thebomb2644

So my W brace bent from being lowered and I managed to pull all 10 bolts off and replace the brace..although one of the mounting holes no longer has threads since the nut on the inside of the frame rail broke its weld from being bent and me trying to get a new nut in there. So I got 9 of the 10 bolts back on and am missing the front 14mm bolt. Do you guys think this is going to hurt the performance of the w brace? Since the shape of the brace looks like it relies on bolts to be connected to function perfectly...

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

Yes, the integrity of the W-Brace will not be the same without one of the front bolts. Probably won't hurt anything driving it like that, but it won't be able to stiffen up the chassis as intended.
-Icer

thebomb2644

Hmm just wondering if there's an easy way to fix it...I don't think a rivnut would work because the mounting hole is not even as well

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

Best I can think of is to cut out a hole in the frame next to where the nut broke to gain access, weld in a new nut, rust proof the inside area, then weld a patch over the area that was cut, grind it smooth, and rust proof the patch. A competent shop who specializes in vehicle restorations or modifications (restomod) could get this done for you easily. Not sure what it would cost though. There might be an alternative, but I don't think it would be as strong or reliable of a repair.
Good Luck!
-Icer