Preparing for the worst

What you are looking at is the last bolt of the driver's side lower control arm on the crown Vic.

It's a 15mm head 10.9 metric bolt.

There are fuel and brake lines close enough I don't want to use a torch.

Presently, I can almost make a quarter turn at a time, shifting the whole car on jack stands, and making a hell of a noise every turn, not to mention using all my strength. It won't go back in either.

So I'm going to cut it off.

IF I cut it off, and can't drill out the rest of the bolt, how bad/stupid/dangerous will it be to just replace the front 2?

This is at the rear of the control arm, closest to the bushing on a piece that rotates. You can see one of the other bolt holes, the last is above the arm on that plate looking thing.

If it were me - I'd get a longer breaker bar, and hope I got lucky after liberal application of Kroil.

Don't cut it until you have to. Work it til it breaks if you have to, but it will bring you hardship if you cut.

Lots of penetrating oil. Sometimes it helps to tighten it back up a little when it starts to bind, lube it again and then loosen again. If heat isn't an option, try some freeze spray on the bolt to shrink it a hair. That might free up the threads a little.

That doesnt look like its been oiled yet! PB or Kroil or anything! It will help.... Cant get any heat on it??

And an air-wench or battery torque wrench would also help.

Can you get to the other side through what looks like a hole in the frame shown in the lower left of the picture? If so, PB blaster from that side too.

I've had good luck with the "Freeze Off" penetrating oil. Soak that sucker....let it sit....then soak again. You may get lucky and not have to deal with a broken bolt.

pinchvalve wrote: And an air-wench or battery torque wrench would also help.

It laughs at both. All the rest of the bolts, even the ones I didn't have to take out to do the uppers last year, came out no problem.

I thought the plate was binding it, so I put everything back together and tried again ama just nothing. It almost looks cross threaded.

The original plan was to torque it till it snapped, but that's getting surprisingly difficult.

At max lift on the stands, I can't get a cheater bar on the wrench to turn it anymore.

Everything was blasted pretty thoroughly before starting with penetratant, were just into day 3 now. Since it started binding, Saturday, I think it's only moved a single thread in or out.

Nonack, that I hadn't thought to check yet. I'll have to look inside.

In reply to RevRico:

If you can reach it through there, you can also install a new nut if (when?) it breaks. If it looks cross threaded, maybe move the arm around to see if there's a better angle for it? Maybe whatever weld nut is on the other end has broken partway off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DNUQGG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A little bit expensive, but if you round it - the nice "extractor" sockets take it off super cleanly (and are usually good for n-number of re-uses).

Of course, I made a thread asking for help and fixed it. Happens every time.

Lots of violent jerking motions for the last bolt, but it's out.

Which lets me focus on this jam...

The bolt with the player on it, conveniently right behind a tie rod(I think).

Not sure what to do here unless I tear everything apart. Stupid berkeleying challenge car daily driver.

is it just the gaitor or the rack that's in the way? can you just loosen the rack a bit without disassembling?

I'm taking a break to cook dinner right now. I'm going to try prying up on the rubber while I push out from the other side. Attempt to anyway. Smacking the end of the stud with a hammer didn't accomplish anything.

There is a fitting on the steering knuckle I might be able to loosen to move this piece out of the way.

Good thing I was already planning on an alignment, by the time I'm done with the other side I'll be lucky if it steers at all.

Those two great big bolts mounting the rack will allow you to lift the rack and get the bolt out without damaging anything. You can try turning the wheels all the way to the right, but I bet it'll still be blocked.

There are two fairly large bolts on either side of the rack in front, there are also really big bolts on the stuff all the suspension is mounted too.

Figured them out. Should actually get this done tomorrow, if I don't go do it tonight. Having a lit work space is nice

So. The steering rack is loose, but won't come out. CV.net has proven as useless as YouTube and the chilton book. I guess the studs on the rack should screw out, but they don't, can't even get to the back of them.

I thought these were supposed to be easy platforms to work on, I've never had problems like this doing other lower control arms.

Might just put the plate on my other Vic, swap the stereo and wheels over and be done with it.