Hello everyone,

Has anyone had to cut the front end links off their car, and if so, how did you go about it? I'm trying to get my karcepts FSB on, except the top bolts holding the end links on are rusty and the Allen key hole on the end stripped when I tried to get them off the usual way (I know this is a common problem). The bottom bolts are really hard to get to, as the sway bar is in the way. I have already tried vice grips to hold the bolt in place without luck, and have thoroughly soaked everything in liquid wrench.. I don't need to keep the end links, so any method of getting them off will work

Was going to try and use a Dremel to get them off, but figured I would wait until I saw if any of you had better ideas or ways of doing it.

It's always something with this car, I swear

 

In a similar situation but on a miata I used heat on the bolts and lots of it and the bots would spin off with an impact and or wrench. It was a smelly afair as the rubber melted but got the job done.

 

I was thinking about that, except that doesn't help as far as keeping the bolt from spinning when you turn the nut. The Allen key hole on the end of the bolt is meant to keep the bolt from turning, except mine is stripped since the metal is so rusty and soft. Even if I were to heat it up, turning it would still cause the entire bolt to rotate

 

How did you strip the allen key? I just hold the nut in place and turn the allen key, same difference.

 

Because I'm pretty sure the nut is fused to the bolt. I've tried everything to try and break it free.

 

impact gun

 

I hate to sound like broken record but heat the nut glowing red and then hold the bolt end with some big channel locks and then twist nut with a wrench it will go. Also iirc on the miata links once the rubber burned away on the end link there was metal you could secure big channel locks on the other side of the sway and then use an impact on the heated nut.

 

If you dont want to destroy the link:
Grab the visible part of the stud near the boot (it looks like a washer) using needle nose vise grips. Be careful with the boot. Remove the 14mm nut.

If youd like to destroy the link to get it off:
Just bust off the end cap. Put a chisel or a bar on the stem of the endlink. Smack it. The link's endcaps will bust off very easily. Then grab the exposed stud ball with a pair of vise grips and remove the 14mm nut.

Easy peasy.

I live in the Chicago area. I don't drive my S2000 in winter...but I have always had Honda/Acura DD's. I have never met a Honda endlink that I couldn't remove with the above methods.

if you use heat, you're going to destroy the link...and have the potential for burning something else that you don't want burned. So don't use heat unless you absolutely have to.

 

They strip very easily if they have seen road salt.