Great difficulty changing Front Sway Bar

Bordercollie wrote:
Not sure if this is the right/safe solution but guys on car overhaul TV shows heat stubborn nuts with a torch before attempting to loosen them.

if you can do so safely, heat can help in a lot of ways.

Loctite red removes easily by applying temperatures of 400F or higher.

The simple act of heating/cooling a bolt can help break loose corrosion.

Heat can also help penetrants get into the threads, be wary of the smoke/possible fire if too much heat is involved.

All that said going this on a part on a vehicle obviously requires that any plastic parts be protected. AND if the bolt in question is hardened you will need to purchase a new one, you could re-harden however I wouldn't recommend it.

If they used BLUE, it's meant to do three things:

1. Keep fastener from shaking loose

2. Seal water therefore rust from threads

3. Allow fastener removal with hand tools

With elcheapo's information I'm very comfortable in repeating my first suggestion: Persevere... Get a better wrench if you need to. He can probably tell you the correct metric socket size if you don't already have it. Harbor Fright's 1/2 breaker bar is $10. I think they only sell sockets in sets but both Lowe's and Home Depot have them individually.

DO get a tube of Blue Loc-Tite for re-assembly. NOT Red! If you use RED and ever go to take it back apart, you'll be singing the ....Blues... Sorry, couldn't resist...

Not sure if this is the right/safe solution but guys on car overhaul TV shows heat stubborn nuts with a torch before attempting to loosen them.

I replaced mine on a 2016 Jayco Redhawk needed a long Breaker bar on the front bolts as they were installed with Blue Loctite.

Starting to wonder if the OEM install uses something like red Loc-Tite on those bolts. Maybe call a shop that does a lot of suspension work like Henderson in Grants Pass OR or NW QuadVan in Portland. Ask for John, at either place.

If it's in fact the RED product, the fastener should be heated till the Loc-Tite softens.

BluegrassBill wrote:
Impact wrench.

X2, and WD-40 or rust blaster on the threads of the bolts.

Never put a pipe extension on a ratchet! Instead use a large breaker bar, then a pipe if needed.

I say this having not seen one, but I'm told the late model (2008 and newer) chassis uses larger bolts on the sway bar brackets and a much higher torque than earlier models. I can't say I understand why, but some engineer at Ford apparently did. My guess is that the bolts are self-tapping and of course were driven at the factory with power tools. Hot metal probably galled the threads at that time, and a little rust has locked thinks up even more since.

Before you give up, suggest you wait a day or two and see if somebody who's done that bar on that chassis responds. Or call Hellwig and see if they've heard of it.

If you're using a 3/8" drive socket set, I'd suspect it isn't enough for the oversized fasteners. I also don't know your strength, agility, or positioning under the coach. But I think it should come off at home with hand tools, or blow those bolts out with an impact. Can you get at the threads at all? Some WD40 or similar could be a big help. Go one way a half turn, spray, go the other way, spray and repeat.

Just found a PM from "deprived", an OP who did a front axle upgrade and added a late model Hellwig bar. I PM'd him and asked him to look at this thread to see if he could help. He did say the torque on the front bolts is 115, the rear only 18. 115 is a lot of torque to overcome with a short ratchet and you flat on your back.

I'd say, Persevere! Should be able to get it.

Impact wrench.

What makes you think it needs replacing? If there is a problem in the ride and handling, did it just show up after one year? Was there a problem during the test drive? :h

Before spending inordinate amounts of money on after market gear perhaps all that is needed is to weigh the rig an inflate your tires to the proper psi... which can be much cheaper than searching for a solution for which there is no real problem (the government does this a lot).