Frame may be bent

[mrblaine]

I just drilled my frame holes through to the other side and used 3.5" 7/16-14 bolts and nylocks.

For those following along at home, in a slightly different application that is further from a welded crossmember and might actually be structural, this is not the best idea. The bolt torque is fully dependent upon not squashing the frame sides together.

I also had a quarter inch gap on the passenger side. The 1 inch bolts provided by Dirtworx weren't long enough and I replaced them with 2".

Also going to order a couple of bolt skid plates for the bottom bolts... don't want to snag something on the head, deform the head or anything like that.

https://barnes4wd.com/products/3-8-to-7-16-bolt-head-protector

-Mac

Just run the factory bolt, the changes of any of things you're worried about actually happening are so close to zero as to fully ignored. JV has more rocks that we run across in a few seasons than you will see in a lifetime and there isn't a single instance of those bolts being affected in a negative manner.

 

[macleanflood]

The bolt torque is fully dependent upon not squashing the frame sides together.

Yeah I really should sleeve them...

-Mac

 

[mrblaine]

Yeah I really should sleeve them...

-Mac

Sleeving is its own set of problems. Sleeving only supports movement or resists dislocation using one side of the frame. If you get a hole diameter that the sleeve will fit through, then the sleeve has to be slightly shorter than the width of the frame or you tighten against the sleeve ends and that can move back and forth in the frame. Shorter means you can tighten and compress the frame sides inward and that works until the forces get high enough to move only one side of the frame in or out and now the bolt is loose.

If you weld the ends of the sleeve, that works much better but sleeves tend to be thin wall and difficult to get correct.

You are not in much danger of having an issue due to where it is.