yup, sheared the pinch bolt both sides. bolt is so stuck i've tried blowtorch, pb blaster, vice, hammer. and the bolt seems too hard to drill. fuuuuck.

anyone got any ideas??

 

Are you doing all of the CAs or what? I would take everything else apart so you can get the wheel carrier out of there and work on the pinch bolt outside of the car. Try hitting it with drift pins if your able to.

 

Get the hub assembly out of the car and see if you can knock it out with the BFH. Otherwise you will be drilling it out, it is hardened steel, and you will have to be very careful not to drill a crooked hole.

 

finally finished the upper control arms...that pinch bolt was the most annoying thing i've ever dealt with on my audi. after drilling it out halfway thru, i gave it some more whacks and i finally saw movement! worked it back and forth and pb blasted and it eventually came out. passenger side took 15 minutes to get the pinch bolt out....drivers side 4 hours!!

 

No doubt that the ol' pinch bolt is a bear. I am in the process of doing my drivers side for a second time in 4 years. It was still really touch after having a new bolt just a few years ago. I guess I didn't put any antiseize on it last time. Problem is, the passengers side is still to come, and it might be the original 11 year-old bolt. Yikes!

I used PB Blaster for several days leading up to the job. Also an air hammer. But the two pound sledge still proved most effective... but what a wicked amount of violence that causes for the components! Once it broke loose, I could air hammer it the rest of the way.