Rear Beam Puller

[Bassman 1]

Evening all,

 

Bought a beam from a 205 being broken for parts so I could refurb it and keep mine on the road in the meantime.

 

I have got as far as trying to remove the torsion bars which was a struggle as the offset washers were virtually welded to the end of the bars.

 

I have made a puller to Tom Fenton's specification, but I am finding the M8 (12.9 tensile strength) keeps getting stretched and breaks. I am ensuring the bolt is stationary and that the nut is being wound down onto the spacer so the M8 is in tension, but it is obviously still too much for it.

 

I have been whacking the bars with a lump hammer and applying a blow torch, but still nothing. I have just snapped off the latest bolt, but this time it has broken below the surface of the torsion bar hole, so I have decided to stop tonight before trying to get an easy-out into it to unwind it (as I cannot move it with a pair of needle-nose pliers despite the load being removed) in case I lose patience and bodge something.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Has anybody tried drilling the M8 hole out to fit say an M10 into the end so you have a stronger bolt to pull on?

 

 

Rob

[welshpug 1,655]

you need a sledge hammer or a porta power.

 

but you have removed the 13mm nut from the opposite end right?

[Bassman 1]

you need a sledge hammer or a porta power.

 

but you have removed the 13mm nut from the opposite end right?

 

 

Yes I have removed the nut from the other end!

 

Where are you suggesting I aim the sledge hammer? On the trailing arms to try and separate the whole lot at once?

 

One thing I didn't understand from Wurzel's article was the bit about trying to turn the stud at the other end with a large flat-bladed screwdriver. Is this supposed to un-lock something as there was no way mine was budging without destroying the end of the stud.

 

Another option might be to use the puller as a pusher and remvoe the spacer and then use the M8 as a guide to hold the M20 central to the torsion bar and then try and whack it the other way. Not sure how long the M20 would last with this method though?

 

Rob

Edited June 18, 2009 by Bassman

[Anthony 1,002]

Definately knock the arm off the beam, which will normally take the torsion bar with it and pull it out of the beam tube. That way, your puller will stand a much better chance as it will only be trying to pull one rusted in spline, rather than two.

 

Failing that, find someone with a hydraulic press and press the torsion bar out - sometimes they're pretty rusted in place and I've seen in excess of 8 tons on my press freeing them off now, and that's an awful lot (I'd say way too much) to expect of a measy M8 stud.

[Bassman 1]

Definately knock the arm off the beam, which will normally take the torsion bar with it and pull it out of the beam tube. That way, your puller will stand a much better chance as it will only be trying to pull one rusted in spline, rather than two.

 

Failing that, find someone with a hydraulic press and press the torsion bar out - sometimes they're pretty rusted in place and I've seen in excess of 8 tons on my press freeing them off now, and that's an awful lot (I'd say way too much) to expect of a measy M8 stud.

 

Back to the lump hammer and the beam hooked around a wall then!

 

I had a crack at this before to try and shock my offset washers off. Now I have managed to remove them both by other means, I will have another go.

 

There is certainly a good build up of rust around where the bars enter the trailing arms, so I was a little sceptical my puller would work.

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

 

Rob

[hexhamstu 9]

I should be doing this job soon, now you've got me scared!

[SurGie 54]

What about using de-seize freeze spray to help loosen the rust ?

[Rippthrough 98]

Really strong mixture of hot De-Ox C solution, in a syringe, on the end of the bars, applied a couple of times over 24 hours - sorted, no rust, easy to remove bars.

[BusEngineer 7]

Managed to knock my trailing arms off with a sledge hammer with other end hooked round a vice.....

 

But i then had to press the torsion bar out

[James_R 3]

I've put a load of Duck oil on the end of the TB and left it 24 hours flipped the beam and repeated the other side, beam came apart in a couple of whacks.

 

As for where to aim, the ear that pokes out for the bump stop to hit, not the rear damper hole as it's fooks the bolt hole, so many trashed arms I've seen from that

[taylorspug 7]

Use a copper ended mallet, wont damage anything then.

 

Ive also seen far too many wrecked arms through the damper hole being walloped with the wrong hammer.

 

Another way to get them off without a press is put the torsion bars in a vice with the arms attached, then hit the arms onto the torsion bar. Will need a man sized vice properly secured down though.

[Bassman 1]

Really strong mixture of hot De-Ox C solution, in a syringe, on the end of the bars, applied a couple of times over 24 hours - sorted, no rust, easy to remove bars.

 

That sounds like a good idea. I have tried soaking penetrating oil for several days as well as using heat, but the rust is obviously too heavy.

 

Where can I get De-Ox C from?

[welshpug 1,655]

its a Bilt-Hamber product, find it here - Deox-c

 

Might try is myself on some bodywork, 1kg is about £15 delivered, which looks to be enough to make 20 litres of solution.

[Cloverleaf 1]

I'm going to ask the obvious just in case....the M8 bolt isn't bottoming out in the torsion bar is it?

[welshpug 1,655]

shouldn't matter if it did or not as long as the large bolt is held still so that no torsional forces are put through the M8 you'll only have tension on it, not a twisting force which is more likely to damage it.

Edited June 20, 2009 by welshpug

[Cloverleaf 1]

Fair enough, I haven't seen one of these pullers! I guess it doesn't use the M8 bolt to pull it out then....that'll teach me to know what I'm talking about

[welshpug 1,655]

it does and it doesn't

 

its wound into the torsion bar with the M8 stud, but the torsional forces are put through the M20 thread, all the stud does is pull on the torsion bar.

 

 

as the OP has found out though, there is a limit to how much tension you can put a small bolt, and you will have to resort to more agricultural methods to extract them.

 

 

BFH !!!!

[taylorspug 7]

Id imagine putting tension on it with the puller, then a few whacks with the aforementioned copper hammer would also work well.

[Bassman 1]

Id imagine putting tension on it with the puller, then a few whacks with the aforementioned copper hammer would also work well.

 

If only!

 

No, it turns out BFH was needed. I whacked the trailing arms for a bit with one arm wrapped around a handy wall, then decided to wind my M20 puller bolt in and use it as a pusher with the M8 to centre it and hold it still.

 

Few whacks with a 4lb lump hammer and the trailing arm shaft and torsion bar both came free at one end!!

 

Just need to get a decent drill bit to get the remnants of the M8 stud out of the other bar and I will repeat at the other end.

 

Anybody recommend a good place to get decent drill bits from? My titanium coated bits are useless drilling into steel bolts. I presume cobalt drills will be better , but can you get them at handy places like B&Q or Halfrauds which are both on my way home from work?

 

 

Rob

[SurGie 54]

I buy my tools& bits from Machine mart, though i have not bought any drill bits yet and if you do get a good set, let us know

how they are with drilling bolts etc.

 

Cheers

[Rippthrough 98]

Anybody recommend a good place to get decent drill bits from? My titanium coated bits are useless drilling into steel bolts. I presume cobalt drills will be better , but can you get them at handy places like B&Q or Halfrauds which are both on my way home from work?

 

 

Rob

 

Even a decent set of un-coated HSS drill bits should go through a bolt like butter if they're sharp, get the sharpening stone out!

[petert 585]

I can't believe the drama you poor bastards have pulling beams apart. The salt must really make things a mess. I stripped a beam on the weekend. It took just 20 minutes.

[welshpug 1,655]

I agree totally there Pete

 

Thing is though, a while ago I adjusted the ride height on a 1989 405 MI16, it had never been touched, however there were no seized bolts, no seized torsion bars, and it took about an hour in total because I had to dig out a larger spanner and allen key from the depths of the toolbox for the damper bolts!

[Bassman 1]

Even a decent set of un-coated HSS drill bits should go through a bolt like butter if they're sharp, get the sharpening stone out!

 

I must be doing something wrong as my TiN coated HSS bits which are quite new, just cook themselves when trying to drill this bolt out.

 

I am going to buy a couple of Bosch HSS-CO bits tonight from B&Q as they only sell them individually.

 

MachineMart do sell a set of 19 Clarke Cobalt bits for amount £22 or some DeWalt Extreme Cobalt bits which are about £22 for 13 bits I think.

 

 

Rob

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

It sounds like you are drilling too fast, this has got the bolt hot, and drawn the carbon to the surface, making it pot hard. I'd try and extract it another way as I doubt you'll drill it now.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Tom Fenton