Club 80-90 Forums

Man these are hard to undo? I've sprayed freeze and unlock, won't undo. Heated the bolt, won't undo. Am I doing this right? I can't get the allen bolts undone. Thought this'd be an hour long job...... Well got that wrong.

Andy

When I did mine 5 years ago now I had to cut the heads off (the balljoints were scrap anyway) and replace the socket head screws ... make sure you use plenty of Coppaslip on the threads and I filled the socket heads up too so they'd still be a hexagon the next time.

Ian.

thanks Ian. What size is that nut on the bottom of the ball joint and do I need to buy a ball joint splitter?

Ian Hulley wrote:make sure you use plenty of Coppaslip on the threads

With respect, that's the last thing you should be doing! new bolts should have threadlock applied not grease.......

Martin

el sketcho wrote:thanks Ian. What size is that nut on the bottom of the ball joint and do I need to buy a ball joint splitter?

It's a captive thread in the balljoint flange.

Sorry Martin .... it's what I did back then and it never came undone untill it was needed to, then it wasn't a solid welded lump like it was originally AND the hex socket was still the same size.

Ian.

Ian...I would never want to intentionally offend anyone by contradicting advice, however sometimes when I see something that is technically wrong and with respect, potentially dangerous, I feel I need to speak out. I accept that these bolts are very unlikely to ever come loose but VW thought it necessary to use blue thread lock on many of their suspension/steering and brake component parts and who am I to suggest that they were wrong.

Kindest regards to you as always Ian.
Martin

And I as always bow to you, the professional, I was acting under instruction from a mobile plant fitter at that time and everything was tightened to the point where it wasn't going to work loose

Ian

Everyone seems to be going mad on 'copperslip' these days!

Copperslip on safety joints is simply madness.

Done it today, went with the thread lock option.