N8N_99xj
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Berwyn Heights, MD
Well, I've been messing with the heep for the last two days... haven't actually *accomplished* anything, in that all the parts that were on it before are still on it, but what I'm doing is basically freeing up all the fasteners underneath in preparation for either a trailer hitch installation or installation of a bumper with a receiver in it, and also a mild lift. I also pulled the rear brakes apart to inspect them, because I've never done it before, freed up the e-brake adjuster, and also cleaned and painted the drums (you've no idea how much crusty rust was on the outside of the drums, did they even coat them with anything? Couldn't stand all that rust falling on me whenever I wanted to work on something with the wheels off...) but that's not really relevant to this post. So anyway, I've touched pretty much everything from the xmission x-member back with the exception of three of the gas tank skid bolts (because that's when I said that I was done for the day,) the bolts that I can't actually get at without removing the rear bumper, and the big leaf spring bolts.
Good news: I actually got everything that I touched freed up, cleaned up, and reinstalled with anti-sleaze, including the PITA upper shock mount bolts, got all four of them out without breaking anything. With three exceptions - which were ALL of the captive nuts for the transfer case skid. Even though those looked clean and pristine, unlike some of the other fasteners which came right apart, it only took a little grunt on the wrench to bust those things loose. Now for purposes of installing a lift (which comes with a xfer case drop, that's why I'm messing with this - don't have enough $$ to get everything I want *and* a SYE right now, and I would like to swap to a 242 anyway) I could just grind the heads off the bolts, remove the skid, and fish the remains out of where they are with a magnet-on-a-stick. Two of them are in the xmission crossmember so I could deal with those by just using a nut and a wrench with some tape on it, but the one in the "frame rail" I don't have easy access to. I'm wondering if I could use a heavy steel rivnut and get away with that? I'm sorely tempted to do that, but will that not be strong enough if, say, it catches on something? I probably won't be doing any hard core offroading and if I do I will probably uprate my skid plates (at least the gas tank and TC ones) but for now I don't like "derating" my vehicle...
Good news: I actually got everything that I touched freed up, cleaned up, and reinstalled with anti-sleaze, including the PITA upper shock mount bolts, got all four of them out without breaking anything. With three exceptions - which were ALL of the captive nuts for the transfer case skid. Even though those looked clean and pristine, unlike some of the other fasteners which came right apart, it only took a little grunt on the wrench to bust those things loose. Now for purposes of installing a lift (which comes with a xfer case drop, that's why I'm messing with this - don't have enough $$ to get everything I want *and* a SYE right now, and I would like to swap to a 242 anyway) I could just grind the heads off the bolts, remove the skid, and fish the remains out of where they are with a magnet-on-a-stick. Two of them are in the xmission crossmember so I could deal with those by just using a nut and a wrench with some tape on it, but the one in the "frame rail" I don't have easy access to. I'm wondering if I could use a heavy steel rivnut and get away with that? I'm sorely tempted to do that, but will that not be strong enough if, say, it catches on something? I probably won't be doing any hard core offroading and if I do I will probably uprate my skid plates (at least the gas tank and TC ones) but for now I don't like "derating" my vehicle...
