Cant Get Rear Lower Control Arm Back On

[Cecil]

I was changing the rear springs on my 11 Altima. Its a one bolt job, the one that runs through the lower control arm and connects to the wheel hub assembly.

Im not sure if the lower control arm got bent during the spring install or what happened, but no matter how much leverage I apply, I can’t get the holes to line up to get that bolt back through. I can get it vertically lined up, but 2/3 of the bolt is too far forward, and there is nothing to pry against to move it back.

Is there another way I can get this back on?

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Topic

[zero]

Drop the lower arm down and using a hammer, or other means, try spreading the ears out a bit to give yourself some more flexibility during re-installation. When the bolt gets tightened, everything gets clamped together down to zero tolerance.

[Mike]

Prying the backside, or “exit” side of the hole, see if you can improve alignment enough to get the bolt to enter from the front side. A tapered alignment bar or drift works wonders.

[Cecil]

A friend brought over a metal spike to hammer through and got it on. Not sure the official name of the tool.

[Author]

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