Saturday after bleeding my brakes me and a friend tried to install the Whiteline subframe lock bolts. After getting both of them threaded most of the way in I noticed the one on the left side would not thread itself anymore. We put that bolt in perfectly straight and it threaded in with ease. Since I ran out of time to work on the car I pulled the bolt on the right side out and went to do the same on the left. However the other bolt now will not thread itself in or out. I tried using the floorjack to push a crowbar behind the edge of the bolt while loosening with the wrench but no luck. I don't want to be driving the car around now since one side of the subframe is locked and the other isn't, which could cause frame damage. Any ideas what I can do?

-Jeff

 

I'm sure you already did this, but did you loosen the 4 subframe bolts (2 on each side) to lower the subframe slightly. That allows you to allign the holes up better and the bolts should just thread in.

 

use an extractor, the type with claws, like what is used to remove pressed-in bearings?

 

Yea even with those 4 bolts loosened a bit the lock bolt still doesn't want to come out.

 

Hey Jeff,
I got a mini-prybar that would fit onto the back of the bolt, and after loosening up the subframe you could use the prybar to force the bolt down and loosening it. I think that could work...

 

Impact gun.

 

Took the car in this morning to a mechanic I know over in Fremont. He got the bolt out for me no problem with his tools though the bolt was stripped to hell lol. Guess I won't be doing the subframe lock bolts after all. BTW only cost me 10 bux.

 

the bolt was stripped? Damn...so what about the threads in the frame that the bolt went into, are they all fubared also?

-Ted

 

Yea the bolt was stripped really bad. I haven't had a chance to check the threads inside the hole yet. But now I have one good bolt and one ****ed up one. I probably won't bother doing this mod too much of a hassle just for 2 bolts.

 

Just chase the thread and put a new bolt in there. I've made it a habit of chasing all threads that have been exposed for some time before threading a bolt in them. It's just cheap insurance.