problem with coilover install

[DenkiMan!]

ok i got a set of kei offices a few weeks ago and i attempted to do the whole coilover install yesterday. i started at the front. i got the passenger side out with no problems and fitted the coilover in and everything.

then i got to the drivers side......

basically i ended up with this



see that bottom bolt on the strut attached to the spindle? would. not. budge. at one point the whole assembly was stuck in the position you see right now. the bolt was i guess pinning it in this position. me and some friends tried everything to try and get that bolt out. we pb blastered the hell out of it, we even ran to the auto store and got like a 24' half inch breaker bar. the socket skipped over the edges of that bolt.

so i called it a night and decided to deal with it in the morning. this morning i tried some more things like moving the strut around to see if i can release the pressure, but that didnt work. it was however able to move again for some reason (in and out) so i could re-align it back to its original position, which is what i decided to do since i couldnt get it off. so i took the c/o out from the passenger side and put on the original struts and bolted everything back up. now that bolt on the drivers side is still in there and wont move at all, but i was able to get that assembly back in place and bolted up at the top so i could still drive the car (i was in a friends garage and i didnt want to leave it there).

now fellow zilvians i need your input. i was thinking 2 choices...one, i could power saw that 2-bolt bracket connected to the strut off, then take the spindle off and see if i can work on it to get the bolt off. OR i can just get another spindle (bolts as well) and replace that spindle, just take whats on there completely off so i wont have to cut anything. what do you guys think?? any better ideas? advice? i really want to put these coilovers on lol, any help is appreciated. thanks

[rob22]

pics not working for me.

[Edwin562]

yep, pic not working

[DenkiMan!]

oh my bad, it should be working now

[Silverbullet]

detach the anti roll bar.

[chituntang]

Originally Posted by Silverbullet

detach the anti roll bar.

That. It pushes the lower control arm up and it pushes the control arm even higher because the other side is a lot lower.

[ILoveJDM]

OR

make sure the other side of the car is off the ground and the car isnt tweaked.

i will add this pisses me off everytime i need to install fronts

[Phatsilvia]

You need to compress the strut so it takes the pressure off the bolt if you have a jack, jack up on the hub to relieve pressure

[Airborne711]

sway bar, easy.

[siksyndicate]

Originally Posted by Phatsilvia

You need to compress the strut so it takes the pressure off the bolt if you have a jack, jack up on the hub to relieve pressure

^ is the right answer

[562nissan]

Use your newly acquired breaker bar and stick it between the bottom of the coilover and the spindle and pull up. The bolt will practically fall out. Funny, this same thing happened to me and a friend. There is something different about the driver front suspension that causes this.

[fliprayzin240sx]

+1 on popping the sway bar off...

That should cause the whole LCA and knuckle assembly to droop down.

[DenkiMan!]

i did try jacking up the hub to compress the spring, but the bolt didnt even budge.

i also had the car evenly sitting on jackstands at the front. the reason why i didnt pop the sway bar off was because when i was looking at alot of numerous install threads, no one really did that. i heard before it makes it easier but not completely necessary

will probably have another go at it sometime this week. thanks for the help

[DenkiMan!]

bringing this back from the dead.

this weekend i attempted another swing at this stupid bolt. i basically removed the sway bar and the bolt still wouldnt come out. i also tried compressing the strut a little more, but it wont come out, not even a little. the whole spindle assembly rotates forward and back like its supposed to, but the bolt moves with spindle instead of independently, i guess its just seized in there. im thinking about just replacing that spindle, just take it off with the strut on it and bolt another one up and go that route.

[chituntang]

Having the jack too high/low will push the bolt against top/bottom of the hole. You have to hit the sweet spot in the middle. If the bolt is loose, you should be able to use a wrench and spin it. If it is not loose, use a hammer. It works wonders...

[nemcho]

I just bang it with a hammer and a screwdriver. Not the best way but it works and I managed to not strip the bolt everytime. But I', sure you already thought about or tried that. The jack technique helps to. Or anything that can shake the coilover up and down.

[Taylor008]

BFH.

mslghslhgshg

[DenkiMan!]

i did all of that the first time i tried getting that bolt out. in my first post i said i used a breaker bar and that didnt work at all. hammer didnt do the job either. i tried a whole bunch of different heights with compressing the strut and it wont come out

[delado]

Ok so this is the point where you grab a hammer and fling it across the windshield

[Phatsilvia]

Have you tried heating up the bolt with a set of torches???

[nemcho]

sometime at this point I just put both bolts back on the bottom sleeve and also put the 3 top nuts back (even tho there are not suppose to be out at this point). Then I try to take the bottom bolt first by banging with a hammer and screwdriver and leave the screwdriver there at its place and then I take the top bolt out. The screwdriver will be easy to take of then.

[chituntang]

I guess you need to take the brake off and beat the living crap out of the bolt then...

[d r i f t swift]

id take the hub/ brake caliper/ rotor off. take the spindle along with the strut off of the lca and take it off the car so you can get a real swing with a huge sledgehammer. or find somewhere who has a press and press that stupid bolt out.

[aKaFlipSide]

I would jus beat the hell out of it.

[DenkiMan!]

Originally Posted by Phatsilvia

Have you tried heating up the bolt with a set of torches???

havnt tried that yet, no access to a blow torch at the moment

Originally Posted by nemcho

sometime at this point I just put both bolts back on the bottom sleeve and also put the 3 top nuts back (even tho there are not suppose to be out at this point). Then I try to take the bottom bolt first by banging with a hammer and screwdriver and leave the screwdriver there at its place and then I take the top bolt out. The screwdriver will be easy to take of then.

tried, no luck

Originally Posted by d r i f t swift

id take the hub/ brake caliper/ rotor off. take the spindle along with the strut off of the lca and take it off the car so you can get a real swing with a huge sledgehammer. or find somewhere who has a press and press that stupid bolt out.

im thinking about doing this, just get a spare spindle for insurance lol

[Phatsilvia]

A propane torch might work I've never tried using one before just always had access to torches

[nismoracingsx]

torch and hammer, i'm gonna blame your puny strength and being timid on this one, just beat the crap out of the bolt. I have yet to be defeated by any piece of hardware, its either coming out by force or in pieces..

good luck

[DenkiMan!]

Originally Posted by nismoracingsx

torch and hammer, i'm gonna blame your puny strength and being timid on this one, just beat the crap out of the bolt. I have yet to be defeated by any piece of hardware, its either coming out by force or in pieces..

good luck

there is some truth to this haha, but the main reason for that is due to the amount of stuff in the way from getting a good wack at it. thats why ill probably take the spindle off and go to work on it. ill try and update this weekend.

[takyo_style]

usa a hammer!

[drift_king]

bigger hammer