If it's a ball-joint front you can just remove the thin leaves as long as you remove them in whole stacks (of three). There's no need to cut packings like on a king & link front...
"Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something." (Plato)
I've never used a thru bolt so wouldn't know, sorry. There's no re-drilling or anything needed on a balljoint beam; just pull whole stacks of thin leaves out (I usually remove them all) and toss them over the hedge...
"Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something." (Plato)