i have a 98 honda civic coupe and while i was going to replace my suspension, i snapped the head off the bolt on the rear LCA. this is the only bolt that holds the shock on the LCA. what do i do?

i couldnt get any of the 4 bolts off on either side even with a breaker bar, and finally snapped one. if i used heat i would of had to replace the bushing on the LCA.

should i drill out the bolt? or will this ruin the bushing?


thanks guys

 

If your going to drill the bolt out then make sure you have alot of cutting grease and make a pilot hole with a small drill bit then move up one size at a time. good luck getting a drill bit to actually drill through one of those bolts though.

 

Buy a set of bolt extractors from the hardware store... get the pricey ones. Soak everything in penetrating lube for a good long while (even a day in advance with regular re-lubings), and go at it with those. If you don't have any luck, get a torch and apply heat and give it another shot. If you don't have any luck with that, then just roast the bushing, saw the bolt out and learn the joy that is replacing suspension bushings.

 

thanks guys this turned into the biggest project thanks to the salty roads of new england.


i sawed of the other side of the bolt and nut with a grinder, used a saw and cut the other side of the bolt so i could move the strut out of the way. now im working with the bushing with the bolt right through cut on either side. im going to the store to buy a new titanium bit hopefully drilling through wont be too bad.

what are the chances that i could punch out the bolt from the bushing? or will the bushing come right out too? i think i'd be better off just drilling

 

if both ends of the bolt are missing (i.e. no head and no threads), you can try punching it out. There will probably be too much play in the bushings if the control arm is still on the car, but if you take the control arm off, and set the spacer in the bushing on two hard objects so the spacer doesn't move, but the bolt hole is still clear, there's a good chance you can whack it out with a punch and a hammer.

 

it may be rusted to the metal sleeve in the bushing. in which case the bushing will have to go. happened to me once.

 

alright so i tried punching out the broken bolt out of the bushing. not even close.

i decided the best way would be to drill so i started with a smaller bit and worked my way up (which was good advice)

ANYWAYS somehow i ended up going way off track so heres how it looks now. i tried using the next size up drill bit and it seems to not want to go through at all hmm...

what do i do??

DSCN5898.jpg

DSCN5900.jpg

DSCN5899.jpg

DSCN5902.jpg

 

Looks to me like it's fused to the sleeve. Bushing looks like toast anyway :hs:

 

what do you think? order some new bushings and wait a couple of days till i get them?


or order some new aftermarket LCA's with the bushings and finish my suspension setup?

right now im just trying to get a bolt through the LCA to hold up the strut this is my daily driver and only car

 

I agree you need a bushing. Get a ride to work and just order the bushings it would be cheaper and better than a whole new arm.