@skrelnik I’ve gotta replace my shocks soon. I just want to verify that the nut is welded on for the rear shocks? Thanks.
Broke upper rear shock bolts!
- Thread starter Erik V
- Start date
derekmac
TJ Addict
I'm pretty sure I used my air cutoff tool with a (I think) 3" cutting disc.It pains me that I find myself reading and posting on this thread. Had a phenomenal day off road yesterday & in the back of my mind was the installation of my new shocks today, what a great weekend right?
It all started innocently enough when I popped the front shocks out in about 15 minutes. 15 minutes later I was looking at two driver's side upper mounting bolts laying on the floor broken.
The passenger side fought me good for a while & I actually got one of them off :campeon: only to then spin the second one into a perfectly round ball unmovable even with a bolt extractor
I then began the inevitable search for ideas & this one looks the best. My question is what's the best way to cut the hole in the bed, I have a grinder with a cutting wheel but I'm thinking that might be too big to cut this size hole? I don't have a lot of experience cutting metal & I'd really rather not butcher my TJ learning... any help?
Indeed it is welded. I would recommend using Liquid Wrench, or your choice of penetrant, a couple days prior to your install. Make sure to have your socket fully seated on the bolt-head, like double and triple check, it's worth it.
Also, right above the shocks you can wiggle your hand in between the frame and rubber shield to feel for and see the bolt, and you can get a couple fingers on the nut. So if you do break one, use that area for help to cut the nut off, and also to drop in a new nut.
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Yeah, you can use whatever you have available. I used a Dremel with an attachment, and a tap. These two things, had them in the "dremel box" and they worked like a charm.
Dremel attachment: The 225-01 Flex Shaft Attachment
Dremel 420 Heavy Duty Cut-Off Wheels
OP
It pains me that I find myself reading and posting on this thread. Had a phenomenal day off road yesterday & in the back of my mind was the installation of my new shocks today, what a great weekend right?
It all started innocently enough when I popped the front shocks out in about 15 minutes. 15 minutes later I was looking at two driver's side upper mounting bolts laying on the floor broken
The passenger side fought me good for a while & I actually got one of them off :campeon: only to then spin the second one into a perfectly round ball unmovable even with a bolt extractor
I then began the inevitable search for ideas & this one looks the best. My question is what's the best way to cut the hole in the bed, I have a grinder with a cutting wheel but I'm thinking that might be too big to cut this size hole? I don't have a lot of experience cutting metal & I'd really rather not butcher my TJ learning... any help?
Oh boy, lol
Not to big of a job to do.
I believe I used a 2” hole/cup saw. Once I measured it out to where the holes need to be I made two holes side by side and then finished it off with a dremell cut off wheel.
Just follow what I did and it should work out fine for you.
I don’t have this problem as I live in California, but if I did I would remove one of the front oval floor drain plugs. Match a hole saw to the radius of the hole. That way after I cut the access hole I could insert a factory style floor plug when I was done.
Punch or cold chisel will,knock them off in a heartbeat, did this on my XJ rear shock bolts. Just like above after hours of trying to drill them out I just wackecd them with a punch they popped right off.
I had to cut the nuts out of mine...they were welded on there pretty good. Cold chisel didn't budge them. Definitely give it a try though, especially before cutting a hole in the floor!
i had same problem broke and rounded 3 out of the four bolts so i got 2 6" grade 8 bolts drilled through the frame welded hole supports so the holes dont egg out took dogbone out of shocks put sleeves in place of them put bolt through frame put spacers on slid shock on then a washer and then the nut my frame had a small triangle hole in the exact spot i had to drill through
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Sounds interesting ... I'm not sure I'm totally following you though. It sounds like you disposed of the dog bone pieces and used the 6" bolts instead. But I don't understand how you mounted the bolts to the crossmember. Would you have a picture available ?
If you're going to cut a hole in your floor, you may want to cut one in the shape and size of a floor pan drain plug. That way, you can install the plug, and the modification will look more "factory" than some other options. Just a thought...
I also broke a couple on my Jeep. I just drilled through the nut Then used a longer bolt with lock nut on top
did you use any kind of lock washer on there, and where did you find the nuts & bolts?
Thanks man
Use a bit of blue locktite if you want, spring washers don't do much.
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There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
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There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
I thought anti-seize was the goop of choice for these bolts? I don't even want to get into what I just went through removing them, I'm still a bit traumatized
I thought anti-seize was the goop of choice for these bolts? I don't even want to get into what I just went through removing them, I'm still a bit traumatized
I used anti-seize in combination with a lock nut and lock washer.
https://www.boltdepot.com
I used anti-seize as well, but no lock washers. It was more a matter of if someone was afraid they'd come loose. Personally I looked up the lubed torque spec of the new bolts and went with that. Locktite will however help keep moisture off the threads so it should help prevent rust. Lock nuts are fine, lock washers are an exercise in frustration and don't do much of anything. How many lock washers do you see on factory bolts?I thought anti-seize was the goop of choice for these bolts? I don't even want to get into what I just went through removing them, I'm still a bit traumatized
—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
While I cannot agree or disagree about lock washers, it was peace of mind to install it. I figured it would not be an issue to install it, but could be a concern if I did not use one. When in doubt I err on the side of caution.
Lol yep, as long as you torque the bolt down so the spring portion goes flat then you effectively have a small flat washer. Doesn't do any harm, just doesn't do any good. The tention on the bolt threads is what keeps it in place, theoretically a spring washer should hold tention even if the bolt backs off a bit, however it's been my experience that every time I pull a spring washer off something, it doesn't spring back anymore, thus doing nothing.
An old dirt track car builder once told me, I drilled the hole the right size, I'm not taking any washers around the track for free.
—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.