[Gnarcissist]

So I was installing a 2" spacer lift yesterday on my 05 4x4 fronty. The passenger side went in fairly painlessly, except for breaking 2 sockets on a stuck bolt.:-x
The drivers side was a different story. First I couldn't get the sway bar end-link nut off without spinning the bolt, but he real problem is the three upper strut mount bolts. I was using a breaker bar, and two of them stripped making the nut rounded, and when trying to get the third off, I found it was spinning the stud with the nut.

Any suggestions as to how to get the three nuts loosened? And if I can't get them off or have to cut them off, would I be able to replace the studs, or buy a whole new strut? I'm kind of at a loss, and as it is now, the truck is 2 inches higher on the passengers side. Looks pretty goofy.

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Nissan4Life]

First off are you using 6 point sockets? If you were using 12 points (which tends to round stuck nuts) you might be able to still get the rounded nuts off with a 6 pt.

Not much you can do about the spinning stud. If you can some how get a U-joint swivel and a impact on the nut you might be able to zip it off. Might try lube. Tap with hammer. Heat? Other wise you are going to have to cut/grind the nut.

Good thing is that the studs are wheel stud type. They press in and out of the top hat easily.

 

[phatB]

i haven't done this on a frontier yet but see if a vice-grip can clamp onto the stripped bolt well enough, i hate those kinds of free spinning type studs where if the threads get screwed up then the nut just turns it...

 

[Gnarcissist]

First off are you using 6 point sockets? If you were using 12 points (which tends to round stuck nuts) you might be able to still get the rounded nuts off with a 6 pt.

Not much you can do about the spinning stud. If you can some how get a U-joint swivel and a impact on the nut you might be able to zip it off. Might try lube. Tap with hammer. Heat? Other wise you are going to have to cut/grind the nut.

Good thing is that the studs are wheel stud type. They press in and out of the top hat easily.

Yeah, I was using 6 point sockets when I stripped them. So if i have to cut them, I should be able to replace the studs without having to replace the whole strut? Would it be easier to just bay a new strut at that point to avoid having to deal with taking the spring on/off?