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Stan, I feel your pain. I'm in the middle of replacing my front beam on the 71 Square. (Suspension travel limit mounts rusted off.) Same as you both bottom bolts came out alright, but the top ones.... I decided to leave them until later & took the beam out with them attached. Unfortunately one of the bolts that attaches the beam vertically to the car twisted off right where the threads start to cut into the shank. No way I could get in there through the rubber mounts with penetrating oil. Anyone know what the specs are on that one? I'd like the new one to stay attached. Mike -----Original Message----- From: Stan Schaefer <stans4@ix.netcom.com> To: type3@vwtype3.org <type3@vwtype3.org> Date: Thursday, July 15, 1999 10:56 AM Subject: [T3] Superbolts >I'm still not back on the road after my upper ball joint failed, I had >to replace a bent tie rod and ends. While I was there, I thought I >should replace the shocks, they've never been changed as long as I've >owned the car. So order up a pair and get both tie rods changed out. >Replace the right shock, which takes about 5 minutes. Start working >on the left one and the bottom nut comes off easily. Can't get the >upper bolt to move. Try heat, penetrating oil, use the impact wrench >on it for about 20 minutes, it's not going to move. Get out the 4' >cheater pipe and heavy breaker bar, it doesn't move. The head finally >snaps off the bolt, so at least I can get the shock off. I figure >there was at least 500-800 ft-lbs on the cheater when it went. So I >have a 12mm stud sticking out and I go get a stud remover. All it >does is cut a groove in the bolt. Next plan, drill it out. So I cut >the thing off close to the mount with the cutoff sÁúv o get about >$30 worth of cobalt bits and start drilling. 4 hours later I've got a >23/32" hole through the bolt. Usually at this point, I can get an awl >alongside the shell and collapse it. Not happening, all it does is >blunt the awl. When I try to go bigger, it peels the lips off 3 3/8" >bits in a row, I've gotten into the casehardening. So at this point, >I put the tools away and go do something else. I've down to grinding >the shell out with a die grinder, if anyone has other ideas, I'd sure >like to hear them. So this 5 minute job has turned into a 4 day >affair(at least). > >I also need a replacement shock mount bolt, it's spec 10.9, not 8.8 >that you see most places. 12mm x1.5 pitch > >What I figure has happened is that the moron that replaced the shocks >last time leaned on the upper bolt with the impact wrench, supposed to >have 25 ft-lbs. I think if I grind down to the shoulder portion, the >tension will get released and I should be able to unscrew the rest of >it. There was very little rust anywhere in the region and the bottom >nut was very easy to get off, so I figure it isn't rusted in place. >Going to be very tedious grinding away on the thing. > >------------------------------------------------------------------- >List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list or mailto:help@vwtype3.org >