406oc.co.uk

Hi just to share some advice just done front anti rollbar vertical links & rear top links.

Lastnight I gave them a good soaking & again this morning with VW maintenance spray.

So the fronts went not too bad had to resort to my disc cutter with 1mm disc on anti roll bar ends they came undone till the threads corrision overcome the grip of a 5mm hex drive, this ok because there is then a gap.

The rear outer end is a different matter you have a brake pipe bracket to hinder you, so I did the usual until the grip of the 5mm hex bit gave up, then I hammered in a 6mm multispline bit & this gives a better grip & out they come.

Hope this proves helpfull to other owners.

Nice tip.
To be honest, if you're taking them off because they're fubar'd, don't try and wind the nut off and find that the thread spins....get mole grips or stillsons on the thing and give it a good,strong twist to pop one end off the balljoint, then that leaves you a nice fat piece of steel (the ball) to grip with Mole grips while a socket spins the nut off easily. The other balljoint will be easier to pop off once the first one's off.

Not for the rear ones though.

Yes, the rear ones too. This principle applies to most ball jointed ends.
The ball joint end of the track control arm at the rear would be the same once the inboard end has been released and dropped down from the bracket to allow for the twisting movement.
This is a pic the lower end of the rear drop link and what you're left with once the joint has popped off. There's never a problem to get the nut off once you have something substantial to grip on to....