Help with Nut/Bolts and Rust please..

[Al_200sx]

Hello Everyone, im quite new to the whole 200sx scene and im not really sure why im taking on such a challege for myself :S lol. Let me explain....
Ive had my S13 for about 4 months now and absolutely love it but she does have her issues with rust and scatched areas from previous owners. So me ( the idiot i am) came across SXOC member 'Petrol's s13 rebuild and have now become obsessed and my s13 is now sat on axle stands in my garden waiting to undergo a big re-vamp When i got underneath the car though the little re - build has now turned into a total rust festival and i have a hole in my chassis which is slowly craking away and looks like a 4inch river (Crack) that flows into a inch squared lake (hole) *excuse the poor analogy lol* Im going to weld a plate on the whole thing after a hefty prep sesh and hopefully that will sort it out. (Please add a comment of what to do if you think this is wrong because im just going on what i think would be right lol?)
Im putting the welding back a couple of days and thought that it would be ok to start stripping the suspension/ hubs/ brakes/ track control arms and the rest of the bits under there. But this is where i have hit my wall and am not sure what to do without any more info.
I started by trying to take the anti roll bar off which did not prove to be successful and this is where im stuck, as i dont want to do anymore damaged to bolts and nuts. The four bolts holding the u shaped bracket for the ARB that fasten to the chassis are like putty . I managed to get one of them off, but the other three have rounded because of the tightness.
Also they all dont look like bolts?
Are 2 of them nuts that fasten onto a threaded bar that is in the chassis ? Because i do NOT want to knacker the threads if they are?
I tried to get my little angle grinder into them (as i have no access to oxy acetylene) but it will not fit and im stuck with how to get them off .
Please any suggestions will be much appreciated?
Plus i hope to god the rest of the bolts are not the same .
If anyone knows where to get all these nuts and bolts (suspension, brakes, arms and whatever other thing that needs bolts) it would be much appreciated if you could let me know because i think i will be needing some more after this project lol.
Again, please any suggestions will be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
Alan

[Vaughn]

Try heating them up with a blow torch, and give them a couple of good wacks with a FBH (fercking big hammer) then turn it with a socket.

[alanjuggler]

if you just want to get the head off, hammer + chisel if they're rusty.

otherwise as above to actually try getting them off

[Simaroon]

i had to go out and buy a nut splitter for my s13, rusty bolts do my head in. i jus snap um now an replace them

I spray all the nuts and bolts i'm going to be loosening off with penetrating oil around an hour before I start on it.

It's good sh!t.

[Chriscooke]

i had to go out and buy a nut splitter for my s13, rusty bolts do my head in. i jus snap um now an replace them

Best that way you tend to do less damage

[Simaroon]

less knuckle scraping damage to

[Maddog]

a source of heat, for smaller bolts i use a gas powered soldering iron it's usually enough to get them to move, or a bigger torch for bigger ones

[Vova]

Best anti-rust methods I used:

1. Before loosening it, give it a few whacks with a hammer to shock it and hopefully break some rust.

2. Do the same but with a spanner on it, like a pneumatic-hammer, you wack it a few good times and the rust seal usually breaks.

3. IF you can get it to loosen, loosen it 2 roations forward, one way back and keep repeating thus intil it goes out without allot of force.

4. Be prepared for allot of shearing and breaking, be patient and use the right tools.

When you round of or begin rounding off a bolt or a nut, use vice grips, most effective. As for the ARB, if I'm not mistaken, the front one has 1 bolt and 1 nut the bracket to the chassis-rail and can indeed be quite stuck.

Penetrating oil never worked for me, only handy if its a nut and you spray the remaning thread with it so the nut goes more easy over that but its useless to break the rust-seal.

[Chriscooke]

Best anti-rust methods I used:

1. Before loosening it, give it a few whacks with a hammer to shock it and hopefully break some rust.

2. Do the same but with a spanner on it, like a pneumatic-hammer, you wack it a few good times and the rust seal usually breaks.

3. IF you can get it to loosen, loosen it 2 roations forward, one way back and keep repeating thus intil it goes out without allot of force.

4. Be prepared for allot of shearing and breaking, be patient and use the right tools.

When you round of or begin rounding off a bolt or a nut, use vice grips, most effective. As for the ARB, if I'm not mistaken, the front one has 1 bolt and 1 nut the bracket to the chassis-rail and can indeed be quite stuck.

Penetrating oil never worked for me, only handy if its a nut and you spray the remaning thread with it so the nut goes more easy over that but its useless to break the rust-seal.

Good advice but wouldn't hit a spanner on a seized nut understand the logic but could quite easily shear imo ofcourse

[Vova]

Well I don't mean hitting a 10mm nut with a 10kg hammer at full blast, just a tap on a 10mm, a hit on a 14, a wack on a 17 and a bang on a 19+

The thought behind it as I always thought (might be bollox), is that a fast strong force doesn't flex the bolt enough before the force is transmitted to the opposing force (rust holding itself tight) and breaks the rust-seal.

[Chriscooke]

Well I don't mean hitting a 10mm nut with a 10kg hammer at full blast, just a tap on a 10mm, a hit on a 14, a wack on a 17 and a bang on a 19+

The thought behind it as I always thought (might be bollox), is that a fast strong force doesn't flex the bolt enough before the force is transmitted to the opposing force (rust holding itself tight) and breaks the rust-seal.

i personally can't fault the logic behind it mate would be similar to an impact driver really would just be careful what i used the technique on tho

[Maddog]

wire brush the threads...if possible then spray with wd40, but recently i have taken to using napier gun oil in an aerosol can, expensive but it really is the dog's doo dah's for it.
i agree with vova's logic on the hammer incident!
a short sharp shock can be enough to free a siezed nut, anything more and a hot spanner is the bot for the job

[Nize]

Im agreeing with Vova's style too, that's how I usually do it as well... if it's not wanting to budge I tend to try tightening it 1st and use the way Vova has said... in about that same order too.

[TrIcK^]

If you just want the Nut off, use a chisel vertically to the nut on a flat side and hammer through till you hit the bolt. Then spin 90 degrees and split it open. I do this on nuts at work, although use a set and 15lb hammer on big buggers. works a treat as long as you can get good contact.

Of course if its on flexible mountings like plastic you will be there forever

Vovas trick is about right as well, and basically involves transmitting shock . Similar to hammering through with a chisel but is infact a turning force. You dont have to be so specific as he suggests, once broken, turn till it tightens then turn the other way.

But the best suggestion i can give, is that if you are trying to turn it off, then use a full sided socked, not a spanner or normal socket. Impact gun sets and sockets usually have these. (and are also ace at removing problem bolts ).

[Vova]

3 people in a row agree with me! I have to make a printscren of this and somehow rework it in my sig

[Maddog]

3 people in a row agree with me! I have to make a printscren of this and somehow rework it in my sig

really shocking lol

[Jonny Wilkinson]

I've recently added a new rust-breaker tool to my toolbox. Its a freezing spray. It works the same way as heat but it comes in a spray can and doesn't melt bushes etc. Available from Halfrauds too.

And yes, the front ARB is held to the front rail using one nut and stud and one bolt on each side. 13mm IIRC and not made of chocolate if they are the original bolts.

Small bolts I try to spray with WD40, penetrating oil or duck oil the night before.

When removing the ARB, get the front of the car up in the air on both sides otherwise the bar will be under tension. Same rules from removing the shocks too.

[Razzario]

i can honestly say i've not come accross a bolt or nut on my s13 that brute force and ignorance couldn't shift... the day i do find one i have some frezze spray as per the wise mr. wilkinson

[alanjuggler]

by the way, i've snapped these bolts on my car had to get access holes cut in the chassis rails and then weld them back up to sort it.