need nutsert advice for instally factory transfer case skid plate

I just got three nutserts from a jeep dealer to install a factory transfer case skid plate.

The nutserts are cylinders that fit into the hole in the frame. One half
is threaded and the other half is a thin metal shell.

How do I install them into the holes in the vehicle. Which end goes in first.
Then what do I do.

I suspect its easy once I know what to do. But its not obvious.


If I can't use these is there an alternative.

It works like a pop rivet. There are cheap tools availible to install or you could make your own. If it's a 3/8" nutsert than you'll need a 3/8" bolt & an oversized nut that the 3/8" bolt will turn inside. Take a hack saw & scar up one side of the oversized nut so that when placed against the nutsert it won't allow it to turn. Assemble the nutsert onto the bolt by first sliding a washer on the bolt than the oversized nut (smooth side towards the bolt head & than thread on the nutsert. place nutsert in the hole & while holding the oversized nut with one end wrench tighten the bolt. Use some light oil or antisieze on the bolt threads to keep them from galling. Continue to tighten the bolt until it becomes snug (depending on the size of the nutsert some where around 20 ft lbs). Unscrew the bolt & you're done. Warning, once you start using nutserts you can't stop. I've used them all over my rig.

Matt

Is nutsert the technical name for these type of fasteners? I know that self-tapping bolts are technically "Type F" bolts when ordering through a local fastener company. If I ask for nutserts, will they know what I'm talking about?

If you have an idea of what you're looking for, you can also try http://www.rivetsplus.com

1) why do I need an oversized nut, why can't I just score a large washer and let that keep the nutsert from turning

2) If I understand this correctly the part of the nutsert with the threads
goes in the hole first, with the part without threads and the little lip around the rim goes in last

3) could I use some kind of scored lock washer instead of scoring a nut

1) Because the large washer will be unsupported outside of the bolt head, and you'll probably bend it over.

2) That's right

3) See #1

going by how our nutsert tool at work works a better way would be to use the correct sized bolt, a nut and the washer. Put them together in this order... bolt with the nut threaded on fairly high, then the washer , then the nutsert. Insert the nutsert into the hole then hold the bolt head with a wrench and turn the nut to draw the bolt away from the nutsert. That way you would pull on the nutsert to compress it without turning inside the threads. You would try to keep the washer from turning so it wouldn't turn the nutsert too.

Thanks this makes sense now and seems like it should work.

90NHXJ said:

You would try to keep the washer from turning so it wouldn't turn the nutsert too.

Click to expand...

This would be difficult to do.

90NHXJ said:

going by how our nutsert tool at work works a better way would be to use the correct sized bolt, a nut and the washer. Put them together in this order... bolt with the nut threaded on fairly high, then the washer , then the nutsert. Insert the nutsert into the hole then hold the bolt head with a wrench and turn the nut to draw the bolt away from the nutsert. That way you would pull on the nutsert to compress it without turning inside the threads. You would try to keep the washer from turning so it wouldn't turn the nutsert too.

Click to expand...

This is how I have installed all my nutserts.......but Matt's way should work better. The problem is trying to keep the nutsert from turning.

Ok I did it thanks to your help and a somewhat modified proceedure. It turned out to be a bit more complicated than the way described on this forum.

I ended up needed
1) a long bolt
2) a nut
3) 5 washers

4) a socket wrench to hold the bolt head (to keep it from turning)
5) a vise grip to hold the washers to keep them from turning (and turning the nut sert)
6) a standard wrench to turn the nut
7) a pipe to give me more leverage on the wrench
8) my legs to keep the socket wrench and vise grip from turning while I turned the socket wrench

What I did was 1) took the long bolt, put in the standard wrench that fits around the nut, put in the nut, put on the five washers

2) inserted the nutsert in the hole

3) screwed the long bolt with the wrench, nut and washers into the nutsert

4) screwed the nut tight against the washers

5) put on the vice grip around the washers to keep them from turning (and from then turning the nutsert)

6) put the socket wrench on the bolt head to keep them from turning

7) held both the socket wrench and the vice grip sometimes with my knees

8) turned the standard wrench using my pipe extention --to tighten the nut and squeeze the nutsert


Until I used the vise grip and the five washers, the washer and nutsert would turn so the bolt would just come out of the nutsert

the vise grip holding the five washers turned out to be the key

After reading another suggestion, I realize now that it would have been much easier simply to use a wrench of some kind instead of a vice grip and the 5 washers as a spacer to keep the nutsert from turning.

I could have put the wrench around the bolt between the nutsert and the washer and nut I was tightenting.

So long as the head of the wremcj was larger than bolt, and smaller than the nut and washer used to squeeze the nutsert it would have served as a spacer and the handle of the wrench could have been used to keep it from turning.


In effect I used my vicegrip and five washers to made a similar "tool" to use as a spacer to keep the nutsert from turning while I tightened the nut to pull the bolt thru to squeeze it. But simply putting a large wrench and a washer between the nutsert and wrench would have been simpler.