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snapped a bolt replacing rear shock

B

blazinjames

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Vancouver BC, Canada
ok i have a big problem, im replacing my shocks, everything was going well i replaced the front two no problems and the one of the back ones and on the last upper bolt on the rear shock it snapped when i was reefing on it...what can i do?

i drive a 89 jeep cherokee

is it safe to only drive with one bolt attached at the top? or is that a bad idea? i 4x4 alot
 
not a good idea, try searching as this has been discussed a few times just in the last few days on how to repair it.
 
NUMEROUS posts on this. I am surprised you have not seen them yet. You really have two options. 1. drill out the bolt and retap it. 2. knock the old nut off using a large punch and a BFH or an air hammer. Tape a new nut onto the end of an open-end wrench to hold it in place (using the larger access hole to the side of the shock mount) and put a new bold through the hole and tighten down.

Some on here will suggest cutting the floor, but I recommend against it.

It sounds a lot more intimidating than it is. Either of the first two options are acceptable and work well.
 
lay on your back, clinch your fist and punch the mount as hard as you can. it worked in kill bill2 to get out of a coffin. although it took a couple of tries.
 
Dude, I did this and its no biggie. At the side of the mount there is a gap, reach in there and you can feel the weld nut. Drill out the broken one and break the weld nut OR do like I did, Be lucky and use another bolt with that nut. Also, there will be flaming for not searching. Search the subject and you see a lot of ideas. DO NOT CuT the fllor, you can do it with patience and and a wrench, and a BFH. Have fun.
 
ok so i have looked under..and i can barley get my hand in the spot where the nut is

so the best way for me to fix this is drill out the bolt i snapped? will it have to be retapped??

i nver done anything like this before
 
the best way to get it for sure is to hit the broken bolts from the bottom with an air hammer. 2-3 seconds and they will break loose and you can put new ones in by pulling up the carpet. make sure you wear earplugs and a face shield since its very loud and lots of debris falls down.

drilling it out might work for you but I couldnt get the bolts drilled, they work hardened in a few seconds and i couldnt get any farther.
 
weld it! haha! weld,weld,weld. sorry guys,love welding things
 
Try hitting the piece of bolt that you can see with a BFH and a punch. The bolt that broke is threaded in to a nut on the other side that is spot welded to frame member. With a little luck the the nut will break loose.
When you get the nut and old broken bolt out of the way determine what size bolt and nut you want to use to hold the shock.Take the nut(from your new nut/bolt set)tape it to a wrench the same size, now slide the wrench in that spot where you could barely get your hand in, slide the bolt up (make sure you have the shock in place) and tighten in to bolt.
Double check your work. Take it for ride and curse all the rust you now have in your eyes and down your shirt and wonder what yo'll do about all the holes you discovered in the floor pan....lol
 
I snapped off two of the four bolts on mine a couple weeks ago. Drilled and tapped them, no big deal once you figure out how to get your arms up in there. It also helps if you're doing the exhaust at the same time (for the passenger one).

Another option is to use a bolt pin eliminator that you can weld up, changing the mount to a thru-bolt that you can crank down on.

These are the ones I'm using http://www.rocky-road.com/xjbarpin.html , I bolted them in, if the bolts ever give me grief I'll weld em in and be done.

Mark
 
Wish I was there to help --- I love Vancouver.

Spend a little extra money and get a very hard drill bit (I used cobalt that I got at Lowes) -- I recommend 5/16. Then tap it using a 3/8 tap. You can get a single tap at Sears or Lowes for less than $7. Buy some Grade 8, 3/8 bolts to replace your old bolts.

Two other things. You may start with a much smaller bit to drill a starter hole. Do your best to drill straight through the old bolt, but don't panic if it is a little off-center.

WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!!!
 
so i was having a hard time with drilling through the bolt so i went in from the floor, now i have access to the nut should i just cut it off? and but a bigger bolt or soemthing??? with this be strong for 4x4ing?
 
Yes cut the nut off. Then get some Grade 8 bolts to run through the holes to your shocks strength will depend on the metal around the hole and whether you listen to us and use only Grade 8 hardware. Also do not try and cheat the rust and use a stainless bolt. They are not stong enough. Questions on this PM me I'm doing this on my 96 XJ tommorrow.
 
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