Thread Tapping

I am about to install my first lift (rusty's 3") I know that I will probably break the upper rear shock mount bolts regardless of the amount of PB I am using, so I am asking, whats the process after I snap them, cut them and drill them out? I dont have a thread tapper...are they expensive?

Also, I have been searching other peoples experienc e in installing similar lift kits to the one I have...I have copy/pasted theses tidbits to a Word document so I can have it all on hand during my lift fun! Anyony have direct links to good step by step stories and experiences that I can add?

What you are looking for is called a tap. They usually come in sets that are fairly expensive. I do not know if you can buy one at a time. If you do a search you can find a lot of information on this.

So you break them off, drill them to the proper size for your tap, and them tap the holes, install new shocks with new bolts for the size hole you just tapped

I did break my bolts but I had the floor removed so I just popped off the welding on nuts and replaced them. Some people say you can do this with the floor in place but I am not sure.

Good luck
katarn

Taps are available in single quantities for certain sizes at most hardware stores or Home Depot. But what you can do instead is punch out the weld nuts and drop a bolt in from the small space between the shock crossmember and the body.

sounds like you have a great Idea but I cant picture that in my head...do you know of any pics that were posted with that idea?

katarn444 said:

So you break them off, drill them to the proper size for your tap, and them tap the holes, install new shocks with new bolts for the size hole you just tapped

I did break my bolts but I had the floor removed so I just popped off the welding on nuts and replaced them. Some people say you can do this with the floor in place but I am not sure.

Good luck
katarn

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Yeah, I am doing this in my driveway with just the essentials. I wish I could be able to take out the floor and weld and all that other stuff. Fortunately I have gotten into a postion where my wife and I carpool to work so if I don't get the lift done by the end of the weekend it won't be that big of a deal.

theschwarz1 said:

sounds like you have a great Idea but I cant picture that in my head...do you know of any pics that were posted with that idea?

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Sorry, I don't. You gotta get dirty, dude! Crawl underneath and look. It'll become obvious. The "nuts" that the original shock bolts thread into are just tack welded or pressed into the crossmember from above prior to assembly with the rest of the unibody. You can smack them out with a hammer & punch or an air chisel.

Then just use a fish wire to pull a bolt & washer into the hole through the adjacent cavity and secure it in place with a nut and another washer, making a mounting stud. Then install your shock, another washer & a locknut.

http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/broken_shock_mounts.htm here is a site on repairing the shocks on xj's hope it helps badge714

Hey, Thaks everybody! You were all a big help in getting my mind around the concept. I'll let you know how this noob does!

Here are two pics of me resolving this issue. It wasnt the funnest part

Lawn Cher' said:

But what you can do instead is punch out the weld nuts and drop a bolt in from the small space between the shock crossmember and the body.

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I'm convinced that Jeep used different kinds of Weld Nuts at random times for their vehicles. Some are regular nuts with small spot welds that will hammer right out, others are big chunks of steel tapped with threads with large welds and will NOT hammer out, even with hours using an air-chisel. If you end up having the latter, you'll end up having to cut a hole in the floor, go in from the top to cut/grind/chisel the chunks of steel out.

SO, I'd try to drill out the broken bolts first, cause you may end up like me, thinking "Hey, no biggie, I'll just hammer out the weld nuts and put in new ones, I've done it before on other Jeeps with little effort, at worse a few seconds with an air-chisel." On my XJ, those weld NUTS were NOT like the others I've experienced, or others on the board, it took me days to get all the old weld nut out and spot weld in some new nuts.

Get several size colbalt drill bits, ending with the size for a tap for the largest. Drill pilot holes, working your way up to the largest, try to drive the bit toward center if you get off center. Then get the proper tap and knock out what remains in the threads and clean up the threads.