What to do here (get trailing arm off)

RobAMerc

hey folks,

Hope someone could inspire me a little here.

I am trying to change the trailing arms on my old Merc ( NCT fail )

The pic here is the inside of the subframe mount. Its pretty difficult to get to but as you can see, clearly its hit something and bent this in such a way I cant get a spanner or socket onto it. What this means is I can spin the whole bolt as well as the nut on the other side of this.

Any ideas what I can do ? I cant get a chizzel and hammer to bend it back, I also cant seem to jam the bolt head while I uncrew the nut at the other end.

Ive no lift so doing this on jack stands making the whole thing a lot more of a pain.

thanks for the help

CianRyan

Can you post the video instead of the screen shot?
Give us an idea of access, how tight a space this is.

BlakeS94

RobAMerc wrote: »

hey folks,

Hope someone could inspire me a little here.

I am trying to change the trailing arms on my old Merc ( NCT fail )

The pic here is the inside of the subframe mount. Its pretty difficult to get to but as you can see, clearly its hit something and bent this in such a way I cant get a spanner or socket onto it. What this means is I can spin the whole bolt as well as the nut on the other side of this.

Any ideas what I can do ? I cant get a chizzel and hammer to bend it back, I also cant seem to jam the bolt head while I uncrew the nut at the other end.

Ive no lift so doing this on jack stands making the whole thing a lot more of a pain.

thanks for the help

Do you have clearance to wail on it with just a hammer to get the bent bit to move enough to have access for a socket or wrench? Or maybe if you have either a deep offset wrench could fit around the bolt head without being obstructed, or even a thin style regular wrench?

RobAMerc

the video is a mess, and really this is the only useful bit of the whole lot of it.

This pics gives a better idea on the access

enricoh

Drop it down to the garage with the nct print out n play dumb!

RobAMerc

BlakeS94 wrote: »

Do you have clearance to wail on it with just a hammer to get the bent bit to move enough to have access for a socket or wrench? Or maybe if you have either a deep offset wrench could fit around the bolt head without being obstructed, or even a thin style regular wrench?

no, I can get a chizzel into it, but no space to whack it with a hammer. I would if I had a lift I guess, but on my back under it it wasnt budging with the pathetic kiss I could give it. I would try get a socket on and beat that on with a hammer :eek: but same issue, no access with the hammer.

FintanMcluskey

It’s difficult to have perspective as to what size that nut and surrounding area is

I would be heading for my vice grip selection though

CianRyan

Do you have an old socket you could sacrifice?
If you have one, I'd try and file down one side of it, just to hold it in place while you turn the nut on the other side.

Ooooor, I'd probably burn the bush out and cut the bolt if I was doing it. If you have the tools.
What's the other side like? Can you cut the old nut off rather than turning it?

Old cars often require fire and angle grinders. :pac:

Padre_Pio

Angle grinder and cut off the lip?

RobAMerc

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Angle grinder and cut off the lip?

was thinking this maybe required, except I may end up doing it blind, as its would be difficult to get to.

FintanMcluskey wrote: »

It’s difficult to have perspective as to what size that nut and surrounding area is

I would be heading for my vice grip selection though

Now that I think about it, I am only looking to stop it turinging so I can unscrew the nut. And I maybe able to get a vice on straight, face on.

Not exactly super strong, but maybe enough to stop rotation if it doesnt get spat off

Option C is to tack weld another head on the bolt, but I'd have to a) get a welder, b) learn to use it c) get it on a lift so that I could get space to do it

RobAMerc

this dude made it look simple.....

FintanMcluskey

RobAMerc wrote: »

was thinking this maybe required, except I may end up doing it blind, as its would be difficult to get to.



Now that I think about it, I am only looking to stop it turinging so I can unscrew the nut. And I maybe able to get a vice on straight, face on.

Not exactly super strong, but maybe enough to stop rotation if it doesnt get spat off

Option C is to tack weld another head on the bolt, but I'd have to a) get a welder, b) learn to use it c) get it on a lift so that I could get space to do it

Try a selection of vice grips first

Learning to weld in there won’t be pleasant and likely unsuccessful

Padre_Pio

Another idea is to knock the lip even more onto it, seizing the head of the bolt, so it won't spin when you loosen the nut on the far side, then knock it through.

Don't know if you have access to that nut though.

CoBo55

Could you wedge the chisel between one of the flats and the bent bit so that it gets drawn in as you turn the nut on the other side?

SmartinMartin

Can you jam a chisle between the bent bit and the bolt head and undo the nut on the other side?

SmartinMartin

CoBo55 wrote: »

Could you wedge the chisel between one of the flats and the bent bit so that it gets drawn in as you turn the nut on the other side?

Snap

RobAMerc

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Another idea is to knock the lip even more onto it, seizing the head of the bolt, so it won't spin when you loosen the nut on the far side, then knock it through.

Don't know if you have access to that nut though.

might just be crazy enough to work. Its part of the subframe though and hard as fook, give how poor access is, I dunno if I can get a good enough swing on a lump hammer. Worth a try maybe.

CoBo55 wrote: »

Could you wedge the chisel between one of the flats and the bent bit so that it gets drawn in as you turn the nut on the other side?

Most of the damage you see there was caused by me wedging a scew driver in there and trying just that.

Was thinking of using epoxy putty to fill that space and block the head rotating, but we are really into bodge territory and I'd be better off letting the pros at it

SmartinMartin

The only other thing I can think of would be to use a rotary drill on the damaged lip and grind it back enough to get a socket on the bolt head.

BlakeS94

What about even sticking a long pry bar up along it and pulling as hard as you can against the raised and bent part of the frame ?

RobAMerc

I could try a 5c coin. wedge it in there to stop the bolt turning. Would be way easier to control in the tight space than a chizel or screw driver maybe.
Based on the force required to turn the bolt etc, the nut isnt coming off easy though.

Padre_Pio

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Another idea is to knock the lip even more onto it, seizing the head of the bolt, so it won't spin when you loosen the nut on the far side, then knock it through.

Don't know if you have access to that nut though.

RobAMerc wrote: »

I could try a 5c coin. wedge it in there to stop the bolt turning. Would be way easier to control in the tight space than a chizel or screw driver maybe.
Based on the force required to turn the bolt etc, the nut isnt coming off easy though.

I prefer your idea to mine :D

gctest50

Cut the bolt ( between the bracket and bushing/arm ) with an air saw, sabre saw

con747

Would you have room to cut the part of the sub frame or cut through the bolt with an Oscillating Multi-Tool?

CianRyan

I will say it again, cut the nut off the other side.
Save yourself hours of frustration.
A hacksaw will do it, you just need to cut it down the side to release the pressure and give it a smack, the rest will fall away.

Honestly, I've been here thousands of times.

RobAMerc

got the other side done this am in 30 mins - took some serious torque to break the nut off the bolt here.
So whatever jams it on this side is going to have to be wedged in there pretty damn good.

I spent a bit beating the offending lip with a chizzel trying to bend it back but I just can get at it.

Might be time to hand it over to a mobile mechanic and learn something new. ( How he uses a grinder I'd say.

BlakeS94

RobAMerc wrote: »

got the other side done this am in 30 mins - took some serious torque to break the nut off the bolt here.
So whatever jams it on this side is going to have to be wedged in there pretty damn good.

I spent a bit beating the offending lip with a chizzel trying to bend it back but I just can get at it.

Might be time to hand it over to a mobile mechanic and learn something new. ( How he uses a grinder I'd say.

Whatever the case be proud of what you succeeded in. At least you didn't snap anything. Especially when you're working on your back with the car on jack stands makes things more difficult, if you had the car raised 8ft off the ground it'd make it much easier to access and you'd probably have sorted it all yourself.

RobAMerc

got this sorted in the end - a lot of hammering with 3 sizes of chizzle and the car on a lift sorted it. Mechanic charged me a 10 as he spent the guts of 20 mins at it. once I could get a socket onto it I was golden.

thanks for all the help guys

CoBo55

Well done, nice to have it sorted I'm presuming the bolt came out through the bush easily enough. I had a nightmare once, the nut came off the bolt easily enough but the inner bush was absolutely welded to the bolt, I had to cut the bolt out with a hacksaw in the end. The replacement bolt was from a 1950's motorbike with a cycle thread and whitworth hexagons, should prove interesting for the next owner:D

RobAMerc

yes, no problem at all, simple job once I could get the socket on it - 20 mins all in.