Upper rear shock bolt relocation

[Makok]

hi all, long time forum stalker, first time poster.

Lifting a virgin tj that has some extensive rust. I ended up snapping the upper shock bolts and have been looking up repairs all day. Ran across this YouTube video of an alternative method and wonder if I could get your experienced opinion on its validity.




Thanks for the input

 

[Rob5589]

@mrblaine would know for certain if that is a viable solution. One thing I see right away is the shock will be too long so you will have to add bump stops which is a negative, losing up travel. The other thing, not sure I would trust mounting to the end of a bolt due to possible bending.

 

[Davidtj]

Looks like shock is close to original position, I don’t think it would be to long. Maybe would be better to use a grade 8 bolt, ideally sleeve the frame that would make it really strong

 

[Makok]

The guy claims to have been riding with it for a year on and off road with no problems. Bending bolt was a concern but I suppose with grade 8 hardware and the mall crawling I do it might just work.

 

[jjvw]

I don't like it. He "solved" one problem and created another. The rear bump stops are almost certainly set for the collapsed shock. Moving the upper mount down, as this guy is doing, will require more bump stop and a loss of up travel.

2003 Rubicon

 

[jjvw]

The guy claims to have been riding with it for a year on and off road with no problems. Bending bolt was a concern but I suppose with grade 8 hardware and the mall crawling I do it might just work.

It won't be a problem for him until it becomes one. It is just a matter of time, assuming he ever notices.

2003 Rubicon

 

[Rob5589]

It won't be a problem for him until it becomes one. It is just a matter of time, assuming he ever notices.

2003 Rubicon

My thinking as well. One, he has probably not done more than take a quick look at it since installed; two, it does not look like a serious wheeler.

 

[mrblaine]

@mrblaine would know for certain if that is a viable solution. One thing I see right away is the shock will be too long so you will have to add bump stops which is a negative, losing up travel. The other thing, not sure I would trust mounting to the end of a bolt due to possible bending.

My mind goes blank pretty much as soon as they start screwing up the terminology and making screwed up assertions. NO, the frame isn't how it is supposed to be just because a Tahoe is done that way. No, that isn't a carriage bolt, it is a hex head cap screw. No there are not bolts welded to the frame mount, they are weld nuts. No, it isn't a bowtie connector, it is a bar pin. No, you can't use a 5/8" nut as a spacer because you have overlooked how shock sleeves work. If it doesn't have a bolt sleeve inside the shock bushing, then it has a shoulder on the shock pin to capture the bushing snugly but not overly tight. The nuts would work "IF" he uses a 1/2" fender washer against the nut, another on the outside of the shock bushing, and then a locking nut to just snug the bushing down and capture it. If there is a bolt sleeve, then he needs the fender washers to tighten against the bolt sleeve so the sleeve doesn't move but the bushing can do its job.

As far as bending the bolt, have you seen a bent stabilizer bolt before?

 

[Chris]

I don't like it. He "solved" one problem and created another. The rear bump stops are almost certainly set for the collapsed shock. Moving the upper mount down, as this guy is doing, will require more bump stop and a loss of up travel.

2003 Rubicon

X2. Seems like he didn't "solve" anything at all.

 

[mrblaine]

It won't be a problem for him until it becomes one. It is just a matter of time, assuming he ever notices.

2003 Rubicon

If you set it up correctly with a frame sleeve so the bolt can't wobble in the holes, it won't bend a grade 8 bolt unless you bottom the shock out on it.

 

[Mike_H]

I checked out when he started messing up nouns, so I'm automatically inclined to think the guy is an idiot, and his ideas are dumb. Mr Blaine summed up why this is a bad idea.

I especially don't like the fact that there is no sleeve in the frame. You can't tighten that bolt against anything. The frame is hollow and can collapse with the pressure of the bolted joint. There are so many things wrong with that setup.

 

[Jorge Bolivar]

Once he start using the wrong terminology He lost me.

 

[weldedcambolt]

I see the bolt wobbling out the hole, like the front trac axle bracket, over time, an with rust, from the up an down force, an even cracking the frame at the top of the bolt with enough good poundings, slowly but possibly surely. an another point for mud to get stuck in, if its gonna be in mud. some paint their holes after they drill thru something like that with some antirust sealant, but even thats going to wear off, from the stress. what do shocks exert in an angle like that, an what is the strenght tests of that bolt on an angle like that, an the strength tests of the frame rail to a bolt like that? do step bar bolts wobble out holes, but thats only acouple poundings a day. will the top of the shock crack from uneven force. all good ideas start from somewhere, even from some bad ones. now, i do see this guy watchin his shock mounting, all the time to check on it, my reasoning......hes got a suit on, an don't want a lawsuit, an seeing that he came back a year later, he did show up on it. now he didnt say how it rides? I kinda see it like being out on the plank with that end bolt.....?

the guy on the plank is sayin.."thers got to be a better way"

 

[Squatch]

I see the bolt wobbling out the hole, like the front trac axle bracket, over time, an with rust, from the up an down force, an even cracking the frame at the top of the bolt with enough good poundings, slowly but possibly surely. an another point for mud to get stuck in, if its gonna be in mud. some paint their holes after they drill thru something like that with some antirust sealant, but even thats going to wear off, from the stress. what do shocks exert in an angle like that, an what is the strenght tests of that bolt on an angle like that, an the strength tests of the frame rail to a bolt like that? do step bar bolts wobble out holes, but thats only acouple poundings a day. will the top of the shock crack from uneven force. all good ideas start from somewhere, even from some bad ones. now, i do see this guy watchin his shock mounting, all the time to check on it, my reasoning......hes got a suit on, an don't want a lawsuit, an seeing that he came back a year later, he did show up on it. now he didnt say how it rides? I kinda see it like being out on the plank with that end bolt.....?

the guy on the plank is sayin.."thers got to be a better way"

You owe me 3.09 minutes, @weldedcambolt. LOL Trying like hell to relate that video to, well...anything!!! Guess I'm getting old.

 

[Makok]

Ended up following your advice and cut off/removed welded nuts. Now it’s a matter of installing new hardware. How are you all holding the top of the bolt secure while you bolt it from the bottom?

 

[KCsTJ]

I could use a good primer on Jeep nomenclature...
I'm wondering if the bow tie connector is attached to the tuxedo bolt ..lol

 

[Makok]

I could use a good primer on Jeep nomenclature...
I'm wondering if the bow tie connector is attached to the tuxedo bolt ..lol

...sigh.... KCsTJ, of course it is! Well, only if you have the TJ sport Formal model

 

[jjvw]

I could use a good primer on Jeep nomenclature...
I'm wondering if the bow tie connector is attached to the tuxedo bolt ..lol

They are held together with a fine quality cumberbund belt.

2003 Rubicon