Lift kit installation fun...NEED HELP

Backyard_Brumby · Post by **Backyard_Brumby** » Sun May 15, 2011 6:32 pm

So have had nothing but fun dislodging the old rusty and just generally stubborn bolts that need to be removed so I can install my 2" body lift.

Have now run into a problem, when undoing the 2 small bolts that connect the moustache/diff hanger to the chassis they suddenly went loose but would not come out. From what the old man and I can tell is that there are captive nuts in the chassis that have busted loose when trying to crack the bolts.

So now the two bolts are spinning and not coming out, the concern is that even if we get them out the nuts will shift and we will have nothing to put the bolts back into. Can anyone from this collective wealth of knowledge come up with any solution?

Our last resort is having to cut through the tray so we can hold the nut to get the bolt out the go about re attaching a captive nut followed by welding a new plate in the tray....I would really not like to go this way as neither of us have welding experience so it will end up an expensive task as well as a long and painful one.

Cheers for any advice

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Sun May 15, 2011 6:58 pm

Not 100% sure on this but pretty sure (hopefully someone who knows Brumby's better can confirm) - take the rear bumper off. You should be able to see down the rails that contain these captive nuts.

I'd cut the heads off the bolts with a grinder and push up them into the rails, then fish them out with a bit of wire or something.
You'll have to put new nuts in but probably won't be able to spot weld them in to make them truely captive, but so long as you can hold them and do the bolts up from under the car it should be right.

d_generate · Post by **d_generate** » Sun May 15, 2011 7:29 pm

I've got holes all over my WRX from these poxy things coming off and in one case some cock sitting there with a rattle gun ripping the thread out so the bolt just kept spinning.

Post by **TOONGA** » Sun May 15, 2011 7:44 pm

no rear bumber on a brumby Andrew 2 bumperettes and 2 inspection openings where either fog lights or a very rare full rear bumper will go.

I truely don't know if you could see down the rails to the bolts.

I do know the only real way to get those captive nuts out is as you have suggested James "the last resort" and yes it is a lot of work but once it is done... it is done

I still have a captive nut with a broken bolt in it, I was in the process of removing my mustache bar to install my lift kit when I ran into the same problem as you, bolts that were seized.

I was undoing the bolts then CRC-ing them, then doing them back up then undoing them again. of course it was the very last bolt I had to do and it was being a right so and so and it broke as I was turning it back in to the nut... not happy

good luck with it

TOONGA

Backyard_Brumby · Post by **Backyard_Brumby** » Sun May 15, 2011 8:01 pm

Toonga you killed my hopes of some easy option that I had stupidly overlooked haha. Sounds like it is a fun job for everybody, I guess they are 21 yr old bolts that aren't really supposed to be removed.

Is it worth trying to cut a whole next to either bolt and sticking the hand up to hold the nuts or do I go the whole hog and cut from the top through the tray?

olddog642 · Post by **olddog642** » Sun May 15, 2011 8:10 pm

Our last resort is having to cut through the tray so we can hold the nut to get the bolt out the go about re attaching a captive nut followed by welding a new plate in the tray....I would really not like to go this way as neither of us have welding experience so it will end up an expensive task as well as a long and painful one.

Cheers for any advice[/QUOTE]
Well you could use a metal cutting hole saw and plug the hole with a rubber plug similar to the ones that are (at least should be) already plugging various holes in the tray floor. This would then look just like they are meant to be there.
Hylton:twisted:

Post by **TOONGA** » Sun May 15, 2011 8:13 pm

James cut the bolt heads off and remove the moustache bar, then cut them flush with the body, then drill them out with a hole saw and weld 2 new captive nuts back into the holes you have made (Using bolts in the nuts to hold the repairs in place)

thats about the simplest solution I can think of but someone else may have a simpler idea.

EDIT: Hylton's Idea will work

TOONGA

Backyard_Brumby · Post by **Backyard_Brumby** » Sun May 15, 2011 8:23 pm

Cheers guys, I do love being able to draw on some experience.

any issues with cutting holes out of the chassis, loss of structural integrity?

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Sun May 15, 2011 8:47 pm

Take the bumperettes off for a look then I guess, worth a shot.
I'm basing this tip from something I remember from many years ago - Tim81Coupe did this when converting his MY coupe from 2wd to 4wd - he had to put nuts in there because the body of his car didn't have them in the first place. He was able to do it like I described.

Backyard_Brumby · Post by **Backyard_Brumby** » Sun May 15, 2011 9:04 pm

`Cheers AndrewT, The car is a shell at the moment so everything is off. I don't think we would be able to reach close to the bolts through the back. We had a look in those inspection panels the other day when looking at mounting the new rear bar.

I will definitely give it a good look though, otherwise I think I will go with hylton's idea as I am always a fan with less welding necessary.