Hitch install - nutstrip vs square washers

[tbburg]

I bought a new set of them last year - I'm kicking myself now when I think that I used never-sieze on all of my suspension hardware, but not on the damned hitch bolts!!

Mark

It's not hard, you know. In my experience, all you have to do is open the bottle/tube, and set it down. It'll get on everything! Bolts, nuts, gas cap, seat, headliner, floor, walls, probably the roof(jeep and garage) That stuff has amazing coverage! :laugh3:

 

[mfascuba]

Yeah, I've played some practical jokes at work with the stuff - it always ends up all over the folks who were not the intended victims of the jokes....

 

[winkosmosis]

I put silicone grease or silicone RC car shock oil on all my screws now. I also coat frame/bolton interfaces with it (like tow hook brackets). It should prevent corrosion and non toxic unlike the anti-sieze. Well maybe you shouldn't drink it, but silicone is pretty benign.

 

[Bigger_Is_Better]

I bought them at the stealership for about $32 each side. The website listed sounds much cheaper, wish I had known about them!!

Aaron

 

[winkosmosis]

Does anyone know if M12x45mm bolts are too long? I bought some at Ace, because I needed 3 more (2 for the front nutstrip holes, 1 for the one used to make a tap). The stock ones (from HiddenHitch) are M12x40mm. Is the 5mm enough to push up into the unibody?

 

[DanMan2k06]

Like said above, make sure to cover the bolts in some nickel compound. You know you're going to be taking those things off again, and when the time comes you will be thankful.

 

[winkosmosis]

Like said above, make sure to cover the bolts in some nickel compound. You know you're going to be taking those things off again, and when the time comes you will be thankful.

The other day I saw a post on some forum I found on google... The guy was saying that anti-sieze and threadlocker alter the torque properties of bolts. Makes sense. If you lubricate the thread, the bolt would be screwed in more to get to the same rotational torque.

 

[Matthew Currie]

The other day I saw a post on some forum I found on google... The guy was saying that anti-sieze and threadlocker alter the torque properties of bolts. Makes sense. If you lubricate the thread, the bolt would be screwed in more to get to the same rotational torque.

Yes, if you have greased/antiseized the bolts you need to watch out you don't overtorque them. It's not really likely to be a problem here, as it is for wheel lugs, and other things that require a measured torque. Those big bolts can still go in good and tight without harm. There should be plenty of room for another 5 mm in length.

 

[winkosmosis]

Thanks. I realized I could just put them into the holes beforehand to check, so I'll do that to make sure there are no obstructions over any hole

 

[Bigger_Is_Better]

If anyone needs a set of the bolts I have an extra. I had to buy a bag of 25 of them from Fastenal. They only sold them in that amount. These are the 40mm. I'd let them go for what I paid $0.68 ea.

Aaron

 

[winkosmosis]

I'm about to give up on this project, and by extension ditch the XJ because it's no good without a rear recovery point.


I have two problems.

First, the clip on the bottom of the bumper for bolting to the bracket has snapped. There is no way to grab the "nut" to unscrew the bolt because it's not a real nut.

Second, I noticed that the brackets are impossible to remove/install without also removing the shackles and leaf springs, because they block the nuts. I just don't have the means to drop my rear axle.
Why does no one ever mention that? Not even the service manual mentions that. It just shows the bolts going through into space, leading you to believe that there is no issue with getting nuts on the back.

The only thing I can do is use the square washers and TRY to use the rusted, bent nutstrip on the passenger side.

Thanks, Chrysler engineers, for building an offroader without recovery points and making it impossible to install them

 

[winkosmosis]

I'm thinking about using a small hole saw and cutting through the bumper and the bracket to get the nutstrips in. It's not like it's a real bumper anyway. And if someone hits me from behind, even if the bracket buckles, the bumper will hit the HiddenHitch since the crossbar is up high.

But how does everyone else install nutstrips???

 

[dagr8tim]

I was under the impression that if you removed the bumper, you could access the nut strips without issue? That was the plan I was going to use when I mount my gas tank skid and remount my receiver.

 

[winkosmosis]

Unless I'm missing something, the brackets need to come off too. Each bracket has 4 bolts holding it to the unibody, half of which go into nuts inside the shackle boxes.

 

[Matthew Currie]

You do not have to remove the springs to take the rear bumper off.

You also don't really have to take the bumper off of its brackets.

You can remove the bumper complete with its brackets, if you can get a wrench in there. It's a nuisance, but can be done, especially if you have access to a 3/8 inch drive pneumatic ratchet. Unless someone has messed things up, those nuts are captive, and you do not need access to them. Take your time, get lots of penetrant, wiggle back and forth if necessary, to avoid snapping the captive nuts free or shearing off the bolts, and you should be all right. I've taken bumpers off some very rusty Jeeps without disaster.

Once the bumper is off, you slide the nut strips right in from the end.

If you're willing to saw a hole in the bumper, why not grind, saw or flame cut the offending bolt heads off instead? After the bumper is off you can remove the remains of the bolts and the broken spring nuts.

It is, without doubt, an annoying design - the spring nuts are unreliable, and the lack of even rudimentary stock tow points is hard to understand, but once you have a hitch, you'll be set.

 

[winkosmosis]

I managed to break loose the bracket bolts so I can remove the bumper with the brackets intact. I bet reinstalling will be hard that way but we'll see. A hinged breaker got to the upper bolts, and for the bottom I had to use a 1.5" wobble extension.

I tried a nontoxic method to loosen them instead of PB Blaster or WD40.. I sprayed the bolts with vinegar to soften the rust, let it soak for a day, then squirted on canola oil with an oil can, then let soak another full day... and it seems to have worked.
I got the idea from this canola oil based penetrating spray alternative http://www.biopenetratinglubricants.com/

 

[Kevin108]

BTW the rearmost heat shield bolt was VERY VERY hard to get out.

I tried to install my hitch tonight. I couldn't budge things by hand so I took a box end wrench to lengthen the ratchet handle. I broke the guts of my 3/8" ratchet, tossed it in the bushes and gave up for tonight. I'll go use Dad's Snap-On stuff tomorrow afternoon. :rof:

 

[ehall]

haha yeah mine was the same way. I ended up putting a four-foot piece of pipe over one of my dads 1/2" breaker bars and pulling them loose. The rust popped and creaked and all that...

 

[winkosmosis]

This is really disappointing... After weeks of soaking bolts, buying nut strips, etc... I find out that the Hidden Hitch is warped. The left side is fine, but on the right the rail curves inward a little. I can only get two bolts in on the right. It had to have come like that from the factory. I don't see it bending like that from the delivery guy dropping etc. I definitely didn't manhandle it at all.. I even left the cardboard pieces on the crossbar to protect it from scratches.

 

[winkosmosis]

I just called etrailer, and the girl said the arms are made of flex steel, so it's normal for them to bend during shipping. She said to put it under a step or something and bend it back, even though it sounds crazy.