Spinning bolt

[Tony]

I bought a 4x4 Largo to break but it's got life left in it and a friend from work desperately needs a 7 seater to replace his current car (a Fiat Multipla which smells of unburnt petrol in the cabin and runs out of tax at the end of the month).  So he's interested in this Largo, which I'm fixing up.

I've got it to a state where it will pass its MOT but I don't want him driving his family around in it with the front wishbone bush (one towards the rear) the way it is.

The bush has a U clamp to the underbody holding it in place with two bolts.  The impact wrench rattled against the smaller one and then it started turning, but it just spins (and steams with the heat) without coming out.  So I assume a captive nut inside the chassis member and the thread stripped on either the bolt or the nut.

So do I cut off the bolt and try the other one?  If all else fails I can replace the bush and drag the MIG out to weld the bracket to the underbody, I guess the new bush will easily outlast the car.  If anyone has any interesting ways to deal with this let me know

[Julian]

Difficult to suggest without knowing the exact situation, but ... can you cut the nut off, remove the bush and push/hammer the bolt into the chassis box.

Once the hole's clear, use a long drill to drill the top of the chassis box and presumably into the foot well (remove carpets!).  You could then use a bit of studding from inside right through the chassis.  Only drawback would be the possibility of crushing the chassis box ... I know how paper thin these Japanese cars are.

Alternatively, once you've drill the top of the chassis box, use a hole saw or conical drill to open the top hole sufficiently to get a socket in and fit a standard nut and bolt.

[Head Womble]

As Julian said drill through to the top of the chassis, then drill a larger hole from the top and add some thick wall tube, this will stop the chassis crushing.

[greasemonkey]

Now that would really annoy me........

I personally would refrain from welding the bush clamp to the chassis. Something about that just feels wrong. The clamp has it's strength designed into it, with a bolt in mind. But that might just be me.

If your going to get under there with a mig, I'd just cut a hole in the chassis, stick a new nut and bolt in, and weld the nut, then weld the chassis back up.

If you were really lucky, you might get away with drilling a hole into the side of the chassis, and tacking the nut through it, but It would probably be way to rusty.

[Jamesrl]

I'd cut out a section of the chassis bottom, weld a new captive nut to a plate then weld the plate in but then I do have a mig, tig, gas and a plasma cutter to hand as well as a car hoist.

Simples when you have the kit.

[therecklessengineer]

I'd guess that the bolt has stripped rather than the nut.

Drill out the bolt and try and keep the nut intact. You might find the thread is OK.

[Tony]

Looking at it again this morning, it appears the chassis has previously had a panel cut out of it here and re-welded.  I'll cut it out again and see if I can't MIG the nut in place (assuming it is the nut spinning).  I think I'll get it through the MOT on Saturday morning and then set about it with the grinder to sort this bush out.

[photoman290]

i would stick it on a trailer and drive it up to cambridge and let jim fix it.

[Tony]

lol!

Nah it's all doable, just hope I've got enough Argon left after lending the cylinder out to a mate.

[Tony]

Turns out the captive M14 nut in the chassis is fine, some idiot has put an M10/M12 through it with a nut on top:



The M14 on the other side was a complete swine, the impact wrench just rattled on it and started moving the metal of the head around, took a breaker bar on a scaffold pole to shift, I nearly aborted because I thought the bar would break it was bending that much.  Anyway, threads on the captive part fine both sides, I've ordered replacement high tensile bolts for both sides.

Fresh bush acquired, just waiting for them bolts now (though I'll weld up the chassis first)