Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutstrip

Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutstrip

I installed a new rear bumper on my xj recently and hadn't bolted in the frame tie ins because the previous owner never hooked them up and didn't have the hardware. So, I went to do it and realized the nutstrip was on the passenger side, but not on the driver's. I went to the dealer but they were out of the other side nutstrip and the bolts, suprisingly! So I went to this local store called the Bolt Depot and bought 4 12M 1.75x40 bolts and a few nuts for them.

The bumper only uses 2 frame rail tie in's so I figured, I should be able to get to these, right? When I went to put the nuts/bolts on the driver's side, I realized there was no way I could get a wrench on top to hold the nut still while I tightened the bolt in...I thought about it for a little bit, and decided to experiment. I couldn't find anything in the mess of my car that would fit just right because with my bumper in the way, there was very little room to put anything through that hole. So I decided to do something silly but found it worked out quite well and now the nut/bolts are in!

First I put the nut in and threaded it hand tight with the bolt on the bottum of the car. I then took 5 or 6 nickels (as in 5 cents) and duct taped them together. I used those to wedge flatly between the nut and the edge of the rail so the nut could no longer spin. With those in there, I used my wrench and tighted the bolt as tight as it would go and the nut remained in place. It worked out great and now I don't need to buy the nutstrip from the dealer at $20/piece. Obviously, this won't work for the further in ones if you need to do a lot, but if you only need to do the first ones, it works! Stupid, maybe, functional, yes. you could use something else small and flat, probably rolling dice or anything small like that.

So that's it...maybe no one will care or I will get flamed, but at the same time maybe someone can use my dumb idea that worked and allowed me to more securely mount my bumper. Thanks for reading!

CLIFFS - used 5 or 6 nickels taped together against the side of the nut in the frame rail to keep it from spinning, allowing me to tighten the frame tie in bolt. (without removing the bumper again)

Re: Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutst

The nutstrip does more than just hold the nuts so they can be tightened. It also spreads the forces out over a larger area of the frame rail than just an inch or two. I would not recommend using your bumper for recovery purposes. You can probably find the nutstrip at your local boneyard for a couple of bucks.

Re: Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutstrip

understood...i plan on getting a hitch in the near future. this is just one of those temp things that is better than nothing that allows slightly more support. thanks

Re: Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutstrip

From experience; The nut strips are Pop-Riveted to the frame to keep it from moving AND the bolts / nuts are Lock-Tited in place. Bring a breaker bar, punch and bandages.

Re: Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutst

I think the problem you're going to have is when you try to take the bolts off again. The nuts will spin, and if they're rusty, the nickels might not be enough. Good luck.

If you find yourself without nut strips in the future, you might try the poor but slightly better alternative used by aftermarket hitch installers. They use a carriage bolt, with a short piece of flat steel with a square hole in it, as a washer, and drop the bolt from inside the frame. The nut goes on the bottom. This gives a wee bit of reinforcement, keeps the bolt from turning, and allows you a fighting chance of splitting or cutting the nut off in the future. If you have access to any kind of welding equipment, you can weld a square washer or equivalent to the head end of a bolt to do the same thing.

Re: Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutst

Or just go buy some steel stock of the correct width, mark the holes, drill em, use a tap to thread them. If you are going to use the last one, nearest the end you will need to get over that hump thats right there.
I'm looking at an extra passenger side one right now and know that with a welder, drill and tap I could build a much stronger one than the OEM one using 1/2" thick stock. The stock one can be a pisser if the nut weld breaks too.
Don't cut corners here, in about 2 months you won't be able to get that nickle and nut off and I bet in about 3 weeks it might be a battle once those nickels move around some once you get some dirt around those threads, then it will be a SOB to get off w/o cutting the bolt head off.

Re: Cheap & easy way to mount nut/bolt to first frame rail tie in without buyin nutstrip

i removed the nickels...they were just to keep it in place to tighten the nut down. i am still getting the nutstrip but this was a temporary solution, since i'll be getting a hitch in the near future anyways. plus i loaded up with anti-seize. it was merely a suggestion if someone can't figure out how to hold onto the bolt as i've seen the question come up, but i appreciate the advice and concerns. thanks