For reference this is a 5/8 lock nut with an Allen screw inside. It was so seized up, we let it soak for 3 days with antiseize, tried head and freeze method, and nothing helped. Still ended up with a stripped screw. I’m at a loss at this point and not sure I feel comfortable grinding a notch into it.
You can try and hammer in a torx but that’s slightly larger and see if it will turn if not or if you are trying to turn just the shaft and not the nut clockwise maybe you can try a capped nut
That’s not a bad idea. It’s a lock nut so it has to be loosened first in order to get the screw free, so it’s kind of a pain in the ass. The torx isn’t a bad idea. I thought about rec welding an Allen key into it and just leaving it but I decided against that idea for now.
Can you reach what’s behind the Allen head screw? Maybe get some vice grips in there to prevent that screw from turning and then use a wrench to turn the nut instead.
Other easier than the notch cut might be using a nut splitter on the nut and then replacing the nut instead.
What part is that a toe rod end?
The screw doesn’t have enough exposed thread to get a good grip with the vice grips. Tried out needle nose grips and it was just spinning on the threads still. The screw isn’t replaceable and I wouldn’t if I wanted to, but the nut is replaceable so I might try splitting it. I would be very worried about damaging that screw though as it would mean a new steering gearbox if I did.
Pinching the nut off could damage the threads so don’t do it. It’s not a big chance but there is a chance. If you can get a file in there and get some movement you can spend hours cutting it that way. It’s the long way but the safe way.
If you have a good file it might only take a few minutes that nut looks like soft metal. But no on the nut splitter. If it was .cheap suspension part yeah but the pinching could crush your threads on the screw.
You did loosen the nut first, didn’t you? You are adjusting the steering box?
Yes we had loosened it about 1.5 full turns and then held it in place with a 5/8 wrench wedged into the radiator support and the screw is seized into the nut itself and nothing was getting it loose