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Bolt Removal, lower control arm?

Big T

Big T

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Can't remove the rear bolt on the lower control arms as it butts up against the drive shaft plates on the front differential:

attachment.php


Do we need to drop the front differential to create clearance to get these out?

http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/sh...move-Rear-Bolt-on-Lower-Control-Arm-K2500-4wd
 
I ran into the same problem when I rebuilt my front end a while ago. I ended up just cutting the bolt out, getting another one, and putting it in backwards.

This was before I had the lift on, of course.
 
4thesporty said:
I ran into the same problem when I rebuilt my front end a while ago. I ended up just cutting the bolt out, getting another one, and putting it in backwards.
Click to expand...

It looks like it should be put in the other direction (i.e. backwards). I was hoping not to cut the bolt. Maybe just grind some of the head off, probably 1/16" would do it.
 
Silly me, I have extra bolts on the wrecked '95. That damn donor wreck continues to give up the love. We plan on taking the steering knuckles, lower control arms, torsion bars, and now some of the control arm bolts from the '95.
 
Well, that makes your decision easy then :)

Honestly, if you had to, you could grind some of that bolt head off, or even loosen the diff to get it out. I don't think you you even need to remove the diff, just loosen the 3 (IIRC) bolts holding it in.
 
Prybar to move the diff the limits of the rubber mounts and grind a small part of the bolt head off. I don't think it clears going in the other way.
 
Well, I got the bolts out by loosening the front differential. Now, as expected, the tough part is getting the lower control arms off the torsion bars:

attachment.php


There's 20 years of rust to deal with and it ain't budging with the BFH. I undid the rear crossmember and trans support crossmember in the hope that I could shimmy it out at an angle and just drop the whole damn assembly (i.e. control arms on torsion bars connected to rear cross member = Field Goal!), but no good so far. So I'm looking for suggestions here besides cutting the torsion bars (I know I have the ones from the '95) is not in the plan.
 
Like this:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qys3DqE5fDQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I have an air hammer (up at our 2nd home), but it's not a Snap On. I better start soaking this thing in PB Blaster and get the torch ready. Do I need a welding torch, or will a Mapp Gas torch work?
 
I really need some help on this. We've torn down the '95 to dropping the lower control arms and we hope that those come off easier.

I still need to get the lower control arms and/or torsion bars out of the '94. I do not have a Snap On air hammer. I do not have a welding torch. I have a Mapp gas torch and a BFH. Do I need to buy a Snap on Air Hammer? If so, which model? Will the Mapp gas torch work, or do I need a welding torch?
 
Any heat is good heat on metal like this.. It just might take awhile longer then with a Oxy torch. I wouldn't heat the t-bar up if I could help it much, I'm no expert but I think it would make it A) brittle, or B) take some of the load caring abilities out.
 
Well the son and I dissassembled the '95 down to lower arms on the torsion bars in under an hour. We're getting pretty good at this. I sent him home with the steering knuckles with bearing hubs. Now we get to see if the control arms come off the torsion bars on the '95.

Swinging the BFH is a bit of a work out. I'll sleep well tonight.
 
Well, Big T..... I've been wrenching on my truck like mad, the Torsion bar keys are my hold up, but I've got a fix for that. I'm gonna call up a salvage yard (that I just picked up some forged lower control arms from) and have them set me up with a T-Bar cross-member..

My patience has run out trying to heat the keys up and beating them off, my next plan of action is to use my new torches and take the cross-member out in several pieces.

I'm in the midst of installing this lift kit and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let the T-Bar keys and "stamped" lower control arms hold me up any longer.. I WILL get this thing apart.. LOL
 
Mike you can get the entire assembly - cross member + torsion bars + LCAs - out in one piece like I did. You need to remove the transmission crossmember. Jack up the transmission and place a 4x4 block under the drive shaft at the rear cross member, then push the driver's side of the torsion crossmember as far back as possible and the passenger side as far forward as possible. Remove the rubber ends on the torsion crossmember. Jack the driver's side of the crossmember up and shimmy/pry the passenger side out. Reverse for the install and use KY or Astroglide :)

I'm envious on the forged LCAs. Got them on the '99 and they're superior. Should have hunted some down at a pic a part boneyard, but I was stuck figure out how to get the torsion bars out at home, let alone at a boneyard. Now I have the McGyver bottle jack and chain cure all solution :)
 
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