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[BlewitUp]

Hey guys,

Need a hand.  Anyone know what size bolt goes through the bottom of the rear knuckles?  Know what the material is?  Thread pitch? I think I somehow bent mine, and I can see this is going to get hairy.  I hope all I sacrifice is the bolt.  If not, no big deal I guess.  I can get the one off the other side, just thought maybe someone may know off the top of their head.

It also appears someone welded the tubes that go through the bushings to the knuckle.  That may also be where the binding is coming from.  I will post all the offensive carnage pictures when I get it straightened out.

Thanks in advance,
-Ryan

[Rocketman]

They aren't welded, they rust & seize fast to the bolt over time. They can be an utter nightmare to remove, don't pull it out unless you absolutely have to.

Best bet is to hit the mazda dealer. It's like an 8" bolt where only a small portion of the end is threaded.

The last time I had to fight one, I destroyed the bushings and had to use an oxy torch to heat the knuckle and a special jig in a vice to press the rusted bits of bolt out of the knuckle.

Best of luck!

[BlewitUp]

I have a second set of knuckles (off the car) that I put new bearings and rotors on.  Wanted to do it while I was still driving on the old ones.  I am probably looking at having to get new bushings after this.  I saw part numbers around here somewhere when I was searching for something else.

I can use threaded rod for the bolt if I need to.  It's all sleeved, so no big deal there.

[Rocketman]

AFAIK there was only one company in Australia making replacement rear bushings, and the lead time on those isn't great I've heard. You could make your own bushings from Delrin or Urethane if you have a lathe, I'll probably go that route at some point. If you find something do let us know!

Otherwise the lateral links get replaced as a whole unit with new ones :/