jamiee

I have a 06 Cobalt that I wanted to remove the rear axle bushings brackets on. The passengers side inner bracket to body bolt (one of three bolts) just spins around and there seems to be no access from under the car. Is this a caged nut? Also can I gain access to it by cutting a hole in the floor under the rear seat? If so does anyone know the exact location to make the cut? Thanks.

Slowbalt2000

iTrader: (1)

Yeah its probably a caged nut just like the front. For the front usually using an impact from the get go helps to not break the cage but youre probably past that point. Im not sure where you would cut to gain access from the top, but one thing that helped me in the past was using a prybar to pull down on the bracket while turning the bolt. The tension on the bolt helps to hold the nut in place while its spinning. If that doesnt work you may need to cut from the top like you said.

jamiee

Yes, I tried putting quite a bit of down pressure on it but that did not help. I was hoping someone knew if the nut was actually going to be accessible from the top if I make a cut in the floor. Also if someone had a photo that would help me make it in the correct place the fist time.

Slowbalt2000

iTrader: (1)

This is the first time ive heard of this happening on the rear, I guess most people probably never remove the rear frame. On the front, there are little windows you can see the cages from on the wheel well side. Not sure about the rear. Sorry I cant be more helpful.

jamiee

From my searches it seems like I am the only person to have this problem for the rear suspension. I know some people have to remove the brackets to put aftermarket bushings in, but their cars are probably not as old or as rusty. Thanks for responding.

bahoodle

your best bet is to take out the bushing on the other side, and leave just that one bolt on, let the axle put the downward pressure on it, maybe have a friend step on the drum for more pressure and try to tighten with a impact. if you try this by hand its not gonna work

jamiee

Using the axle for extra torque was a good idea, but mine was too rusted. It was a caged nut, spinning in the cage. Here is a photo under the rear seat on the passenger side. The location of the caged nut is directly behind where the black 'X' is, not where the two holes that I drilled are. Lower hole is a mistake (but a good place to shine a flash light), upper hole was close enough to get a screwdriver on the nut.