73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Body, Glass & Paint => Topic started by: 84chevysilverado on March 16, 2009, 07:37:45 pm
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so i was changing my cab mounts today cause my other ones were shot. so i took 3 of the 4 bolts out no problem but of coarse the front drivers side one snapped off as I was taking it out now i only have a bout a 1/2" of the bolt visible. I tried welding a nut to the shaft to get it the rest a the way out but this didnt wok just broke my weld. any other suggestion? im in a big pickle here ???
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See if you can jack up that corner put a 4x4 block betweeen the cab and frame to give you room. Try to get some heat on it. If you have a 1/2 inch sticking out can you get vise grips on it? Work it back and fourth til it comes free.
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sorry i forgot to mention that that was the first thing i tried
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Get a better weld on it.. :)
coat it down with PB blaster and let it soak and try again.
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just idea but when i start unbolting mine i am going to cut a hole in the floor where the mounting nut is so i can keep a eye on what the bolt is doing you probably don't want to cut a hole in your floor if it is good but mine is roted good luck ;)
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Not what everyone wants to hear, but in most cases, Hotrod's idea is the best alternative. Remove the floor covering, Use a 2" holesaw to drill on top of the bolt area, plug with a 2" plastic body plug or figure where your cab mount/support meet & cut a Three sided 2" square hole just to the inside edge of the spotwelds & fold up toward the outside of the cab (this way you have a "backer" to weld to on all Three sides) now you are getting to the top to spray & put heat on, if the cage breaks loose...your going to be doing it anyway. Good Luck! Lorne
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That is what I had to do on my 2WD Jimmy, cut an access hole in the floor and weld the captured nut cage back down... Both sides.
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If you're turning the bolts with a wrech or ratchet, you might try an impact gun, it wont be as likely to break the welds as hand turning it.
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thanks guys im gonna cut a hole in the floor and get at it that way. sounds like thats my best bet. What im using is a jonson bar to loosen the bolt staying away from the impact
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no impact gun. I had to cut a hole in my k30 to remove the pass front. Removed it, heated the square nut in a vice and removed the broken bolt. I ran a tap through the nut, dropped it back in, bent the tangs over it and installed a new bolt with antisieze through the new mount. Then i welded a piece back in and it's perfect.
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okay guys so i was gonna cut a hole in the floor but once i peeled back the carpet there is no way im doing that. my floor is in perfect shape no rust holes or anything so there is no way im cutting a hole in the floor. il have to keep on trying with heat and and welding nuts the the shaft :-\
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84 that is good that your floor is in that good of shape but it will help you alot if to cut a hole in the floor trust me just get a die grinder or a drill and cut a square hole and get the bolt out and then weld it back into place no biggy ;)
okay guys so i was gonna cut a hole in the floor but once i peeled back the carpet there is no way im doing that. my floor is in perfect shape no rust holes or anything so there is no way im cutting a hole in the floor. il have to keep on trying with heat and and welding nuts the the shaft :-\
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You won't ever get it out if it is rusted that well, you will end up breaking the bolt again or busting the cage loose... Just cut the hole and weld it back up.
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Only other thing i can reccomend is taking a drill bit, drill all the way thru the bolt then go bigger then bigger then to the point your close to the threads, take a tap and die set and retap the threads.Luckily on my 1st cab the bolt was so corroded when i took it off it snapped and the cage nut came right off as well and all i had to do was fix the perch put a new bolt thru and put a regular nut on the other side.But if you can gain access to that cage nut, see if you can get at it with a sawzaw and cut that nut right off and just use a new bolt and a standard washer and nut.
thanks
pat
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If you can weld another nut on the underside, try that again. Get a good bead on it, then soak the heck out of the captive nut with some weasel pee (as Blazin' calls it). Then put a breaker bar on the nut and use some manual impact on the breaker bar with a 2-3 lb hammer. My driver-side front mount bolt was so frozen that 5 minutes with an impact wrench didn't turn the socket any. A half hour pounding on it with the method described above and I had it out in one piece.
You'll shear off even the hardest bolts by pulling with constant force, especially if you multiply the torque with a cheater-bar. Most things can take pulses of momentary force forever without breaking but will yield and break under longer duration loads, even if those loads are less in force. In short, impact is your friend.
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Then put a breaker bar on the nut and use some manual impact on the breaker bar with a 2-3 lb hammer.
Hey, we have the exact same impact gun! :P
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well that sure makes sense bout the constant load breaking off bolts. darn wish someone woulda told me that earlier. we do have an impact its one of those electric ones that you can buy but i personally think they are only good for little jobs not good for big tourqe jobs
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I have an Dewalt electric impact, its got some sack. No matter how good the floor is I would use a hole saw and pop a hole in it. Then weld it up after. Or rivet a nice cover over it for future access.
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If you're turning the bolts with a wrech or ratchet, you might try an impact gun, it wont be as likely to break the welds as hand turning it.
::)
If you don't want a powered impact, here's a manual impact wrench
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t195/wes2880/Tools/ImpactWrench.jpg)
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If you can weld another nut on the underside, try that again. Get a good bead on it, then soak the heck out of the captive nut with some weasel pee (as Blazin' calls it). Then put a breaker bar on the nut and use some manual impact on the breaker bar with a 2-3 lb hammer. My driver-side front mount bolt was so frozen that 5 minutes with an impact wrench didn't turn the socket any. A half hour pounding on it with the method described above and I had it out in one piece.
You'll shear off even the hardest bolts by pulling with constant force, especially if you multiply the torque with a cheater-bar. Most things can take pulses of momentary force forever without breaking but will yield and break under longer duration loads, even if those loads are less in force. In short, impact is your friend.
This is very true about short impacts vs. constant force. This is useful too on rusted brake bolts like those on bleeder screws and wheel cylinder bolts. When I redid my rear brakes I used constant force to open a bleeder and busted it off. Same with one wheel cylinder bolt. When I tried just putting constant, but not heavy, pressure on my small ratchet and then used a rubber mallet to repeatedly strike the end of the ratchet handle, it eventually broke the bleeder screw and wheel cylinder bolts free without breaking the bolt heads. The constant pressure on the ratchet took away any slop in the mechanism to ensure the mallet strike was doing it's full work. It took a couple minutes but it worked.
When I took off my u-bolts to swap my diff, my impact gun was of absolutely zero use. 3/8" and 1/2" ratchets didn't budge them. Bought a 24" 1/2" breaker bar and that finally did it. It was a huge chore getting them off though. They did NOT want to turn!