Replacing stock stuts and springs

[kyle1911]

I got a replacrment for the 2 front shocks, struts and strut hats. im running into big problems with the 2 bolts holding the strut withthe bracket to the lower control arm. so far i have soaked them in liquid wrench and applyed alot of touque but they wont budge and are starting to round..

whats the best way around this?

also i bought a new slave cylinder for my clutch, when i got it back i soaked it in LW and tryed to remove/loosen the bleeder valve and it broke.. how could i get it out?

TIA,Kyle

[Toahk]

How much torque did you apply to the bolts? I know when I removed mine I had an 18" breaker bar I used, those suckers are hard as heck to get off. And if you break the bolt, just take it out and buy a new one, not a huge deal. Be sure your using the right socket, I think 17mm.

[DAEDALUS]

Impact wrenches rock on large, old frozen bolts. Before I got an air compressor, I used this really cheap-as5 electric impact wrench that ran off 12V. Nothing you'd find in a shop, but it worked on weekends when I needed it to.

[NISTECH]

this car is in canda so it probably has a huge amount of corrosion on the bolts from rust. You will need to use quite a bit of force to break them loose. If they are infact rusted I recommend you just replace them once you get them out( if they break or not)

[kyle1911]

Good call, ill replace them.do bad i dont have an impact wrench. what can i use instead? other than a rachet cause i broke my craftsman one trying to free it.

[DAEDALUS]

Use a breaker bar like Toahk said. Worst case, get a dremel and cut it off. I haven't broken a craftsman tool yet, but I live in rust-free SoCal.

[kyle1911]

damn salty air and roads...

i dont know how the ratchet broke though i was using it normally.

[Big Red]

LW works best if you let it soak and then tap the part before and while turning it with a small hammer.

[180fan]

your craftsman broke? I guess you're on your way to sears. The same kinda deal with my sister's altimas. Her shocks were blown all the way around, and the drivers front had seized bolts. Ordered new bolts and made a cut parallel to the length of the bolt into the nut. Still took a bit of force but eventually came out. Some other tactics to try before giving it the hack job though, try a blow torch. Heat up the nut so it'll expand just a little bit and then give it a good tug with a ratchet and a dunno 2 foot long pipe on it. If the 2 footer don't make it budge give it a cutting since something longer than 2 feet might bust up your ratchet again.

[kyle1911]

used an 18" lever and i broke the 17mm socket trying to loosin it, after i heated it up and let it cool down..

i think im goign to dremel it off, what bolt/nuts should i ask for when i go for replacements,

[NISTECH]

strut to spindle bolts and nuts

[kyle1911]

well i got around to calling my local dealer adn talked to thier parts counter and they need to order them in.. i thought there were somthing fairly standardized? where else should i look to get them? i checked crappy tire first.