Was going to replace my son's lower right side ball joint - sprayed it w/h PB - let it sit for hours - tried to remove bolt with socket wrench and sheared bolt head right off.  I assume I should drill it - attempt an extractor bit - and possibly have to Helicoil it. Any other advice or thoughts?- hoping for a bit of an easier fix or quicker fix. 

 

New England - cold garage - numb fingers - etc etc etc 

 

Happy Holidays

 

....Milty 

Don't try to extract it or heli-coil it. That's a pointless effort. Drill straight through it with a 3/8" drill bit. Run a grade 8 3/8" bolt all the way through with a nut on the other side. I think I used a 3-1/2" bolt last time I did one.

 

Getting the bolt out is half the battle. You get to hammer the pudge out of it to get the joint out of the knuckle too.

Disconnect the sway bar link on that side so you can push the control arm down. Then use the control arm as leverage with a pry bar and hammer down on the control arm to help get the joint out of the knuckle. Pickle fork usually works to get the stud out of the control arm. Sometimes you need to put some heat on the control arm to get the stud loose.

Edited December 26, 20169 yr by Fairtax4me

Or get a used knuckle that's not as bad... Not sure how difficult this might be though.

What he said, drill and use a through bolt.

 

A used knuckle is a fine easy solution as well, particularly if the ball joint won't come out by other means. Keep in mind "difficult" varies wildly here a very small percent of these can be impossible to remove by any means.

 

An extractor has no business being in the shop of a rust belt diy mechanic. They absolutely suck. Any Subaru rusted bolt that comes out with a bolt extractor would have easily been addressed some other way. Extractors are good for easy stuff and in a pristine precision machine shop setting hardly repeatable in most diy rust belt stuff.

Oh yeah, don't even think of using an extractor... Unless you want a piece of hardened steel broken off in the rusted bolt. +1 what grossgary wrote.

Ok - I will do the drill thru method or used knuckle if needed

 

Thanks....Milty