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Front upper control arm bolt stripped

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Old 07-17-2013, 06:31 PM
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AARONHL
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Default Front upper control arm bolt stripped

Read the title, Not much to describe...the head of the bolt is stripped. What do I do now to remove it? Anyone run into the same issue? I'm trying to remove my SPC arms I don't think I like them.

Wouldn't have stripped the head if I took the strut off first.
Old 07-18-2013, 01:27 PM
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stuartc323
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Originally Posted by AARONHL
Read the title, Not much to describe...the head of the bolt is stripped. What do I do now to remove it? Anyone run into the same issue? I'm trying to remove my SPC arms I don't think I like them.

Wouldn't have stripped the head if I took the strut off first.

Vice grips on one end and wrench on the other
Old 07-18-2013, 05:09 PM
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Thanks for the input...Noticed the threads come out into the engine bay, just gotta remove the power steering reservoir. Didn't want to mess up the threads with vice grips so I was using them on bolt's head. I think I will use a bolt extractor socket on the head and maybe grab the threads on the other side at the same time...the head is completely stripped

Anyone care to share their experiences?
Old 07-19-2013, 08:11 AM
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i would hope you would use the vice grips on the head and not the threads lol but thats the only way i have ever gotten bolts unstuck when the head was stripped, you could also spray some wd-40 on it let it sit for ten mins and than try to pry it off again
Old 07-19-2013, 06:44 PM
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I read 45 lbs but I think I over tightened to like 70, I think the SPC inner bushings are shot...going to try to push some solids ones in there

Last edited by AARONHL; 07-19-2013 at 06:47 PM.
Old 07-21-2013, 06:17 AM
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AllstarE4
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If you grab the threads with a vice grip it may damage them and won't want to back out. A bolt extractor socket for the head of the bolt is all you should need.
Old 07-21-2013, 02:31 PM
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JasonZ-YA
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Originally Posted by AARONHL
Read the title, Not much to describe...the head of the bolt is stripped. What do I do now to remove it? Anyone run into the same issue? I'm trying to remove my SPC arms I don't think I like them.

Wouldn't have stripped the head if I took the strut off first.
Originally Posted by AARONHL
Thanks for the input...Noticed the threads come out into the engine bay, just gotta remove the power steering reservoir. Didn't want to mess up the threads with vice grips so I was using them on bolt's head. I think I will use a bolt extractor socket on the head and maybe grab the threads on the other side at the same time...the head is completely stripped

Anyone care to share their experiences?
yes - the bolts that hold the upper control arm to the car is threaded into the engine bay with a welded in place square thread nut plate piece - there is no nut. so ya you have to grab the head somehow and remove it.

The bolt is a oem nissan special bolt, i remember it having somewhat of an old shape to it.

see pic:


-J
Attached Thumbnails Front upper control arm bolt stripped-upper-control-arm-strut-nutplate.jpg  

Last edited by JasonZ-YA; 07-21-2013 at 02:35 PM.
Old 07-23-2013, 05:46 PM
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Wish me luck guys...will be trying something like this maybe in the next few days

Old 08-12-2013, 09:04 PM
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I got a new bolt from the dealer so I thought I would try to remove it again...lucky i found a nut in my stash that worked because I couldn't reuse the nut in the engine bay...The bolt extractor didn't work at all. Going to try to return it

So I got it from the engine bay by jamming a screw driver in the bracket holding the nut and then ripped the bracket off then was able to remove the bolt that way, check the pictures

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Old 08-12-2013, 09:05 PM
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My SPC control arm bushings are shot. Anyone know of a solid bushing replacement??
Old 08-12-2013, 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by AARONHL
My SPC control arm bushings are shot. Anyone know of a solid bushing replacement??
SPL arms
Old 08-13-2013, 08:00 PM
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Yea saw that, but saw the price too...will be purchasing Kinetix upper arms soon. Probably won't be able to sell my SPC arms if there is no bushing replacement.

The SPC arms are designed so poorly when you tighten the two bolts the inside metal sleeve is tight and the arms just goes up and down (with suspension movement) by twisting the bushing. The bushing just tears. I saw the Kinetix arms and the bushing is not linked to the arm or mount bolt so it will raise and lower on a better axis without destroying the bushing
Old 08-13-2013, 08:13 PM
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Originally Posted by AARONHL

The SPC arms are designed so poorly
yep....

-J
Old 08-13-2013, 08:16 PM
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Originally Posted by AARONHL
Yea saw that, but saw the price too...will be purchasing Kinetix upper arms soon. Probably won't be able to sell my SPC arms if there is no bushing replacement.

The SPC arms are designed so poorly when you tighten the two bolts the inside metal sleeve is tight and the arms just goes up and down (with suspension movement) by twisting the bushing. The bushing just tears. I saw the Kinetix arms and the bushing is not linked to the arm or mount bolt so it will raise and lower on a better axis without destroying the bushing
OEM is like that, so are many others. Causes a lot of stiction in the suspension system. When you install arms like that you are supposed to move the suspension to ride height before you tighten the bolts , so there is no load on the bushing when the wheels are on the ground. Only loading the bushing as the suspension moves in its travel.
Old 08-19-2013, 02:28 PM
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The SPC arms are counterproductive... to set at ride hieght you need to push the arm all the way up into the top of the wheel if your car is low (2" or more) to tighten the mounting bolts, but then you can't access the camber nut!!! So you have to pull the arm down to access the nut tearing the bushings and doing this a couple time to finally get camber ok your bushings are already shot, they still move even at ride height if your suspension is flexing 1" when driving over dips on the highway

Last edited by AARONHL; 08-19-2013 at 02:34 PM.
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