mikeny59
NAXJA Member #300
- Location
- NY and/or Fl.
I’m no Einstein, but maybe this’ll help someone in the same pinch I got into to.
I should have heeded the warnings, but the nut attaching the Heim joint bolt to the factory bracket backed off (not original, could never get it tight, at NYS inspection last year the guy snugged down a non-lock type nut, solved my “popping problem”, forgot all about it.
Well, a year later, yesterday, two miles from home, my steering all but goes, at least it felt like it; turn the wheel, maybe three seconds later tires respond. Almost %$#%ed my shorts. Stop, inspect, nut fell off, track bar at Heim flopping around. Limp home, can’t find fine threaded nut, but do find course threaded nut.
As a quick fix, try to cross thread it on until I can call RE for a replacement. Not happening. Get an idea: Drill out the coarse threads of the nut until almost smooth (not too much so as to make hole too big), cut new threads with impact gun. NG, but almost there. Put nut back in end of vice, and in a crude fashion, wobble my drill to create an internal bevel, or cone shape to help the crude tap and die attempt. It worked.
Snugged everything up, as a precaution, drilled hole through flat of nut, to the other side, no cotter pin in site, stuck a 12 penny nail in hole, twisted bolt end of Heim nut like $%&# until the nail wrapped itself around nut, perfect…
Won’t pass inspection, new bolt on the way, but I trust it totally. Will post pix when I install new bolt.
Hoped this helped, necessity is a mother…
I should have heeded the warnings, but the nut attaching the Heim joint bolt to the factory bracket backed off (not original, could never get it tight, at NYS inspection last year the guy snugged down a non-lock type nut, solved my “popping problem”, forgot all about it.
Well, a year later, yesterday, two miles from home, my steering all but goes, at least it felt like it; turn the wheel, maybe three seconds later tires respond. Almost %$#%ed my shorts. Stop, inspect, nut fell off, track bar at Heim flopping around. Limp home, can’t find fine threaded nut, but do find course threaded nut.
As a quick fix, try to cross thread it on until I can call RE for a replacement. Not happening. Get an idea: Drill out the coarse threads of the nut until almost smooth (not too much so as to make hole too big), cut new threads with impact gun. NG, but almost there. Put nut back in end of vice, and in a crude fashion, wobble my drill to create an internal bevel, or cone shape to help the crude tap and die attempt. It worked.
Snugged everything up, as a precaution, drilled hole through flat of nut, to the other side, no cotter pin in site, stuck a 12 penny nail in hole, twisted bolt end of Heim nut like $%&# until the nail wrapped itself around nut, perfect…
Won’t pass inspection, new bolt on the way, but I trust it totally. Will post pix when I install new bolt.
Hoped this helped, necessity is a mother…
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