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 Posted: 01-04-2007 05:34 pm
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497
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Hello All, I need some advice on the removal of the upper wishbone arm from the sub assembly, I have removed the shock / spring, separated the ball joint and now have the upper and lower arms ready for removal, I have taken the nut off the end of the 9.5" bolt that runs across the upper pivot point, and then tried to remove the bolt but as you can guess, " she no wanna budge", I put a big wrench with a cheater on trying to turn the bolt, but it seems frozen "rusted" in.

I've looked at the drawings and it shows a small tube sticking out the back area of the sub assembly frame were it joins the wishbone, but I don't know if the tube runs the whole length of the 9.5", to the front, can I cut the bolt in between the wishbone arms, and then get it out in pieces, or is there another trick.

What I'm afraid of is cutting or torching something that I may end up needing, any and all suggestion would be appreciated.

And the reason I'm doing all this is to change over to poly suspension bushings.

Thanks  Brett.

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 Posted: 01-04-2007 11:33 pm
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Mark Rosenbaum
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If the through-bolt is frozen into the distance piece (tubular spacer) that's a part of the crossmember assembly, try generous applications of a good penetrating oil combined with significant torque applied to the head of the bolt along with repeated tapping of the threaded end with a hammer.  This may take 15-30 minutes sometimes.

Sometimes you can drill a couple of 1/16" diameter holes through the wall of the distance piece, an inch or so in from the ends, and get the penetrating oil to where it does the most good.  It is important to avoid drilling into the through-bolt, as that tends to encourage future breakage.

I don't recommend cutting off the ends of the bolt unless you're prepared to drop the crossmember if necessary -- you could, after all, end up with the midsection of the bolt still frozen in place.

During reassembly, a generous application of anti-sieze compound will prevent many future problems.

Attachment: Arm upper pair.jpg (Downloaded 276 times)

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 Posted: 01-05-2007 02:11 pm
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colinw59
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If all else fails, try a blow torch played over the contact surfaces and use a bigger hammer! Make sure any penetrating fluids have been blown out though. I've never put a match to them, but I would suspect that they are highly flammable! Good luck, Colin

http://jhppg.com/gallery/74-Jensen-Healey-15851

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 Posted: 01-05-2007 03:39 pm
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497
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Thanks Mark and Colin, the picture was a great help and now I have a better understanding of what I'm up against, I was going to tackle it this weekend but the daily driver's oil pan started dumping oil out a rust hole, so first things first, more quality time under the cars.

Thanks Brett.

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 Posted: 01-05-2007 05:34 pm
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Jensen Healey
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Only British aluminum can rust!

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 Posted: 01-05-2007 08:03 pm
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John Kimbrough
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Brett, to get my lower arm off, I had to use a sawzall to cut the bolt in two places.  Can't remember if the upper bolt is accessible to cut, but it worked fine on the lower.  I had tried penetrating oil and tapping and a torque wrench and nothing would loosen it.

John

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 Posted: 01-06-2007 02:57 pm
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Ron Earp
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I had to drop the entire subframe to service my front suspension. Everything was a pain to remove and very difficult, uppers, lowers, I could remove none of them without a lot of sawing and cussing. The subrame drops out easily if you want to go that route - just suspend your engine with a hoist and undo four bolts - it'll come out and you can lower it with a jack.

R

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 Posted: 01-08-2007 10:45 am
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497
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Guy's Thanks for the input, I manage to get back working on it over the weekend, kept soaking it with penetrating fluid, tried working it, finally broke out the torch's and heated it cherry red and pounded on it, still wont budge, look's like I'll have to drop the entire assembly like Ron suggests, did notice that the lower pivot point has a lot of slop in it, wasn't sure I really needed to do this job before hand, but after seeing that, seems well worth it. 

Next question then is how do I go about dropping the assembly without taking the engine out, most thing's I have read show the whole kit and caboodle coming out.

Brett. 

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 Posted: 01-08-2007 09:48 pm
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Jim Sohl
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You could suspend the kit and caboodle from a caboodle lift, just be sure the lift does not sag while holding up the caboodle. 

have fun,
Jim

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 Posted: 01-09-2007 12:33 am
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Mark Rosenbaum
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Here's an approach that should work.
  1. Jack up car and support with 4 jack stands.  Forward jack stands must be to rear of crossmember.
  2. Remove front wheels.  Undo brake pipe running to crossmember, seal pipe ends to minimize dripping brake fluid.  Remove steering U-joint.
  3. Place a scissors jack under oil pan using 2x4 lumber section to avoid damaging pan.  Just barely support engine weight.  One can also use an engine hoist (from the top) instead.
  4. Undo motor mounts and raise engine a bit, and support its weight with jack stands.  WARNING: Be 100% certain engine is stable, as major damage can occur if the engine should slip.
  5. Place scissors jack under each end of crossmember.  Place mechanic's creeper under car beneath crossmember.  Undo crossmember attaching hardware.  Lower  crossmember slowly onto creeper.  Pull creeper from under car.
  6. During reassembly, center car's steering wheel and front road wheels when reattaching steering U-joint.  Also remember to bleed both front and rear brakes.
Several members have posted front crossmember photos on the JHP site, and a look at these should clarify things considerably.  Good luck.

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 Posted: 01-12-2007 01:22 pm
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497
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Thanks Mark, I was thinking Bigger than what I actually need to do, so now the plan is to remove the suspension assembly and leave the engine in place, sturdily supported from underneath.

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