little help with a kawasaki ski

[tomahawkcat]

hello just taking my skis apart to get them powercoated and having a time with getting the very rear bolt out. Is it threaded into the ski bracket? the front one just slid right in and out. just sitting with penitrating oil on it now after heating it  a few times  hope to get it off in a few days  does anybody remember if they took theirs apart if it threated in  thanks

[79Intruder]

Mine was not threaded, But maybe just rusted in there. Try hitting it with a hammer.

[gixxer6]

It is not threaded.  The rear bolt goes through an aluminum bushing.  These can get very corroded and can be almost impossible to remove.  Some come apart with a hammer, some I have had to cut the bolt off with a hacksaw, and replace the bushing and bolt. 

[bryan_damone]

It is not threaded.  The rear bolt goes through an aluminum bushing.  These can get very corroded and can be almost impossible to remove.  Some come apart with a hammer, some I have had to cut the bolt off with a hacksaw, and replace the bushing and bolt.

x2. Mine was frozen together really good. I had to cut the bolt to get it apart. You can buy the aluminum bushing from McMaster car for ~4 bucks (3/4 x 2, 3/8 screw size).  Alternatively, if you know someone with a metal lathe you can cook up a new bushing in 5 min out of 3/4 round bar. You could also try to drill out the bolt in the original bushing using a lathe, but it is nearly impossible to drill it out completely without the bit wandering into the soft aluminum. Please put antiseize in there when you reassemble it. Whether its you or the next guy that takes them apart, they will give you props in the future.

[mswyka]

Agreed, cut the bolt off.  The bushing is the same diameter as the aluminum cross-bars in the suspension.  If you have a spare cross bar one you can make your own very easily.  If you don't have a spare I am sure that there are plenty of spare ones on this forum.  I know I have a few of them here if you need one.

[tomahawkcat]

yea get the grinder out and grind the heads off why try and kill your self with tools, easier just to buy all new bots anyways, they have all kinds of bushing at the hardware store to, should be no problem, if i only had a nickel for all the time I had the steel ,aluminum problem,  seems like every snowmobile you work on has these headaches, im pretty such the arctic cats ive done before had the back bolt threaed into the bracket so you had to re tap everything, lots of extra work, why didnt they use antiseize back then ??  thanks

[tomahawkcat]

i once had about a 1976 yamaha 340 trail sled and they even had their bolts on the skis drill on the end and put a cottter pin in them for safty i guess, nowday with all the gunk you can put on bolts and nylon nuts you dont have to do that anymore, but was a cool idea back then