Expert stub axle clamp bolt

[Wookey]

My suspension arm lower balljoint has had an advisory 'gaitor deteriorated but still exlcuding dust' every year since 2014 so I figure I really should replace it this year. (And a whole new arm _delivered_ is only £30, which is extremely reasonable IMHO!)

However, the clamp bolt _really_ doesn't want to come out. Can I just check that the bolt is not threaded into the clamp/hub carrier? i.e. it just pushes through and the clamping comes from the nut on the end? (Pretty sure this is how it used to be on my C15, and it looks like a very similar design. Obviously if it is threaded, then no amount of lumping is going to help.

So at least in theory if I apply enough plusgas/heat/lumphammering it should come out eventually?

Any advice on recalcitrant bolt-removing welcome.

Unfortunately I've already rounded the bolt head somewhat, despite using my hex socket instead of a bihex, so we may be into 'welding on a nut' territory. (it was quite a shallow bolt head, so not much length to grip...)

[Wookey]

Ping. It's now a year later and the deteriorated gaitor has finally split so I really need to fix this to get a MOT. But the clamp bolt holding the bottom of the hub carrier onto the suspension arm balljoint peg really doesn't want to come out. It would be really useful to know whether it's threaded into one side of the clamp or if it should just slide out.

[Hell Razor5543]

I cannot advise as to where/whether the bolt is threaded, but might I suggest getting hold of some Plus Gas? It is known as 'dismantling fluid' and (when used daily for a week) can help to free off stubborn bolts and so on.

[Wookey]

I've put bucket loads of plusgas in, over several days, and lumped the end pretty hard with a lump hammer. And blowtorched it a bit. None of that shifted it at all.

[doctle]

You need to heat it glowing red to expand the metal

[RichardW]

Here's the bolt in question

Bit inconclusive! The bolt is listed as 57mm, so it looks like about 20mm of shank. It could be threaded into the hub... but they're not normally. I'd get the hub off the van so that you can get a proper look at it!

[Wookey]

OK. I got it off eventually, by dremelling away some of that shoulder so as to get a decent 'bite' on the bolt head, then applying a nice long breaker bar. It is indeed not threaded into the clamp (I didn't expect it to be, but it resisted coming out quite hard and I was beginning to wonder). As ever, getting the balljoint stub out of the clamp was a bit of a pain too. Still it's off. Now I realise that just about everything in this area needs repainting so I'll do a load of that before putting the new one back. I'd better buy a new bolt too.