I was trying to refresh my front suspension with new bushings and a-arms, I could not get one of the a-arm bolts out. No amount of penetrating oil, impact, heat would work. So I resorted to breaker bar and it started to turn, until I noticed it was too late. The metal sleeve inside the bushing was seized to the bolt shaft and now pressing the cradle out of shape/pulling itself thru the hole. So I tried lots and lots more heat on the bolt to no avail and eventually melted the rubber bushing and pulled the bolt all the way thru.
Any suggestions how I go about fixing this? New cradle from a junk yard? Hammer it back to square and back it with a washer? The hole will be elongated and I'm wondering will that slop cause all sorts of alignment issues/wear/vibration.
You need a flat, solid spot for the sleeve of the bushings to sit against. A skilled hand with a torch, hammer and dolly will make it right. Or, open the hole up larger and weld a plate on with a new hole in virgin steel.
Hammer it back and weld a washer on that is a precise fit to the bolt. You may want to add a little material under the washer to restore the wall thickness of the cradle. Some re-finish of the inside where the inner tube of the bush contacts may be necessary. Just be connsious of the need for the cradle to grip the tube.
ok something I'm not understanding about the design of the rubber bushing and inner sleeve. Where is the actual pivot when the a-arm moves up and down? Is it between the sleeve and the rubber bushing (i thought these were pressed/glued together), or is it between the shoulder of the bolt and the inner steel sleeve? If you can see in the photo the end of the inner sleeve is knurled. This is why it bit into the stamped steel cradle as I tried to loosen the bolt, and ultimately chewed through. So if I were to weld a plate or try to add filler rod and redrill the hole, I need to have an interference fit between the knurled inner sleeve and the cradle?
There is no sliding motion at all. The rubber inside the bushing flexes when the arm moves. This is also why it is imperative that the arm be in static ride position when the bolt is tightened.
If it is a common car, I'd replace the subframe, simply because I'd worry it would fail or I'd never be able to get a good alignment again.
