The Nissan Path

I'm trying to change out the rear shocks. I'm having trouble removing the lower bolt holding the shock in. I can turn the bolt using a 4' breaker bar on the bolt. I'm also using a wrench on the nut. (Yes, the nut has a metal bracket holding it in, but I'm using a wrench to back that up and ensure the nut doesn't budge.) When I turn the bolt using a breaker bar, the metal sleeve and rubber bushing going through through the shock's collar rotate. I've concluded the metal collar has fused to the bolt. When I continue to turn the bolt, the bolt doesn't retract. Rather, the lower control arm bracket that is holding the shock's metal sleeve and bushing expands. The metal bracket that is holding the nut is also expanding outward so that it'll no longer hold the nut. It's insanely frustrating!

I've hit the bolt with Liquid Wrench many times. I've wailed on it with a hammer and a cold chisel. No dice.

Has anyone encountered this scenario before? I'm about to pay a mechanic to cut the darned bolt out and remove the shock. However, I figured I'd first try asking if anyone has encountered this and how they fixed it.

Thanks!
-Dan

Lots of people! Try putting a long pipe on the breaker bar for more leverage.

Can you get a hand grinder up there with a cutting disk on it and just cut the bolt off? The fastener should be easy to replace. If you get the bolt free from the nut you can then cut the head off, pound it back in flush, and remove the shock.

I used a small sawzall w/ a metal blade to cut mine out. did not take to long but it was easier and caused less damage then using the grinder/cutting wheel.

OMG that was one of the harder things to fix!!! Here's what I did!

Big thanks to the last fella that mentioned the Sawzall. Thus job needed one!

My problem was the bottom bolt that goes through the rear shock had fused to the shock collar. When I got a 4' breaker bar on the bolt, the bolt would turn, and the shock collar would turn too. The rubber bushing around the shock collar would spin against the shock. For five days I tried Liquid Wrench and a ton of hammering. That didn't work for either of the rear shocks.

For one shock, I took the Sawzall to it and cut about halfway through the bolt. The bolt is incredibly tough to cut through!!! After cutting for 20+ minutes, I was only about halfway through the bolt. I sprayed it with more liquid wrench and hammered away. To my surprise, the bolt broke free of the collar and I was able to get it out! It might have been the heat generated by the Sawzall, or it might have been the vibration that helped free the bolt.

I wasn't so lucky with the other side. I had to cut all the way through the bolt! I ruined a couple saw blades before I bought a diamond cut blade for cast iron. It took well over half an hour of patient sawing to get through the bolt. I occasionally turned the bolt a bit to saw away at different sides of it.

Unfortunately, the nut that is retained had threads stripped on both sides. I guess my trying to get the bolt out by turning it stripped some threads in the nuts. Once again, I busted out the Sawzall. I cut the metal bracket retaining the nut off so I could get the nut out and replace it.

Also, the top bolts holding the shocks in were fused to the shock collars as well!!! SOB! To get those loose, I did something a bit different. I couldn't easily get the Sawzall up in there. Instead, I actually TIGHTENED the nut holding the bolt on. Tightening the nut made the metal mounting bracket clamp harder down on the shock collar. Next I simply put the breaker bar on the bolt (not the nut) and was able to loosen it.

Holy crap that was wayyyyyy more difficult than it should be!!! If the bolts weren't fused, the job would have taken me 90 minutes per side. Instead it took me days and multiple trips to the hardware store (buy Sawzall, buy replacement blades, buy new bolts, buy liquid wrench).

Hopefully my post helps others that encounter the same problem!
-Dan