spartanga

I successfully swapped OEM rear shocks and moved onto the fronts.

Followed the DIY and removed the upper A Arm bolts, worked great. Got new shock/spring installed. THEN when torquing the front upper a arm bolt, it kept turning..didnt hit the torque #...then suddenly it was easier to turn...oh crap. Sure enough, it turns fairly easily both directions now. The other A Arm torqued just fine after only a couple turns. Bad bolt? The nut itself appears to be welded to the bracket which is welded to the frame. Unsure how to even get the bolt out at this point.

On the other side, I cannot break free the lower shock mount bolt. it is frozen. I've sprayed with PB 3-4x waited overnight etc. I even tried my cordless Bosch impact driver. I tried leverage and pushing with my foot under the car for more force. doesnt budge.

I've left a message for my local mechanic that I trust....Need him for an alignment anyway. See if I just take it to him to finish the job.

any thoughts?
thx

Tonygeez

Use a torch on any corroded or stuck bolts. Give a good dose of heat, then they should come loose... Otherwise, I recently heard a story from another s2k owner they had to cut the A arm bolts off due to corrosion. I hope that does not happen to you. Best of luck!

outeiroj

go to your local home depot and pick up one of these

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bernzoma...6638/205683985

hotter than propane, not as hot as acetylene, however usually more than enough heat for bolts on an s2000. just be careful around rubber bushings as you will melt them

Car Analogy

Sounds like the bolt that just spins stripped tbe welded nut. How to get it off?

Use a flat blade screwdriver to apply prying force on the bolt head as you unscrew it. Should be enough to allow threads to allow what threads are left to unscrew.

Then asses thread condition. Possible solutions include heli coil, longer bolt with a nut, cut nut off and weld a new one...

spartanga

Good idea. I'll take it to my mechanic and let him deal with it. no idea how the nut could strip....it screwed in just fine by hand.

On the other frozen bolt...I've torched it...still a no go. again, mechanic time.

zeroptzero

The stripped welded nut is common, I've got Honda bolts and nuts that work as direct replacements that you can source from Honda. I came up with a fix for this years ago. Much easier than messing with the welded nut. You just feed through the new bolt and attach the new nut, all of the suspension geometry remains the same, 2 minute fix. These are Honda suspension parts capable of holding the proper torque. Let me know if you want the part numbers.

spartanga

Yes. Send part #s. Is the bolt longer and the nut goes on the back of the other nut?

zeroptzero

exactly will post up in a few mins, I've got a few spare bolts and nuts but you are likely too far away from and you could order them from Honda quicker

zeroptzero

Honda suspension nut - part number 90395-SNA-003

Honda suspension bolt - part number 90118-SNA-000

Parts are a perfect fit, and hold more than the required torque, so easy fix.

spartanga

Thanks. Ordered and shipping was 2x the part cost..hahah. Great solution, so thank you.