Need help/ Removal of leaf spring bolts

[super72bb]

I am in the middle of installing some new leaf springs in my 1972 4x4 and have ran into a snag. I had no trouble getting the main bolts which go through the spring eyes and shackles broke loose. When I went to drive the actual bolts out they were so tight I could barely turn them. When I did get them to turn what I found was that the only thing turning is the rubber bushings themselves. The inner metal bushings have seized on to the bolts and even cracking them with a Great "BFH" they don't even budge. I tried drilling them but the grade 8 bolts are so hard that it seems like an impossible task. I dont have much in the way of heating them except with a small propane torch... that also has been a waste of time.

Any suggestions would be so Appreciated!

Curt

[Huck]

Common problem--what I have done in the past was to drill out the rubber around the bolt/sleeve to get the whole thing out of the spring loop. Then I would get the necessary hardware from a "truck spring shop" and use all new stuff. Be sure to lube the bolt/sleeve to prevent it from rusting tight in the future. You can try to reuse the old stuff but the effort is not worth the time. New rubber bushings, bolts, etc. are cheap compared to going nuts trying to save the old junk. Just my .02---Huck

[CUSTOM/10]

Or you can use a sawsall and cut the bolts off as close to the spring as possible then use a press to push the out once you have then out of the truck. They are hard bolts so have a few blades on hand.

[RPOZ11]

I ran into the same thing disassembling my rear leafs on my 3/4 ton.
My left front bolt was rust/metal seized together so badly that I couldnt get the thing out, period!
Unfortunately, this side of the leafs were broken, but this allowed me to torch out the rubber. It was the only thing I had left to use to remove the bolt from the bushing. That inner sleeve was really locked together to the bolt!
After hitting it with the heat for a while, the rubber burned through so that I could get the torch right onto the sleeve FINALLY freeing up the bolt!
I dont suggest this ever but for me I ran out of options.

I really like the Loctite "Anti-Seize" product; I may use this on the inner sleeve of the newer bushings as well as on the bolts to be used for the reassembly.

Last note, my U-bolts' securing nuts were so hard to get off that my 1/2" breaker bar wouldn't even budge them. I hit them with the heat of the torch and also bought a 3/4 drive ratchet and breaker bar from Sears and used a reducer from 3/4 to 1/2 so I can use the socket. This finally got the nuts broke loose after quite a bit of effort...

[knsmodels]

I just had to replace the bushings on my front leafs and was luck enough that I sprayed them liberally with anti sieze lubricant, got a C-clamp on one end with pressure and banged them with a hammer with the pressure on them....they eventually popped free of the metal sleeves.....these where not original they had been replaced before at some point.....maybe I just got lucky but it worked for me.....Hope this helps....

[special-K]

I use a cutter wheel on a mini-grinder.I cut the nut and bolt head,grind flush,spread the shackle/hanger,then cut shank flush to spring eye.Sometimes I can skip a step and cut between the spring and shackle/hanger,first.The bolts are all galled & seized into the bushings after some years of service w/o lubrication.Might as well be welded.
I never re-use any of that stuff anyway.Time for grade8s,bushings, and U-bolts.

[super72bb]

Well, after many painstaking hours of hard labor I managed to get the rear springs off. The way I finally did it was I cut away what rubber over the bushings as I could. It only exposed about 1/4 of an inch on either side of the spring eyes. I used a torch to heat the bushing, and I was able to rotate the bolt/bushing until the split was on top. I sprayed moov-it in as best as possible and let it sit. Then I used a large peice of steel to "back" the Bracket. The a series of hard blows with a 3 lb hammer they finally came out.

Special K I really like your idea, I wouldnt want to do this again without the proper tools.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I love the easy ride springs. It is like driving a entirely different vehicle.

Curt