I had to use a 14 foot pipe on top of a 3/8 inch ratchet.
and im a 250 lb guy and was hanging from the bar and then it broke. Thats with a hour or 2 or PB blaster.
WOW! what broke? wrench or bolt?
I know that necessity drives technique on repair jobs, but I wouldn't tackle a strut job without air tools.
Props for going for it, though!:chug:
If you have to use hand tools, try some heat on the bolt first. Even a propane torch will eventually warm it up to a mild red glow. Then spray some PB blaster into the threads & bolt head area. It will smoke a bit, but capillary action (like sweat soldering) will suck some of it into where it needs to go.
The heat will also expand the bolt a little, causing the rust bond to break.
Lastly, the best hand tool to break the big bolts free would be a Hex, box end wrench of decent quality (SK, Snap-on, etc), then hit it hard with a BFH -- at least a 1lb hammer. Sort of like a slow-motion impact:thumbsup:
That works pretty well, too.
I just use a 1/2" drive CP impact gun. Pops the big bolts right off.