04 Rubicon lower control arm mount bolts

Wade Durbin

Wade Durbin

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I watched a video on YouTube about the best place to drill drain holes on my TJ frame so I could flood it out good with a pressure washer before using Eastwood's internal frame coating. The video persuaded me to drill 3/8" holes in frame through small holes in lower control arm mounts on all four corners.

I went to start drilling only to find some bolts sticking out of these holes which seem to be mounted to a small metal bar. (Only at rear end on Jeep) My 05 Rubicon did not have these. What are they and why are they there???? Only thought is added support.

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toximus said:
Those aren't factory.
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I suspect that they are indeed factory, not factory Jeep but factory that made the frame. They look like they would be used in the dies that form the lower control arm brackets and are shoes that go in the forming dies that have the locating pins that line up in the holes of the flat piece of sheetmetal before they form it. Without the holes and locating pins in the dies, they have no way to ensure that the two side holes for the bolts will line up since the friction is variable and the metal can pull to one side or the other when they press it into the U shape. The pins ensure that it can't move enough to shift the two side holes.

Put another way, they are a manufacturing artifact and the dies broke.
 
mrblaine said:
I suspect that they are indeed factory, not factory Jeep but factory that made the frame. They look like they would be used in the dies that form the lower control arm brackets and are shoes that go in the forming dies that have the locating pins that line up in the holes of the flat piece of sheetmetal before they form it. Without the holes and locating pins in the dies, they have no way to ensure that the two side holes for the bolts will line up since the friction is variable and the metal can pull to one side or the other when they press it into the U shape. The pins ensure that it can't move enough to shift the two side holes.

Put another way, they are a manufacturing artifact and the dies broke.
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Looking at it again on a bigger screen, I think you're right. Those aren't normal bolts. How it's stayed in for 15 years isn't apparent looking at the pictures it doesn't look like there's any retainer on them.
 
toximus said:
Looking at it again on a bigger screen, I think you're right. Those aren't normal bolts. How it's stayed in for 15 years isn't apparent looking at the pictures it doesn't look like there's any retainer on them.
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Looks like the die missed the lower holes they press into, deformed and upset which caused them to stick in the mount which pulled them out of the upper forming punch.
 
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mrblaine said:
Put another way, they are a manufacturing artifact and the dies broke.
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Your whole post sounds entirely true.

But>>>

I'm not sure what's more impossible.

1: Two different dies breaking at close enough times that both of those end up in the same bin full of parts to be welded on any frame.

2: The quality dept let two obvious visually defective parts in that bin.

3: They both end up on the same frame.


In the 2nd picture, I thought I was seeing a square nut but the 3rd picture is at a slight angle where it looks like it might be one rectangular bar that had two (threaded?) holes. I'd probably hit all the broken pins/bolts with a BFH and see what they do.
 
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Thanks for the input. The one side showing both (bolt heads) coming through is loose but I couldn't seem to work it out of mount by hand because the rectangular bar holding them in doesn't have enough play to slip both ends out. The other side only has the one (bolt head coming through on the lower side and seems to be almost welded in that hole. (Wouldn't move by hand.)
 
I'm guessing that a previors owner has something bolted on there (skid?). I's cut the bolts near flush and the push them out. FWIW, I was a great telephone man. I am a mediocre mechanic.
 
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andy29847 said:
I'm guessing that a previors owner has something bolted on there (skid?). I's cut the bolts near flush and the push them out. FWIW, I was a great telephone man. I am a mediocre mechanic.
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Hard to tell but I don't think the previous owner had anything bolted there. Jeep was completely stock as far as I could tell when I bought it. Thanks for the replies. Had me puzzled last night!
 
mrblaine said:
Looks like the die missed the lower holes they press into, deformed and upset which caused them to stick in the mount which pulled them out of the upper forming punch.
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Do you agree that is a safe/good spot to drill some drain holes in the frame mrblaine? Always looking for the best advice before I tear stuff up. Hard to undrill holes once it's done 😏
 
mrblaine said:
Looks like the die missed the lower holes they press into, deformed and upset which caused them to stick in the mount which pulled them out of the upper forming punch.
Click to expand...

If true, you have solved a big mystery for me!

OP - when I bought my '04 sport, I had one of these fall out on the passenger side. We were poking around for rust and it literally just fell out from the exact spot you have pictured above. After about a month of ownership, the other one fell out the other side one day while I was cleaning the frame. Still have it sitting on my desk at home.
 
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Not_Invented_Here_ said:
If true, you have solved a big mystery for me!

OP - when I bought my '04 sport, I had one of these fall out on the passenger side. We were poking around for rust and it literally just fell out from the exact spot you have pictured above. After about a month of ownership, the other one fell out the other side one day while I was cleaning the frame. Still have it sitting on my desk at home.
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Well I hope it fell out because it was rusted and not the control arm mount! I feel dumb for never noticing them before last night.
 
Wade Durbin said:
Well I hope it fell out because it was rusted and not the control arm mount! I feel dumb for never noticing them before last night.
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Luckily the former rather than the latter. I've been meaning to ask about it just out of curiosity for a while, practically jumped out of my seat when I saw your post.

Were the holes you drilled through the openings in the LCA mounts in addition to the holes in front of them or were they drilled instead of the ones on the flat part of the rail, in front of the mounts? I've typically heard of one or the other but not both.
 
Well I'm glad the post helped us both understand better haha. And I have not drilled any holes yet. But I was going to drill through the holes in the LCA mounts only. Not on the flat part next to them. I hope that explains. Right now there are no holes in the bottom of the rail.
 
Wade Durbin said:
Well I'm glad the post helped us both understand better haha. And I have not drilled any holes yet. But I was going to drill through the holes in the LCA mounts only. Not on the flat part next to them. I hope that explains. Right now there are no holes in the bottom of the rail.
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Yep it does, just curious. You'll be amazed what comes out of there. I'm glad I did it and it truly may have saved my frame.
 
Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Yep it does, just curious. You'll be amazed what comes out of there. I'm glad I did it and it truly may have saved my frame.
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I know it will. I have seen the one on my 02 sport rot away from the inside out packed with mud and salt. Won't happen again! The cure for cancer on our beloved TJ"s. It's getting a healthy coating of eastwoods green internal frame coating once it's flooded out and blown out with the air hose. Then wait for a nice sunny day. 👍
 
Well cut the top piece off to get enough play to drop it out. Final results folks. Take a good look at an almost full intact hitchhiker found on the 04 Rubicon.

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Very light tap with 2 pound sledge dropped other side right out as the top head must have fallen out. Also I apologise for beating this thread to death. Just found it interesting since not many other guys had ever seen it like me.

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