Broke my 1/2 inch impact on a rusty control arm bolt in Dallas last Tuesday

Had a 2012 F150 come in with a suspension noise. Customer said it started after they tried to replace the control arms themselves. Got it on the lift, started on the passenger side and my old Ingersoll Rand just gave up halfway through the third bolt. Started smoking and everything. Had to finish with a breaker bar and a cheater pipe, which took forever. So now I'm shopping for a new gun. Is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel really worth $150 more than the standard model, or should I just get another air impact and stick with what I know?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_reed6227d ago

Broke my 1/2 inch impact on a rusty control arm bolt" man that hits close to home. A buddy of mine had the same thing happen with his Snap-On gun trying to get a stuck tie rod end loose on a rusty 98 Silverado. He was out in the driveway for like two hours wrestling with a breaker bar while his wife kept yelling at him from the door asking if he was almost done. Honestly the whole situation was a mess.

dianahayes27d ago

Oh man, the "wife yelling from the door" part is way too real. I had the exact same thing with a seized caliper bracket bolt on my old F150. My wife came out twice asking if I wanted dinner and I was just covered in PB Blaster and sweat, finally gave up and soaked it in penetrating oil overnight.

wendyg4326d ago

Wife yelling from the door" is too real, same thing happened to me with a stuck lower ball joint on my old Tahoe. @drew_reed62 I feel for your buddy, that Snap-On gun isn't cheap to replace either. She kept coming out asking if I'd seen her good kitchen scissors and I had to admit I used them to cut a rubber bushing. That led to a whole separate argument about using her stuff for car parts. Penetrating oil overnight is the only way to win those fights, but it still hurts the wallet and the pride.

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