Help Identify Bolt??

[Tinster]

I found a loose bolt this morning that I cannot
identify. I can spin it fairly easily with my
fingers. I cannot feel a nut beneath.

Anyone know what this bolt is for? Do I need to repair
this piece of the car? Underneath, where I cannot see,
I think I feel something like fiber carpet.

 

[LastDeadLast]

Tinster,

You're looking at your front body mount. The fiber that you speak of is the spacer that separates the body from the chassis. I'm not sure if there is a welded nut or regular nut underneith. I'll check mine out and let you know.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

It is fastened by a regular nut and washer which is not welded to the frame.

 

[martx-5]

Yes, that is a front body mounting bolt. If you look at this parts plate from Moss, you will see the parts (#30-37) associated with that bolt. The bolt goes through the inner fender, some body mounting pieces and the comes through the angled frame rail with a nut securing everything. My guess is that you are not looking far enough through to see or feel the nut. It either fell off or is just loose. Remmoving the road wheel will give you a better look see.
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[Alan_Myers]

Hi Tin,

Use a new Nylock nut and washer on that bolt, to help keep it from loosening and dropping off again somewhere down the road.

You might even find the nut still in place. The fastening could also have loosened if one or more of the fiber reinforced rubber mounting pads between the frame and body deteriorated enough to drop out (these look like round, rubbery washers and would normally be trapped in there by the bolt and held secure when the nut is tightened).

With any luck, the original shimming and alignment between the body and the frame hasn't changed. Those rubberized mounting pads act as spacers to adjust the position of the body on the frame. There can be various numbers of the rubberized pads from car to car. After you tighten up the bolt, check the gaps at around the hood and between the rear of the front fender and front edge of the door, and at the side window's leading edge. If any appear to have moved, you might need to unbolt the mounting point again and add another one or two of the pads in there, to realign things.

Be a little careful about opening the door during all of this process, until you are sure the gap is okay. If the leading edge of the door is enough out of alignment, it can catch on the fender damaging paint or even bending sheet metal.

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