Happy New Years! I am completely stymied.
I am trying to remove the I beams from my 86 F150 2WD. I've got the shocks, springs, and steering knuckles removed from each side, but am having an awful time trying to get that long bolt that holds the radius arm and I-beam together. I took off the nut under the spring mount, but cannot get the nut on the bottom side to turn at all. Any help would be most appreciated.

Ron

 

The long bolt isn't threaded into the I-beam, just pressed through. I only had to give mine a couple of taps with a rubber mallet to get them out. Have you tried using a rattle gun to break them free?

 

You could get a propane torch or something similar and heat the area around the bolt just enough to expand the metal and knock the bolt out. I had to do this when I installed new I-beam pivot bushings and had trouble getting one to fit.

 

Excellent! JimNQ and KirbyMan, your hints did the trick. Between heating the I-beam with a torch for a minute and then many blows with my BFH each of them finally came loose. They were a bear, but I got them. So now my entire front suspension is off the frame. Hopefully, I'll have the cab off by suppertime. Slowly but surely. Eventually, I will post a thread on my restomod of El Guapo.

Thanks again,

 

I'm glad it worked. I just wish I had known about this trick before my friend and I spent 3-4 hours trying to get one of the bushings in. I had to go buy a torch with money I really didn't have since the one person I know who has a torch was out of town. lol. And it was dark by the time we got done, too. haha