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S30 Rear Spindle Pin Removal

On the 240Z, 260Z and 280Z, the rear lower control arm (Nissan calls it the transverse link) bolts to the bottom of the rear strut housing with a long steel spindle pin. The pin runs through the cast-iron strut housing and the two control arm bushings, and a tapered lock bolt in the middle keeps it from turning. After 40-plus years the pin rusts into the housing and the bushing sleeves, and getting it out is one of the most dreaded jobs on an S30. You have to remove it to replace the rear control arm bushings or the strut housing.

*WARNING* - Support the car on jack stands, never on a jack alone. Do this at your own risk. We are not responsible for any issues of your own doing.

Factory Specs

ItemSpec
Spindle pin self-locking nuts (both ends)54 to 69 ft-lb (7.5 to 9.5 kg-m). Final tighten with the wheels on and the car sitting on the ground at normal load
Lock bolt7.2 to 8.7 ft-lb (1.0 to 1.2 kg-m). That's barely more than snug
Pin orientationInstall the pin so the shorter side, measured from the lock bolt notch, faces the front of the car
Pin threadsM12 x 1.25 on each end; the pin body is 0.630" (16mm) in diameter

From the 1975 280Z factory service manual, section RA, pages RA-7 and RA-8.

Tools

  • A spindle pin puller. ZCar Depot sells one (Spindle Pin Removal Tool V2, part 800-1042), and many owners build their own from a length of pipe, hardened all-thread, washers and a thrust bearing. It screws onto the end of the pin and pulls it out with a big nut, with no hammering.
  • A 28mm or 1-1/8" wrench for the puller nut.
  • A propane or MAPP torch.
  • Penetrating oil, and copper or nickel anti-seize.
  • A punch and a soft-faced hammer for the lock bolt.
  • New self-locking nuts for the pin ends.

Removal

  1. Soak it early. Spray penetrating oil on both ends of the pin and around the lock bolt a few days ahead, and again each day.
  2. Lift the car. Chock the front wheels, loosen the rear wheel nuts, jack up the rear, set it on stands and remove the wheel.
  3. Remove the self-locking nuts from both ends of the spindle pin.
  4. Remove the lock bolt. It sits in the middle of the strut housing and wedges into a notch in the pin. Back its nut off until it's flush with the end of the bolt, so the threads are protected, then tap the bolt out with a punch. Note which way it came out. The puller can't move the pin until the lock bolt is out.
  5. Install the puller from the rear. The rear face of the control arm is flat, so the puller goes on the rear end of the pin. Put anti-seize on the pin threads and screw the puller's rod all the way on so it has full thread engagement. Slide the pipe over it so it bears on the control arm, then add the washer, bearing and nut.
  6. Heat the housing. Heat the cast-iron strut housing around the pin, not the pin, so it expands and lets go. Keep the flame off the rubber bushings and anything else that can burn.
  7. Pull slowly. Tighten the nut a little at a time and watch the front end of the pin to make sure it's actually moving. If the nut is getting hard to turn and the pin isn't moving, stop: more force will strip the pin or the puller threads. Add heat and oil and try again.
  8. Keep going once it breaks free, until the pin is out and the control arm separates from the strut.
Don't hammer on the ends of the pin. Several owners have mushroomed the threads doing this, and then the puller can't grab the pin.

If It Won't Move

  • Give it more time: several heat-and-cool cycles and more days of soaking often break the rust bond.
  • If the pin's threads are damaged, the puller can't grip it. Clean them up with an M12 x 1.25 die first.
  • Take the strut and control arm to a machine shop with a press. Be careful pressing these yourself: the Dirty S30 author folded a control arm in a press while removing its bushings.

Cleaning and Installation

  1. Clean everything. Wire-brush the rust out of the strut housing bore and the control arm. Check the pin: if it's straight and the threads are good, it can usually be cleaned up and reused. Replacement pins are also available.
  2. Bushings. If you're replacing the control arm bushings, the old outer metal sleeves must come out too. One method from the Classic Zcar Club: make two hacksaw cuts about 3/8" apart, about 90% of the way through the sleeve, then punch the strip between them in so the sleeve collapses and comes out. Some polyurethane kits are tight between the arms; one owner sanded the bushing flanges thinner on 100-grit paper on a flat surface, measuring often, until they fit.
  3. Anti-seize. Coat the pin and the bores with anti-seize so the next person has an easier time.
  4. Orientation. Install the pin with the shorter side (measured from the lock bolt notch) facing the front of the car, so the notch lines up with the lock bolt hole.
  5. Lock bolt. Put it back in the same way it came out, seated in the notch, and tighten it to only 7.2 to 8.7 ft-lb.
  6. Nuts. Fit new self-locking nuts, but leave them loose. Put the wheels on, lower the car so it sits at normal ride height, then tighten them to 54 to 69 ft-lb. Tightening the bushings with the suspension hanging pre-loads them and shortens their life.

Watch It Done

ZCar Depot shows their puller pulling a spindle pin:

Video: Rear Suspension Spindle Pin Removal Tool Datsun 240Z 260Z 280Z by ZCar Depot. Also see 240z, 260z, 280z S30 Spindle Pin Removal Tip by on3 racing channel.

Sources Used