TRD Sway bar removal help!

I feel slightly incompetent even with all my fancy tools at the moment. Trying to remove the trd pro rear sway bar and after 3 hours it's just not coming off. The main bolt right behind the top of the rear wheels is what isn't budging. Not the u bolts on the axle.

Methods I've tried;

Ratchet with breaker bar.
1/2 inch air impact
3/4 inch air impact
1 inch Air impact
Soaked it in kroil
Heated up the frame around it

Methods that haven't worked; All of the above

I have no effing clue how this one bolt has not come off with the insane loads of torque I've put on it!

Any ideas!? Need to get this damn thing off and sell it. I Have no use for it.

 

I'm tempted to grind the damn bolt off at this point. It's the only thing I haven't tried yet.

 

Sounds like you've got all options that I can thing of covered. If you grind the head off the bolt, just be careful of the heat so you don't melt the bushings. Maybe alternate sides giving time for it to cool. Do you think that you have enough air for your impacts? That's the only thing that comes to mind.....(shrug).

 

If it comes to grinding the bolt off it'll be discount priced. lol

You think I might be able to heat it let it cool heat again and see if I can get more expansion that way? I honestly did not think of that. I will try it and let you know how it works!

As far as the air compressor goes it's a big bitch. lol certainly full when I went at it for minutes on end with the impact. My thought at first was maybe but highly unlikely that a 1inch extension was going twist. So I picked up an impact grade 1inch extension which is basically what I'm going to end up selling this damn thing for now just so I can break even lol.

 

Good idea! I hadn't even thought of diluting kroil further! Options, options are good to have at this juncture lol. shit and I just realized I don't have a .030 cutting wheel -_- ok so grinding is out of the question and has now been replaced with plasma cutter as a last resort of course or until my patience where's thin with this thing.

 

OH! I THOUGHT OF AN IDEA.


step 1, E brake on.

Step 2-6,1 inch breaker bar, with extension, Position it to 90 degrees, tow strap on the bar and to the tow hook of another truck, yank it!

It worked when I moved my full hot tub....just saying

 

I'm thoroughly stunned that a 1 inch air impact won't break this loose.... my voice might start getting squeaky now. Anyone have a 2inch air impact?!

 

Use a 1 inch breaker bar with a cheater pipe..

 

Tried it, 3 ft. breaker bar and 6ft pipe. No bueno. I went to that after the 1inch impact failed me.

 

Patience is definitely good policy. Soak it and leave it for a while. A thought on the impact, make sure that the tank regulator is allowing enough air for the impact to run to full effect.

 

As a last resort instead of cutting the bolt, drill the head off. Start with a small drill bit dead centre of the bolt head and up size the bits until you can snap the bolt head off

 

Use a blow touch heat up bolt not red hot but close put the socket on cheater bar and see what happens then.

 

I've got the pressure limiting the gun to 1100 ft lbs of torque instead of the max 1370 the impact is capable of. I don't recall the exact pressure I've got the regulator at, I can check when I get home. Last time I maxed a impact gun out for the duration that i've been going at this stupid bolt for, I destroyed the damn thing. expensive Lesson learned.

 

That's a great idea! except the amount of time it would take to destroy that massive grade 8 bolt with a drill bit and the cost of the multiple high dollar bits it would take just to chomp away at the bolt wouldn't be worth the expensive. And destroying the ones I have I'm not too fond of for one bolt that I could torch off. cost vs. effectiveness thing.

 

I'm trying to avoid destroying the bushing at the current moment. However, once I pass that point I will certainly try it! I'm tempted to just pour liquid nitrogen on the bolt right after heating up the frame and see if that'll be enough. Only concern is destroying the bushing still. I'd like to sell it to someone not f'd up lol.

 

Grind it off.. to keep from destroy the bushing..

 

Righty tight, lefty loosie .... just sayin

 

Can we not talk about the sheep in my back seat....That was supposed to be a private thing!

 

A simple trick from the machinist world (if you decide to sacrifice the bushing) torch hot with a sudden cold water quench .....most time you can unscrew by hand.

 

any progress?

 

Took a much needed break.....

 

Bingo.

 

This is likely the route that I'm going to go tomorrow. Let the diluted kroil soak for hours and got nothing. Did the multiple heat cycles still no budging. I'm honestly amazed at how this thing is still in there. It hasn't even budged. AT ALL. It's just two bushings, I can make up a set on the lathe if I absolutely need to. I'll likely just sell the damn thing at discount. 100 bucks or something and whoever buys it can deal with the bushings. unless they buy me beer, then things might change.

 

I'll let you guys know what happens tomorrow when I tackle this monster! And thank you everyone for chiming in and shedding some input! You guys are a mini brain trust. Definitely expanded my narrowed ways of looking at how to tackle this and future projects!

 

have you tried putting a bottle jack under the breaker bar? Hold tight, let me check the Chilton Manuals and see if there's something funky that needs to be taken off first.

 

Dang, couldn't find anything on the TRD Pro Rear Sway Bar. Only found info on the front stabilizer bar.

 

Yeah I've never installed on myself but I've seen all sorts of thread locking technology in my industry. Most often there is some sort of set screw(s) that have to be backed off or something. Although it figures that maybe that bolt is just rust-welded itself in place.