There are two bolts that connect the lower control arm to the frame,the one towards the front of the car (been there for 32 years)
is not comming out. I've used a small hydraulic jack to push on it,(yes I removed the nut first) but it started to move the frame so I stopped. Any one else had any luck with this ?

Tryed penetrating oil "Q 20" yet?
,if not it can only help.

By the way is the spring out allready ,is youre spindle off,or are you dropping the inner side off the A arm to remove the spring the way the factory manual sugests?

[This message has been edited by CESARE 327 RSA (edited 09-03-2000).]

I'd suggest hitting it with a brass hammer. The shock might shake loose the rust.
Even if you damage the bolt to get it out it is most likely rusty and needs to be replaced anyway.
If you can get an impact wrench in there and spin the bolt it might help too.
Shock is what you need, not a steady pressure.
David

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Check my web page for First Gen Camaro suspension info:
David's Homepage (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/)
67 RS 327
69 Camaro Vintage Racer
65 Lola T-70 Can Am Vintage Racer

i use an impact gun and screwed mine out, but no threads,must have been the 30+yrs. of crud.(real fun puting back in with new bushings)

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My68Camaro (http://hometown.aol.com/Dougs68Camaro/index.html)
Doug G.
68 Camaro
406 ci.

I had the same trouble with mine. Biggest hammer I had wouldn't budge it. Then I tried spinning it with an impact. Loosened it up and then it came right out.

The bolt is rusted onto the sleeve in the bushing. I used a air hammer and a blunt chisel type end, and it took a bit of work but they come out.

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67 Camaro SS Conv.
70 Challenger R/T Conv.

I used a air hammer with a 1/2 inch flat punch in it and alot of penetrating oil to drive them out.

Torches work the best, a bit of a rubber fire so have a good supply of water to put out the flames, If the bolt is seized on the metal sleeve you will need new bolts, so torch the head off the bolt, and the back threaded portion, you may have to work at it but once you have them out its a snap to replace the bushings, I used two large sockets and the vise to press the bushings into place.

When I replaced my springs last winter, I removed the bolts from the lower control arm like the manual says to do. The nuts came off pretty easily, but getting the bolts out was a real bear.

I let them soak a couple of days in WD40 and also used penetrating oil. Soaking for a time and keeping them juiced helps... certainly can't hurt.

Anyway, the real trick I found was that if you have any excessive loads on the lower A-arm, those bolts will be very, very difficult to remove... even if you have them turning. Same for putting them back in.

I found that if I adjusted my hydraulic jack that was positioned under the inside lip of the lower A-arm, like the manual says, I could find that perfect, magic amount of jack pressure that permitted the bushings in the lower A-arm to be perfectly aligned with the holes in the frame... then the bolts slid out like no problem! (This is assuming that the bolts are at least free to turn; i.e. not rusted tight to the A-arm bushings.)

In other words, if you have any loads pushing on the A-arm, it will bind the bolts in either the bushing holes or frame holes.

I found the same thing when I reinstalled new bolts... which I would highly recommend. Just play with the hydraulic jack until things are aligned perfectly. I also had to use a pry bar at the same time to get the holes lined up in the sideways direction... then the bolts just slid into place like magic.

Get a good nights rest, make sure you aren't stressed out about life, practice patience... then you should be OK.

Jim

thanks to the combined ideas of rick b1b,
jmar, and doug, they came right out of thier
rusty tomb.
i like life again.