaps off and you think youre ****ed. stipped is the better of the two, because of the sockets you are talking about, haha.

for the sheared bolt, youll either have to drill it out and get it out that way somehow, or like A-cord said, have something welded on the end of it. but idk how youd do that since you said its already halfway in the knuckle. its def not safe to drive on i would say, who knows if the point where the strut will even stay in.....it might end up bending the bolt.

thats a really ****ty situation man. i wish i knew a definite answer for you, but those two solutions above seem like the best and pretty much the only.

My advice..

REALLY lube up all the bolts that you'll be removing for the suspension install, now, and keep doing it every other day untill you're ready to install. Get a propane or MAPP gas torch, you're gonna need it to help unfreeze those rusted bolts with out snapping them, pick up a can of grease too.

For the sheared bolt, if you have any doubt at all that you can remove it, take it to a shop and have them do it - OR - get an easy out w/ reverse drill bits and see if you can remove it that way. It's a bit more involved and tedious but it works.

Lastly - when you're reinstalling everything, clean out all the threads on the bolts with a wire wheel, soak them in lubricant and just for piece of mind, slab some grease on the threads, front shock forks (where shock rests), and the rear bolts/shock hole. This helps keep rust at bay and aide in removal should you have to ever again at some point.

Cliffs: - You should get, antiseize, wd40 or other penetrating lubricant, grease, torch, and a breaker bar/air tools. I go through the same process everytime I remove/install something on the suspension and especially brakes b/c of the constant heating and cooling.


Now I'm just waiting for someone to make a crack about the use of the word lubricant and penetrating.

Here's the scoop: I had soaked all the bolts with penetrating oil and WD-40 before attempting to remove them. Used a breaker bar as well, with using even torquing on the bolts, no jerky ****. I took it to my g-pa's since he's tha car master, went at it for a while with the acetylene torch and couldn't even pound the sucker out; we think it's completely bonded to the strut bushing.

Now, normally I would say those reverse drill bit kits for stripped/shears screws and bolts would be a good idea, but this bolt is tight as a mofo. The plan is to just drive on it for a few weeks, my Koni's should be in sometime this week, deer hunting is next weekend, so hopefully the weekend after that. Then, when we do the suspension install, we'll just grind the bushing and remove the rest of the bolt that way. I already have new bolts on order at Honda since I always replace those when I take the dampers out.

PS - Holy **** does the TL-S sway reduce understeer! I found out that dry Teflon lube for bike is really nice for lubing bushings as well.

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it.