As I mentioned I can see the top of the bolt turning in the nut. The nut is not turning, just the bolt. With the sleeve seized to the bolt it won't back out any further. The way I see it I will have to get the sleeve free from the bolt by either heating it or maybe getting a vise grip on it to hold it and hope it frees up when turning the bolt from underneath. I also could force the bolt out with a pickle fork but that would require cutting off the top nut that is still good.

 

Even if the sleeve is rusted to the bolt, you can still back the bolt out of the nut and save the cage nut. As you back the bolt out of the nut, the cradle will drop. You may have to disconnect the steering shaft at the rack (pinch bolt) to allow it to drop enough without stressing the rack/shaft. Once the bolt is out of the nut, the cradle will have dropped a couple of inches, enough to provide some clearance on each side of the control arm to cut the bolt at each end of the sleeve. Or you could use the pickle fork.

Steve

 

Since I have already turned the bolt quite a bit shouldn't the cradle have dropped or could the steering shaft be holding it now or do both rear bolts have to be backed out for the cradle to drop enough to cut the bolt? Would I need to support the cradle when I do this?

 

Yes, you may have to loosen the other rear bolt also, though not as much as the one you are removing. You might try loosening the front cradle bolt on the side that you are dropping also.

The steering shaft should still allow some drop of the cradle, as the hole in the firewall for the shaft grommet is very large. I would still disconnect it to prevent any damage.

Also you should place some wood or concrete blocks under the cradle that would allow a few inches of drop before it touches it as a precaution.

There are 4 engine/transmission mounts, 2 are attached to the strut tower area (one at the front of the engine, one at the trans end) and two are attached to the cradle. There is enough movement in the mounts to allow the cradle to drop a little. How much have you turned the bolt so far?

Steve

 

There's also the ball joint, and the tie rod end. Also the front, horizontal bushing.

 

Or just remove the three strut nuts at the top of the strut in the engine bay.

 

The new control arms are now installed although I can't take the credit. Some health issues prevented me from going any further so I took it to a shop. They had the new control arms and new sway bar links installed along with a front alignment in less than three hours. The clunking and rattle are gone; almost rides like new. I did have them install the cast aluminum arms so they should be good replacements. The shop recommended a rear wheel alignment but I declined for now. Is it a good idea to align the rear of these cars?

 

If it's out by a hair, it's not really necessary... Mine was out for years (same mechanic since 2013) probably was out that much when new, or at least since I bought mine. About 1 1/2 years ago I told them to go ahead and do it... No noticeable difference.