Ok so I am puting on a 3" suspension lift on an '88 XJ. The front went on no problem now for the fun part. The rear shocks mount at the top with two bolts. Started on the drivers side and go to remove the old spring and the first nut shears off due to rusted in. Now I am frustrated and don't want to do the same to the rest. Any sujestions or input on what to do now.

Need to get the old one out for one thing so I can get the new one in.

For a ton of Jeep Cherokee specific information, go to www.NAXJA.org You will find a ton of info on this question and also anything else you want to know!!!!

About a week prior to doing the lift, start spraying all the bolts with something like wd40 or pb blaster. Soak the one that broke and try an easy out.

When we did my buddies xj we soaked the nuts with a rust penatrator and still ended up shearing. Two we easy outed the other two I welded a bigger nut on it the part of the bolt that was exposed and where lucky enough to get them to come out. So check the above site and good luck cause you are going to need it.

...we soaked the nuts with a rust penatrator and still ended up shearing. ...



Yeah, but did you soak them every night for a week before you started?

That's the trick I used before my axle swap (which I also added a 3 inch lift to) . I had over 240,000 miles on my '89 (imagine the rust) and I only broke things on the bolts that I had missed before I begun and only had hit once with the wd40.

It WAS a pain to crawl under my jeep every night for a week, but I sure could tell the difference between the ones I got and when I came to one I had missed. - Just as a "for example"; with the way my driveway is, I couldn't get to the left side rear as easy as the right. When we were in the middle of the swap, the right side took under 30 minutes to disassemble, the left took over 3 hours. - Thank God I could get both sides of the front pretty well.

Ok so yea I started this thread then ran across the "XJs are shit thread". It has another posible problem I am having. The rear spring is definatly a bad design. The front bolt I think is lose from the nut on the leaf spring but it will not come out. Maybe it is stuck in the bushing but will not budge. Looked in the holes in the frame and cant see the nut so without cuting into it I have no idea. Not trying to do that unless I have too. Any ideas on how to get it out? This should never have been enclosed beside the fame!

I could cut the bolt and just hope its only stuck in the sleve of the bushing....

Oh yea soaking things down just for a night has helped. Definatly if one was to do it over a longer time it would be better.
Thanks for the help so far.

WD-40 doesn't do shit.

Use PB Blaster.

pb is the best that I have found so far, or sea foam.

WD-40 doesn't do shit.

Use PB Blaster.


Yeah.

But for some reason WD40 is easier to find... :confused:

If you have the choice, PB Blaster, all the way though.

Yeah.

But for some reason WD40 is easier to find... :confused:

If you have the choice, PB Blaster, all the way though.

Way too true.
I buy it in boxes now.

They sell PB Blaster in a 1 gallon jug now with a little squirt bottle that you can refill!!!

When you break off all the shock bolts, you could always use the bracket from the rear swaybar to make your own bar pin eliminators. You will have to turn them and weld them in though. But then you can just bolt your shocks in with one bolt through them instead of the bar pin design.

definitly PB Blaster. Try backing out the bolt slightly, they retighten. Continue this until the bolt is out. I did a lift this weekend on an XJ. Drivers side snapped, then I tried above on the passenger side. No problem gettingthem out.

Holy Resurected Threads, BatMan! This thing is back from the grave!

haha. i didnt even realize that myself this is an oldie.