I'm going to use heat for sure - then my options are a small impact (drill, I just got it so I think I'd need an attachment) that goes to 125-150 ft/lbs, an electric impact that goes to 400 ft/lbs and an air impact that goes to 800 ft/lbs. So the electric 400ft/lb'er aught to be good, right?

F yes I'll be cutting that thing if (really, when) it's frozen to the bushing!

I'm jealous. The bottom of both front doors on my XJ are covered in fingerprints from pulling myself out from underneath the thing while replacing my clutch. They're all from that job since I took it through the car wash the night before.

 

I haven't done the control arms, but there's a good chance I'll eventually need to replace them, so it makes me feel a little better about spending the $$.

My buddy actually left the company because the store he was managing was shut down, so I have to think his Fastenal sucked as well.

 

Several rounds of heat and quench with PB Blaster. 4 or 5 at least.

Then try to heat the nut, and use some cool water or an air duster (computer duster, flipped upside down) to quickly cool the bolt. The goal is to expand the outer threads, and contract the inner threads to make it easier for the bolt to actually turn.

Hit it with the electric impact for a good while after that. If it doesnt come out, repeat the heat process and hit it with the impact again. After 1 or 2 rounds with the electric impact, step it up to the air impact. You should be able to feel if the bolt is going to break (I can always sense it)

It got my broken cross-member bolt out so I didnt have to cut the frame.

 

+1 Heat/quench is a great idea. You could even use some of that CRC Freeze Off penetrator to help with this.

 

My 1/2" impact was rated for over 1000 ft lbs and it wouldn't move the leaf spring bolts without heating them up, even with heat it was still a struggle.

 

I will totally be following Investinwaffles' advice.

Being that I don't know, I have to assume the bolts are red loctite'd in per original installation. So the red loctite needs to be heated to 500 degrees to melt. What happens when it melts? Is it freed up completely at that point, or as it cools down will it re-adhere to the hardware?

Cruiser also has recommended that CRC freeze-off, so I'll put that on the shopping list as well.

 

I feel bad for you rust belt guys. Mine came out no problem with no heat and a couple wacks with the 1/2" air impact. Didnt even use PB on them. Actually, I have had pretty much every suspension bolt out, front to rear and have had zero issues with any bolts. My 3/8" electric impact has done most of the work for me.

 

Lol, no **** right? I had to cut one of the springs in the Golden Badger, but the Bass Akwards XJ? Cakewalk, 2hrs start to finish to do both sides.

 

That's by design. Red Loctite is intended to be removed ONLY with the application of a lot of heat. That's exactly why it's used. That's why so many have busted out the nut. The red Loctite on the threads was stronger than the welds.

You have to melt it to move it.

 

Mopar used a TON of loctite on those bolts. On the set i just got there is a 3/4" worth of threads covered up with it, and almost all the way around the bolt. Thick stuff, too. I see why you need heat. Not only because its the red stuff, but how much they used. Its nuts.

 

First time I ever ran across the red stuff was visiting my niece. Her farmer husband was working on some machinery, and was chatting as he worked. I remember him telling me that the red stuff was the only thing that would hold a combine together, with all the vibration they produce, but you'd never get it apart without a torch.

He said this as he was getting an oxy-acetylene torch ready to go at a bolt.

Oxy. Acetylene.

I used MAPP gas last time, and it was enough on the Jeep. I'm pretty sure propane will just tickle it.

 

Just to update on this -

Leaf springs and new shocks are installed and the Jeep drives very nicely now. It's amazing how "solid" feeling the rear end is with the new springs and shocks.

I ended up having to cut the front eyelets on both sides and then cut the rubber bushings off. It was definitely an exercise in patience since even the angle grinder with a name brand cut-off wheel was slow going through the springs. Then the rubber was tough and just required multiple passes to get through. I think a longer blade (I was using a utility knife/box cutter primarily) would have made that go easier. Once the rubber bushing was off, I heated the bolts and they came right out with the electric impact.

The rear shackle-to-frame eyelets were too deep in the bracket to safely cut, so these came out with a lot of heat and patience. On the drivers side the bolt had to be cut once it was out of the welded nut, but the passenger side the bolt came all the way out with much less effort.

I was able to remove the u-bolt nuts without much effort so I did not end up cutting them.

I ended up keeping the rear sway bar since the bushings looked good and the Jeep is primarily used "on-road".

Using the take-off JK shocks was more work than I realized since I had to remove the old bushing inner sleeves. This was necessary so I could use the front shock bar pin from my old shocks and because the rear shock mounts had the sleeves welded to the mount. It looked like the P.O.'s work rather than the factory design, but either way, the original bushing sleeves wouldn't work for me. The most effective mechanism for removing the old ones was to press the sleeve out using a sturdy bolt and washers until it was at least a 1/4 of the way out, then clamp it in the bench vise and twist the shock around to work it out. This kept the rubber bushing in the shock eye, but separated out the inner sleeve so I could put the bar pin in.

The biggest issue I had was the discovery of rust/rot. The floors above the frame brackets were badly rusted. By the time I got done trimming back the rusted/rotten metal I had a good 1+ sq/ft hole on each side of the trunk - basically from the frame rails out. The floor above the front eyelets was just a couple small sections. The P.O. had redone the floors (in the cabin) but hadn't touched the trunk so it was pretty extensive.
So I had to fix the trunk floors and figured it would be easiest to do so with the wheels off so I could access the underside. This repair probably took 3x as much time as replacing the leaf springs.
Then, I decided I might as well replace my front axle seals since they needed to be done.

So it's all done and good to go until the next project identifies itself.

 

You don't need the rear sway bar on road, off road you defiantly don't need it, all it does is hinder your rear suspension from flexing.

 

know this is going to be a naff question, but anyway...

we know it isnt "needed" on-road, and its a hindrance for off-road flex

So what were Chrysler engineers thinking, and what does a rear swaybar do?

I am thinking off a few things here, specifically 2 situations (that affect me)

the thing I dislike most about my XJ is rear end handling, no surprise

when I MOST dislike it is thrashing down a corrugated dirt road, with lots of tight corners (on the way to my rural block)...and I get a rear wheel lift.
I hate that

so to cut along story short, I am going to install the factory rear swaybar, maybe even with poly bushes, and see if that makes improvements on what I have already done

the other situation is drop a wheel in a big pot hole or gravel shoulder, in theory, a rear swaybar will help, we have both on our local roads

my Jeep occasionally does some pretty hard off road, but rear flex would only be one limiting factor, if I was doing a really serious off-road, would remove it

all comments welcome

 

All a rear swaybar does is help prevent body roll in the rear, and if your leaf spring are in good shape it makes little to no difference. Mine came from the factory without a rear swaybar since it had the Up Country package. I think rather than mess with the rear swaybar you need to check your rear leaf springs, shocks, and all the bushings, because one or all of those things could be worn out.