Stubborn radius rod

[RogerT]

I'm trying to remove the right radius rod to do the bushes. The left one came out ok. The right is proving tougher. So far I've used loads of plus gas, heat (just a weedy propane/butane torch) and hammer, with a 27mm open ended on the nut and a 14mm socket on the end of the rod. Rounded the end of the rod, and in danger of rounding the nut too. I think my option are to cut it and use a 27mm socket, or to leave it in and use the existing inner bush. I don't have a welder, or a mate with one. I wondered about locking two nuts together at the top but the rod appears to allow a fair bit of twist. I'm worried about cutting the rod in case a socket still doesn't work, leaving me up the creek with no radius rod. Ideas? Is my inner bush good enough (no visible cracks, unlike the outer). I also have a BW stainless sleeve ready to go on.

Thanks in advance.

PS. Hoping to do the wishbone and track control arm bushes at another time, so that would give an option to have a second bite at it inside, with a vice etc.
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[what2do]

When I did mine, I had the use of a pair of 3 foot stilsons and I kept winding the nut/rod backwards and forwards to prevent it binding. It took a fair while to undo and my arm was aching so I can only imagine what a difficult task it would be with smaller tools that offer less leverage. I put new stainless nuts on mine to finish the job off.

[RogerT]

I got the first one rod off the track control arm with the aforementioned 27mm open ended with a 5ft scaffold pole over it. But it didn't grip the base nut well enough on this one. Winding down the inner bush retaining nut was easy after I spent 1/2 hour with a wire brush on an electric drill to clean the threads.

I'm leaving it soaking in PlusGas while I clean up the ARB and drop links. I'm wondering about trying a hammer and punch to work the base nut round. If I don't get it off I'll wind down the inner nut and clean and paint the bracket to protect it anyway.

..just seen the neighbour out but as a biker his tools are smaller..

[what2do]

You've mentioned something that often gets overlooked (especially on Facebook), cleaning the threads is a huge help once the nut begins to move. You could try a small set of stilsons with your scaffold pole - someone/something will win in the end

[RogerT]

I'm going to leave it til later in the year, need to buy spring compressors and bushes, and then I can do the wishbone and track control arm bushes, and get the inner bush replaced then.

Any tips for twisting the track control arm so that the radius rod will go into the arm easily? The way it's pointing now it just does not want to go in and I don't want to cross the threads. Maybe a jack under the steering arm to hoick the arm up and round?

[RogerT]

Done it! 2 nuts at the top of the rod tightened to full sweat-popping torque against each other, the my weight on a 750mm 1/2 in breaker bar with a deep 27mm socket. There's a lot of bend in the bar and a lot of twist in the radius rod, but the only thing that broke was the rust seal on the rod!

Happy man

Just need to be able to get them on again...

Thanks for the encouragement. And also to a member who posted a while ago about using this technique - found with a search.

[lloydy]

check what the hole in the chassis is like, as there looks like there is a lot of rust there. If its gone oval it will need repairing.

[RogerT]

Its very roundy! Caught it in time, the sleeve on one side had just gone through in one bit, the other was intact. The rust that is visible is I think the remnant of the metal bit of the outer bush. I've cleaned both sides up and painted over with Hammerite, so fingers crossed it'll last a while longer. Good thing really as I'm not a welder (yet... hoping to do an evening course at the college and buy a welder - I know there's plenty to do on the body!).

Thanks though