Sway bar - BT7 - loose captured nuts

[dvu101]

I pulled my sway bar last night to replace the smashed rubber. I fund that someone had hit something with the sway bar pushing it back and bending it about .5 inches.

This also broke the two bottom captured nuts inside the frame loose. How do I fix this?

Do I need to also replace the sway bar? Its bent about .5 to .75 inches. I tried to bend it back with a vice but no go.


Thanks Scott

 

[TimK]

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/ubbthreads.php/topics/584686/1

Check out this thread. I had a similar problem. I only had one loose nut and was able to replace the bushings and reform the brackets without fixing the loose nut. One bolt/nut is holding the bracket tight enough. My sway bar was not bent.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Pretty common to weld a plate with tapped holes in place.

Might be a problem if your car is a 100 point concours contenders.

 

[GregW]

:lol: I just did a search for that one. What did you wind up doing Tim? Going to Dunn's?


Never mind, I see that you edited your post.

 

[Randy Forbes]

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/ubbthreads.php/topics/584686/1

Check out this thread. I had a similar problem. I only had one loose nut and was able to replace the bushings and reform the brackets without fixing the loose nut. One bolt/nut is holding the bracket tight enough. My sway bar was not bent.

I don't know Tim, a lot of force on those brackets, even with just moderate driving.

When one (1) front wheel hits a bump. and the other doesn't, the twisting reaction is through that swaybar. My prediction is that you've not seen the last of that problem :wink:

 

[TimK]

Randy, I appreciate your concern, but the bolt and nut are still in place, just can't tighten it. It's still as tight as it was before the nut broke loose. I replaced the bushing and it is very tightly held by the bracket with the good nut and bolt and the one that broke loose, but which is still tight enough.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Randy, I appreciate your concern, but the bolt and nut are still in place, just can't tighten it. It's still as tight as it was before the nut broke loose. I replaced the bushing and it is very tightly held by the bracket with the good nut and bolt and the one that broke loose, but which is still tight enough.

Well, that is better then. I was under the impression that the fourth (4th) bolt was MIA :wink:

 

[andrea]

On my project car I have studied one upgrading
for reinforce and avoid nut loosening
it consist in the MIG welding of one angled steel on the plate nearside the bolts
also the bolts are welded to the plate and to the reinforcement
comments wanted Andrea
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2VAIqj99qk5NEVMjFK-Wqg?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lXloj0sd4N2mTc7uQvtUQg?feat=directlink

 

[peter41692]

Hi Scott,

Have you condidered drilling out the hole and installing a rivnut. I have a Jule frame and had to istall 16 of them, not that difficult to install.

Peter

 

[Randy Forbes]

Andrea, I'd say that should hold up, as well as be invisible.

The 3/8" plate welded to the underside of my chassis being somewhat obvious when looking from the bottom.

 

[Cottontop]

I had to replace two of mine.

I drilled out the holes to the circumfrence OD of a nut (I don't remember if I used a 5/16" or 3/8").

Then I threaded an unplated nut on a bolt just to put a handle on it. While holding the nut in position and flush with the frame surface, I wire-welded the nut all around.

To finish up, I ground the welds smooth (there is plenty of strength with a hex nut in a round hole) and painted. It took about 15 minutes each.

Tim

 

[Randy Forbes]

I had to replace two of mine.

I drilled out the holes to the circumfrence OD of a nut (I don't remember if I used a 5/16" or 3/8").

Then I threaded an unplated nut on a bolt just to put a handle on it. While holding the nut in position and flush with the frame surface, I wire-welded the nut all around.

To finish up, I ground the welds smooth (there is plenty of strength with a hex nut in a round hole) and painted. It took about 15 minutes each.

Tim

That's the most painless idea yet, good job!

 

[TimK]

I agree, that's one solution I would be willing to do. Now all I need is a wire welder and some lessons on welding.

 

[Randy Forbes]

I agree, that's one solution I would be willing to do. Now all I need is a wire welder and some lessons on welding.

Or, you could drive down to Toledo.

Welding on the bottom of a car is much more fun when standing up. Besides, you make a smaller target for the inevitable splash of hot sparks!

 

[Cottontop]

That's the most painless idea yet, good job!

Thanks Randy. It DID work out well.

Another alternative are THESE. Scroll down and click on "Rivet Nuts".

Tim

 

[Randy Forbes]

Half my car is held together with Nut-Serts (similar) but I wouldn't trust them for a highly loaded fastener.

I've got a couple of types of insert tools, but unless the sheetmetal is perfectly flat, the hole equally perfect, and all the stars in the universe properly aligned, you still run the risk of blowing the installation. Very little recourse at that point :frown:

Within the scope of their designed application though, they are a wonderful invention, and I use them often.

 

[Cottontop]

you still run the risk of blowing the installation.

Yep ! I've often had to tack weld the flange so they didn't spin.

Tim

 

[BoyRacer]

OK guys, here's one more suggestion. Use your air cut-off tool to cut the welds on the sides and top of the angled plate that the anti-roll bar brackets mount to. Be sure to use the thin cut-off wheels. Using a torch, heat up the lower part of the angled flange (the one side you have not cut) to enable you to pull it down and away from the box section of the frame. You can then easily weld up the loose nut from the backside. In my mind it is a much cleaner solution. Using the torch you can reposition the plate right back to where it originally was and re-weld the ends.
BTW, this is exactly the same procedure that you use when you put in the adjustable/movable camber plates into the shock tower mounts from the inside of the engine compartment.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

BTW, this is exactly the same procedure that you use when you put in the adjustable/movable camber plates into the shock tower mounts from the inside of the engine compartment.

Richard,

Can the plates be used to tweak caster too?