Leaf Spring Bolt Siezed

Well hopefully this is this last time I start a suspension related thread for a while. Anyway, the bolt is seized to the bushing on the front mounting point of the leaf. It will not come undone by trying to turn the bolt. I read a couple old threads that say to go in there with a sawzaw but it seems pretty hard to do so without cutting the frame itself. Anyone have any tips to get this thing out of there? Any tips on cutting it out?

 

I've done it with a sawzall. Not to a Tacoma, but same issue. It's not fun, but not the worst.

 

hard to tell from the pic but can you hit the nut end with a hammer? Id put the nut back on and hit it a few times if you can.

 

The bushing is junk anyways. Cut on either side of the spring. Once the spring is out of the way, what's left should hopefully fall off.
A corded sawzall and a package of blades Is probably the easiest way to go. I believe the bolts are hardened, so plan on using a few blades.
As for getting the bushing out of the spring, seems like you could drill the rubber around the bolt, and once that's out, notch what's left with the sawzall and pry it out.

 

Fortunately I don’t have to reuse the bushing. Gonna go get some diablo blades for the sawzaw and see what it can do, just don’t want to cut into the hanger by accident.

 

For some reason the people at Toyota thought it would be funny to put the bolt right next to the gas tank so you can’t get anything behind it..

 

One thing before cutting, put some pressure on the top or bottom of the leaf so the threads can engage the mounting point. If you have an impact on it you should be able to spin it out that way.

 

Just to clarify, because I can see the potential for confusion in this (which this thread has not done much to address), the intention is that the sawzall blade cuts the bolt between the spring and the frame. Don't try to cut the head of the bolt off from the outside of the frame -- that won't work.

 

6” grinding metal cut off wheel will fit right in between the bushing and hangars cut the bolt in half and call it a day.

 

^^ Yes. That.
Grinders are a lot better for hardened metal than saws.

 

This happens more to 1st gens. 4.5" grinder and you'll be done in less than 5 min

 

grinder with a cut off disc, don't waste your time with a sawzall

 

I just have one question for OP:
Have you tried with a decently big impact gun? Or just with a breaker bar?

 

Tried an impact, problem was that she would spin in the bushing and the rubber would still be attached to the bushing so it would spin a quarter turn and rebound back.

 

So a little update, got the bolt to start backing out, but it’s only backed out halfway. Now it spins freely and is separated from the bushing but something isn’t allowing it to back out all the way. If I could just get a hammer and a pin back there it would be an easy job but the fuel tank is in the way. So now going at it with a grinder but the clearance is so tight that we gotta cut thru the leaf and bushing along with the bolt. Appreciate all the help everyone has given so far

 

Can you hook a pry bar on it and hammer it out that way? Or give it some pressure to maybe allow the impact to back it out all the way?

 

OMG that looks like a grinding disk!!

Grinders sketch me out. I would personally use a sawzall here

 

Its a cut off disc, just gotta go in with one that's longer than 4 inches. Gonna get back to it tomorrow, she's not too far off.

 

Use a 17mm open end wrench to hold against the back of the bolts flange head and use a hammer.

 

That looks like a grinding disc, get a metal cut off wheel/disc it will fit right in there and cut the bolt in half