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I'm literally going through this exact same issue right now. Couldn't find too may pics to illustrate the problem to other people so I took some of mine and will post on here for future reference. I hope this helps people encountering this down the road.
Shoving a proper sized flat blade worked for me. The bolt on mine was so loose you can completely rotate it with only your fingers. I was able to remove the nut easily after soaking with penetrating fluid overnight, then heated it with a MAP gas torch for a few minutes. DO NOT USE an impact gun on it! That was my fatal mistake which rounded the bolt's corners in the first place. These bolts are not tack welded in to place and weren't designed to be. They are supposed to be loose in the cage as to allow easier manipulation of the sub frame for removal and re-installation. If they were both welded in place, it'd be a pain in the @$$ for R & R of the sub frame if the bolts were totally fixed in place but out of tolerance by just a mm or two. / | or / \ or \ / vs. being | | and movable.
My drivers's side came out with zero issues. The bolt was wiggling around and had perfect corners since I used a wrench instead of my 650 ft/lb impact.
I learned this well after i had already drilled out the spot welds and started peeling back sheet metal to gain welding access to the bolt head.
Problem is my boyfriend used an angle grinder and really f*d up the captive nut in his week long adventure of getting it out of the subframe. He succeeded. However we will need a replacement captive nut and are unable to find it anywhere. Does anyone know how to find a part number for it?
I know this thread has been inactive for a while. however, I am dealing with this same issue and none of the tricks have worked. I even tried a large c clamp to pinch the metal with and without the screwdriver in it. I am to the point of cutting a hole in the strut side and tig welding a piece back in after I have mounted it back up. the question is, is the screw head below the spot weld or above them?
the spot you are looking for is about an inch below the two spots, from there there is another sheet of metal in between the spots and the cage that goes over the bolt. i have the same issue on my 03 oz rally and i cut away the side so i could see what is happenning and i am leaning towards cutting away the cage and just welding the bolt in place, other than that its cut the cage and bolt from the top and feed a bolt from the bottom with a nut on top. not sure which is better though, actually logged on here to get help and i believe this is my first post. ill see if i can get a couple pictures up so you have a reference point
I know this thread has been inactive for a while. however, I am dealing with this same issue and none of the tricks have worked. I even tried a large c clamp to pinch the metal with and without the screwdriver in it. I am to the point of cutting a hole in the strut side and tig welding a piece back in after I have mounted it back up. the question is, is the screw head below the spot weld or above them?
Wow! That looks like a severe pain in the a$$ !! It is however a fixable problem. I don't think its a good idea to weld the bolt directly to the frame either. Best to tack weld the head of the bolt to a thin, flexible piece of sheet metal and then THAT to the frame of the car so that there is some compliance when reinstalling the front subframe.
well, I was able to take the bolt off finally. I used 2 screwdrivers going in a cross direction, then two c clamps to squees the sheet-metal pinching the screwdriver, I also heated up the nut until it was red hot and cooled the bolt. it came out without a struggle. will see how it goes in. I hope I will be able to get the massive amount of torque that its required out of it.
Wow, I thought I had it bad with a spinning bolt. You guys had it much worse to the point where you're cutting through multiple layers of metal to reach that damn bolt!
Captinitro, do you have any pics of what you did with the C-clamps and heating? This will help the forum with more graphic illustration for your method that was used.
I will try to take pics when I put it back. I think it's going to be a bear. Hey mu user name, are you going to tig weld that pice? and are you going with several layers or just one thicker one. ?
so i was finally able to avoid welding the bolt, i had to cut a little bit more into my frame to have enough room to get some vice grips on the head.
now i have both sides loose and am ready to take the subframe the rest of the way out. does anyone know exactly what else needs to be disconnected in order to take the subframe out? also i have already lowered my exhaust and on a side note, is the rear o2 sensor hardwired or am i just not finding the clip? anyhow, any help would be greatly appreciated.
where did my last post go? lol
ok so is the bolt for the steering number 6 in the above diagram? also with the power steering hoses, do i disconnect them from the reservior or where the connect next to the subframe, sorry i have never done p/s anything before and dont want fluid everywhere if i can avoid it lol
btw, did a little research and found that the o2 sensor is connected inside the car under the passenger seat. also, im having a bit of trouble disconnecting the steering rack inside the car, i have disconnected the bolt (no. 6 in the diagram) and clamped the small black 3 pronged spring clip, but i still cant seem to slide the lower part up, anyone have a link to a more detailed instructions?
