I need some pretty quick help with a suspension issue

[Soilent Green]

I'm changing my control arms, one of the bolts that attach to the engine cradle was stuck so I let it soak in penetrating oil and tried again everyday this week, adding oil constantly and letting it soak overnight. Tonight a friend came over to help me and we used my trusty fence post and managed to break it loose but the head snapped off, I removed the old control arm and turned it with a vise grip but it wasn't coming out so it's stripped as well. Now I can litteraly wiggle it with my fingers but it doesn't have a head anymore, and it appears to be stripped.

I stopped turning immediately when I realized it wasn't coming out to avoid making it worse.
What should I do? Is it possible that the engine cradle threads are stripped as well?

[Daniel M. Dreifus]

[quote=Is it possible that the engine cradle threads are stripped as well?[/QUOTE]
==
Those bolts thread into blind holes in the frame.
If you cannot remove the bolt by soaking in penetrating oil, turning and pulling with vice grips, the only next step I can see is using a torch to cut into the top of the frame, install a new bolt and nut and weld it back up, or look for another salvage yard frame section.

[Soilent Green]

What do you mean blind holes?
And there is no nut behind the bolt, there is no access on the other side so if there was a nut you couldn't undo it...the other frame bolt came off in 5 minutes.

[xfeejayx]

Originally Posted by Soilent Green

What do you mean blind holes?
And there is no nut behind the bolt,

You just answered your own question. That's what a blind hole is, one in which you can't see the other side, or through it.

Something I have tired (successfully) in the past is drilling into it, tapping it with a left hand thread, putting a left hand thread bolt into it and cranking on that, but this involves tools you probably don't have.
You can also try turning it back in a little bit if you can. That often breaks bolts loose just enough, and might let a little penetrating oil into the part that is catching.
I'm confused as to how you can wiggle it, but can't thread it out with vice grips. There might just be something caught in between the threads.

[Soilent Green]

Oh okay sorry, thank you all for the info

[Brian R.]

Maybe the bolt is left-handed threads itself...