Front Suspension: how far to go & how to proceed?

[Terry Kay]

If you are using 12 point chrome sockets, they will fail.

You didn't break a 6 point impact socket on them fasteners.

The issue with the map gas setup, it doesn't have a small enough focused tip to use.
Oxy acetylene torch does, and develops more heat to break them frozen fasteners loose.

Be creative, soak a rag wet & wrap what you don't want to burn.
_________________
T.K.

[epowell]

[Terry Kay]

Impact on-impact off.
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T.K.

[61Scout]

Impact guns help a lot in removing fasteners. The vibration and constant hammering they create on a fastener does wonders to loosen them. In a shop environment, flat rate techs will only torque down what they consider critical. Some techs don't even turn their gun down for fasteners they know need low torque. Time is money, zap it on. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the shock bolt was impacted on there.

You don't need a torch to remove the tie rod end. The nut is already off. Hit the knuckle with a ball peen hammer and it will pop out. Get it in a spot where your blow will be absorbed into the fitting (straight shot) and not try to turn the knuckle as you are hammering. Sometimes they don't come out, but it's pretty damn rare, tbh. In those cases a tech would use a tool called a pickle fork to help pop it off. At that point, the tie rod end would need to be replaced. Frankly, I'd just go ahead and replace the tie rod end unless you know it to be new/low mileage.

If you don't have an impact gun and aren't ready for air tools, at least buy one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-30200-Hand-Impact-Too...pact+1%2F2

Have someone weld a chunk of rod on the side that you can slide a pipe over and this will give you good leverage (so you don't have to rely on your hand grip.) Then hammer away at fasteners.

Some of these fasteners may need to be cut out if they are too far gone. For stuff like the connection on the steering column where it's just a through bolt, I wouldn't waste much time fighting it. If it didn't come off, I'd just cut it off. Here, an angle grinder works well, or an oscillating tool like this: https://www.amazon.com/Rockwell-Sonicrafter-Oscill...ation+tool

Having the right tools sure makes the work easy. I imagine building high end custom musical instruments is the same.

-Kevin
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1986 Westfalia Weekender Wolfsburg, RJE 2.3
1985 Tin Top, Subie 2.2 + 5MT
Floppy Mirrors no more: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=653018&highlight=
Remove the front spindle nut with ease: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=679567&highlight=
Remove the rear wheel bearing housing without messing with the big 46mm nut: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=679507&highlight=

-Nec Spe, Nec Metu

[epowell]

The only things left causing me major aggravation are:
1) tie rods
2) lower shock bolts
3) dr.side caliper bolts

I am going to try the wax trick on those caliper bolts.... see if it helps. I am SURE they were impacted on there.
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www.edwardpowell.com

[epowell]

...at the end of the day > sore hands and muscles... made some gains, but still somewhat stuck.

I torched and torched and waxed and torched and torched again those caliper bolts and they AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE FAST!

OK, my plan for those currently is simply leave the rotors/calipers still on there as I remove the entire octopus assembly LCA, RR, SK, SPINDLE, and ROTOR/CALIPER > gonna be a heavy mother but so be it... then once off it will be easier to deal with on the bench, and very very likely I will take to my local shop and have them impact gun the buggers off!!

So all I am left with then are the LOWER SHOCK BOLTS (looks like I can torch them without fear of burning the shocks)... and somehow deal with the TIE ROD ends.

Still attempting to detach some of these brake lines and on the OTHER side I ended up twisting and ripping open a line! ...I think the writing is on the wall and I need to take a serious look at those brake lines > chances are they are original and on their last legs... I am assuming that if two times now they just basically crumbled when loosening a bolt, then that means they are all really old. OK, new brake lines can't be so expensive > just a lot of fiddly work to get them in.

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www.edwardpowell.com

[epowell]

[61Scout]

[epowell]

[61Scout]

[epowell]

Amazing.... I will looking into finding one here in Czech!
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www.edwardpowell.com

[epowell]

I found these 2 on-line... one is about $12, the second is about $30 and contains more bits (allans and things) > I wonder if the actually unit is more robust?

https://www.mojedilna.cz/Uderovy-razovy-sroubovak-...oCnb3w_wcB

https://www.mojedilna.cz/Uderovy-razovy-sroubovak-...oCEfXw_wcB
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www.edwardpowell.com

[epowell]

I managed to free up the lower shock bolts by torching them... but some rubber burning smoke came out so I wonder what that was... I guess I will find out once I fully remove those shocks.

Finally those TIE RODs are NOT popping out!! I tried wrapping the balljoint in a wet rag and using a piece of aluminum sheeting as a heat shield and torched it a bit, but didn't want to go crazy because those TIEROD BALLJOINTS are new and good....
....here on this vid at 5:55 it shows a guy doing what I think is a good technique for freeing up the tie rods... I noticed that he actually does tap a bit on the bottom of the bolt, but not on the threads... I will try again... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLVvS6CuNlQ
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www.edwardpowell.com

[epowell]

Wow... I got that TIE ROD freed up on one side - by wrapping in wet cloth, and using a heat shield, then hammering, also a little bit from the bottom but not on the threads... and it popped free Gives me hope > but then spent another hour on the stuck side - lots of torching hammering etc and still totally stuck.

Next, after lunch, I will try a more focused torching from ALL SIDES... see if that helps. I sure hope I can get this off today because thereafter I can dismantle everything!
_________________
www.edwardpowell.com

[epowell]

Serious Issue with dr.side TIE ROD

I tried everything possible with my limited tool selection. The threaded portion of the tie rod is 1/2" shorter than the other side which came out. Now I understand why. I also now understand why we are not supposed to hammer on the end of that threaded part. It mushrooms. So obviously this has happened before and someone solved it by chopping off the mangled end of that threaded portion.

Anyway I torched and hammered for AGES! No movement whatsoever! I then tried to make a puller - didn't work... Then resigned to the fact that that tie rod is toast, I torched some more frying the boot etc... then hammered with a VERY large hammer..... nothing. I think it needs an oxygen torch.

Help! Any suggestion?
I am tempted just to cut it off, that way I could bring the piece to a garage with oxygen and get it off... Does this sound like the most reasonable approach? ...or?

Thanks

_________________
www.edwardpowell.com

[unibagel]

I've always had good luck doing this: heat, quench with liquid wrench, heat, quench, repeat. Then hit with two hammers on opposite sides. It should pop out.

[epowell]

[61Scout]

Pickle fork:
https://smile.amazon.com/OTC-4559-Manual-Pneumatic...ickle+fork

With an air hammer this would get the tie rod end off in about 1 minute.

And or this:
https://smile.amazon.com/OTC-6295-Front-End-Servic...rod+puller

Sorry it's being a PITA. That happens sometimes. You'll have to cut off that mushroomed end now. For future reference, leave the nut on the end if you're tapping on it, and try to get the nut flush with the end. Also it's vibration you're going after when tapping on the end, think light rapid taps. There's really no need to wallop on it.

-Kevin
_________________
1986 Westfalia Weekender Wolfsburg, RJE 2.3
1985 Tin Top, Subie 2.2 + 5MT
Floppy Mirrors no more: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=653018&highlight=
Remove the front spindle nut with ease: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=679567&highlight=
Remove the rear wheel bearing housing without messing with the big 46mm nut: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=679507&highlight=

-Nec Spe, Nec Metu

[epowell]

[epowell]

This is how I have been dealing with the STEERING RACK & TIE RODs. I disconnected the steering rack as much as possible > in fact everything except that one frozen tie rod end... Then I loosed the retaining nut on the buggered tie rod end. Then lowered the entire steering rack, supported it, and carefully rotated it 15.5 times until it unscrewed from the fried tie rod end... this way I was able to completely remove the steering rack, and I know how many times I must turn the new tie rod end on (15.5 times.... the other side is 13 times).

Funny thing is that on the buggered tie rod side, the entire tie rod is very new, and the inner tie rod ball joint is nice and firm... however on the pass.side where the tie rod end came out easily, this tie rod and end are very old and both inner and outer tie rod ball joints are toast. [I will take the messed up tie rod end to a shop for extraction]

Next up, the most difficult part (I assume) --- taking out the spring and then the entire LCA+ assembly...
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www.edwardpowell.com