You indicate there is a gap between the front ear and the bushing--I assume there is no similar gap between the rear ear and the bushing to cut the other side of the bolt. One radical thought I had would be to try and press the bolt out with a balljoint tool, (it's similar to a c-clamp if you're unfamiliar with it). Cut a short length (1" or less so it won't bend) of a bolt the same size or slightly smaller, butt it up to the cut end of bolt, use a short sleeve larger than the the nut head on the other end and use your impact wrench to tighten down and force it through. Once you break the bolt free from the bushing, you can either use a longer shaft to finish forcing it through, or cut the bolt. You can probably borrow a ball joint tool from your local Advance Auto Parts or local parts supplier for free--I did and it was a wonderful tool for pressing out bushings (they're less than $100 for a basic kit to buy).

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

I've thought about your situation and I have a few further thoughts:

One relatively painless approach would be to put a pointed tip on an air hammer (less than $20 from Harbor Freight) and hit the cut end of the bolt to drive it out. I've seen that method used to break frozen bearings free from the axle. It's all about the rapid vibration.

Another tool that might break the bearing free from the bolt is a bearing splitter --as I recall there's enough room to work with. All you really need to do is get enough space between the flange and the bearing to get your sawsall cutting blade in. You indicated there's enough to of a gap on the other side and the splitter could push it that far.

It might break just the outer bearing ring, but that would allow you try cutting through the inner ring with your sawsall (the vibration of the blade might also break it free from the bolt). A laborious process, but desperate times .........

My last resort would be a torch to cut through the bearing and bolt. I would want someone highly experienced to do that job to avoid any chance of warping the strut flanges.

If it were me, I would try everything I could before taking the control arm off with the strut attached so you can work on it on your bench. I am paranoid about upsetting the suspension calibration by removing the strut.

I hope some of this helps.

 

Dan, sincerely appreciate the suggestion. At this point a small tip of the bolt is still stuck in the nut, so the air chisel might be a way to go. I have a ball joint tool, actually two in different sizes. But a bearing splitter/puller between the bolt head and the rear strut flange is a great idea. I was hoping to save this slow cold leaker shock as a rebuildable core or spare. I do have a new lwoer shock bushing on hand.