Amazon: The Great Suspension Overhaul

[Bigbunt]

Thanks guys... Yes, I have thought about the frustration of burning the rubber only to have that sleeve still stuck on the bolt... will see how things look after I gather my thoughts and give oil a chance. If anything will do it, Kroil will! Don't know if you have it on the other side of the pond but this stuff is pretty magical. That middle floor bolt on my car was so rusted to the floor that I just assumed I'd be cutting it out and rewelding a nut. Over the course of a couple of days o dropped the Kroil on there and the bolt came out so easily and when I wore brushed it, it was almost bright. Will update with any progress but your thoughts help!

[Derek UK]

Google "penetrating oil tests". Here's one result.

Recently “Machinist Workshop Magazine” did a test on penetrating oils. Using nuts and
bolts that they ‘scientifically rusted’ to a uniform degree by soaking in salt water, they then
tested the break-out torque required to loosen the nuts. They treated the nuts with a variety
of penetrants and measured the torque required to loosen them.
This is what they came up with:
Nothing: 516 lbs
WD-40: 238 lbs;
PB Blaster: 214 lbs;
Liquid Wrench: 127 lbs,
Kano Kroil: 106 lbs
(ATF)/Acetone mix (50/50): 50 lbs.

Cheap to try.

[Bigbunt]

Very good to know! Will try...and update.

[northNH]

Thanks for that, most interesting...
I'd also like to know, if it's in the study/article:

--how long after the various applications does the order of this particular list represent (minutes, hours, days?);
--if and how their relative order changes over time, i.e. after ~5', 30', half a day, 2 days, a week...
--And what about the 19th century derusting standby, sperm whale oil/rum? How did it measure up?

[Bigbunt]

An engineer friend of mine turned me on to Kroil. Actually what I have is SiliKroil which contains silicone for whatever reason... I think North has a point; if you're patient you have a better chance of success (if that in fact was what you were getting at, and with which I agree). My buddy told me that the Kroil travels molecule to molecule which sounds pretty cool even if all penetrating products theoretically do the same.

At lunch I went out and tried to get out all the remaining bolts on the on the trailing arms. Of eight, I was able to get six out. As I sit here after dinner, I'm formulating a plan. What I'm going to try is inserting a piece of stout steel wire, if possible, between the sleeve in the bushing and the mounting tab on the frame, put the nut back on and torque that bolt down hard. Hoping that the differential between the sleeve and the bolt will pop it loose. Talking myself into go out to the cold shed in the rain with my cold and actually try it! It makes sense and even if it doesn't crack it loose, it might just create an inlet for the Kroil if it steps it out a bit. I kroiled the untouched bolts starting yesterday and when I pulled the two today, I looked and there was zero oil inside the tube. Considered angle drilling into the crush tube in the gap as a "grease fitting" for the Kroil but then I got this idea.
Seems like there has to be a way to convince this problem to go away... Off to the races! Will update...

Oh, Derek... mixed up the ATF/acetone juice at lunch too and have been dosing with that, dispensed from an old lighter fluid tin. Will keep that on the appropriate shelf in my shop henceforth!

[Bigbunt]

Well I'll be damned, it worked!! For one, so far... I got the front end of the torque rod loose so now that's free! I used my old shop knife and wiggled it in the space between the crush tube and the frame flange on both sides separately and torqued the hell out of it with the impact driver and then hammered on the nut end (with the nut on) with a 2 1/2 pound sledge and it came loose, and then out.
The aft end of the support arm is a little tougher so far so I'll go at that tomorrow after dousing it with Derek's Mix. Even if it doesn't work it's one less to cut so hallelujah!! Will update, but I believe it has merit.

[Bigbunt]

So today is reassembly day for all my new rear bushings. When I took the Panhard bar out, the axle end had a crush tube in the bush but the body end did not. It seems like it should and my inclination would be to put one in there but I'm wondering why neither IPD nor VP supply any crush tube for the Panhard bar... So, what is the deal back there? Is there too much movement back The for the upper to be bound in? The ID of the upper is worn smooth from movement so I'm guessing I'm thinking about it too much (again!) but want it right... Thanks for any comments !

[Bigbunt]

Never mind. I'm an idiot...!