Gah, the lateral link/hub through bolts won't come out!

[Whisper]

I'm taking apart the rear suspension, and I got the long through bolts that connect lateral links to the rear crossmember out, they slid right out as they should, but the bolts going through the hubs won't come out (bolt #10 as shown here). The nuts are off, obviously. I can turn the bolts slowly with a huge breaker bar and a 21mm socket (there's a metal cracking sound with every turn), but that doesn't seem to loosen them. It's as if they've been rusted/melted to the bushings metal centers. Is that possible? I guess the bolts and bushings would get hot during breaking, because they're so close to the rotors, and maybe over the years they've fused inside the holes. Is that possible? No amount of banging with a hammer or chiseling seems to help.

Any ideas how to get them out?

[Daninski]

Pnumatic bucking bar from the rentall place (needs air compressor). OR Heat the housing up, install a nut you don't care about on the threads and get a Sledge Hammer with a short handle or buy one and cut the handle short. You need the mass to break the corrosion weld. One good hard whack using your manly muscles should break it free.

Edit: You could try using a puller.

[Whisper]

Thanks for the advice, was going to do something like that, but I actually just got them out. Whew. Kept spinning the bolts with a breaker bar while spraying with like a gallon of PB Blaster. Eventually the bolts got loose enough that I knocked them through with a huge rubber mallet, while turning them at the same time. They were rust-fused to both bushing inner sleeves and the hub holes. There's a coating of muddy rust on them, I'll have to clean them up and clean out the holes too, but man am I glad I got them out. Would've been PITA pulling off the hubs and taking them to the shop.

[Daninski]

I hate frozen bolts. I though after, most of us have a hammer drill. You could of used that too. So will you buy new bolts? I reinstalled all my stuff with anti seize,,,,just in case.

[Whisper]

I'll have to inspect them closer and find out how much they cost. I'd rather not buy, but if they're beyond cleaning, then maybe I'll get new ones.

And I don't have a hammer drill.

[wytbishop]

I paid $18 each for those 2 bolts

[Whisper]

Hmm, that's not too bad. You get them from Mazda?

[wytbishop]

Yes they are still in production as they cross over to something else. 323 probably.