i am installing coilovers right and i over tightened the rear shock bolts for the upper mount and it snapped. this is the bolt that is connected to the car. i know that it is welded to the car. what to do? could it be replace?

 

1. Put your tools away and have the car towed to a shop that can do the job right.

But, you're not going to do that, so:

1. Buy a perforated base weld stud in a size as close to the original as possible (sorry no metric) http://www.mcmaster.com/#weld-studs/=8i3fv6.
2. Get a competent welder to weld the stud in place on your car.
3. Be more careful.

 

I have often wondered that...........like, what if that happened,.........I personally think those M8 bolts are way too small......

I know the top is trapped in the rear strut bar so i can imagine that it may be some dissasembly and re weld.

but, if you have coilovers, then you can get a plate welded up there with studs attached.....may have to have something fabbed up.......a two bolt plate like the way the coilovers have a two hole plate on the top of them...get it?


-J

 

oh, thats a great option! do that! Ive never seen those before..nice..

-J

 

any way i can just order one instead of having to order a pack of 100?

 

^ try a local hardware store, but more of a specialty fastener store....

"All size bolt co", dallas, tx - type place...........visit, see what they might have..

-J

 

not my picture. but where would the studs be. im at work now and cant get to the car. just trying to save time by knowing where it is.

hopefully i dont have to remove any welded parts, beside the stud itself

 

^^its in the wheel well. not in the trunk area

 

I had the same problem too, I had to cut off the stud with a dremel and make a small hole in the strut bar to get to the top of the bolt and grind the top down and drilled through under the wheel well through where the bolt goes through. I got some high grade universal bolt and nut from the auto part store. Bad thing about is that you have to have to hold the top of the bolt with a wrench or a really small ratchet to tighten the nut on the bottom. It took some time, but it worked for me.

 

Thats what i would do, but when i dropped the bolt in from the top i would put some JB weld on it. Then you should never need to use a wrench from the top on it again.

 

Grind away the broken off stud, drill through the metal, and install a "slotted-body metric rivet nut". No welding, no disassembly. The threaded part will be on the top of the sheet metal.


Also available from McMaster-Carr on page 3270. www.mcmaster.com

I'm pretty sure the piece of sheet metal the stud is attached to is lower in the body, and you won't see the other side of it in that picture. It's probably an empty enclosed space in the outer end of the tower bracing structure. I'd say it's about where the smaller detail below is located in the upper right of your picture.

 

interesting, i may have to give that a try. Would you happen to know what size it needs?

 

The upper shock mount studs on my '08 are 8mm.

 

thanks winchman. i just place an order for a pack of those. m8 X 1.25 . i have it next day air here. should be here tuesday.

 

I've dealt with McMaster-Carr dozens of times for all sorts of things, and I've always gotten good stuff and good service from them. I hope it works as well for you.

 

Those inserts are not really that easy to put in. We use similar versions at work and they use a gun to put them in. Another downside is they can spin if not really tight, our installers do this all the time. Also it is just not a very good structural connection. The weld on studs shown above are a much better idea.

 

That's true, but I've had good luck with them. On some, I had to put flats on the outside flange so I could hold it with a bicycle wrench while tightening the bolt to get it locked in place.

Finding a competent welder to make an overhead structural weld on galvanized and painted/undercoated sheet metal is going to be difficult. And after the weld is done, you've got to protect the area so it won't corrode.

 

silly question but can i weld the rivets flange to the body of the car? i mean just 2 or so spot welds on there.

 

Yes, you could tack it with a MIG gun.

 

No you shouldn't - it will kill the heat treat on the threads. If you do, put a bolt in the hole to make sure you don't' distort the threads.