[RAIIIJudge]

hi, friends,

I thought I'd saved a link to the fix that most guys are using here but apparently not. could I get a refresh please? and what size am I looking for?

thanks,
mike
MA

[Greg Reid]

I have the exact same condition and haven't gotten around to repairing it properly.
Subscribed.

[RAIIIJudge]

hi greg,

https://www.rivetsonline.com/rivet-n...readed-inserts
just got to figure out size needed

best,
mike

[Tim john]

Riv-nuts are what I used/installed. Very pleased and would recommend doing so again. Either plug weld and re-drill or what I recommend above.

Tim john---

[Greg Reid]

Riv-nuts are a great idea. They used them a few times on a job I had but I've never seen them in a store. Where can you buy them?

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by RAIIIJudge

hi greg,

https://www.rivetsonline.com/rivet-n...readed-inserts
just got to figure out size needed

best,
mike

Oops... I guess you already answered the question.

[tstroud]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Riv-nuts are a great idea. They used them a few times on a job I had but I've never seen them in a store. Where can you buy them?

Harbor freight sells them and the riv nut setting tool.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Greg Reid]

Didn't know that. Thanks. I found a video on how to set them using a bolt correct for the threads and a slightly larger nut under the head. Pretty simple technique.

[dataway]

I have an Amazon tool for Rivnuts but on the larger sizes like 5/16" and above I often use the bolt method ... often you can't get the tool in a good position .. and that is very necessary for the large thread sizes.

This is also how I fixed the stripped thread in the same location as the OP.

Stripping these out is common I think because evidently no one actually sells the right size rubber bushing. I still had to cut down the bushing at the base unless I wanted to try using like 100 ft/lbs to bring the bracket into the correct location.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by RAIIIJudge

just got to figure out size needed

best,
mike

And I guess that regarding size, you just fit it to the hole?

[dataway]

Odds are the hole will have to be drilled out larger. I'm guessing those bolts are probably a coarse thread 5/16 or 3/8 ... the OD of the Rivnut is going to be larger than that, and you'll want to pick the right "grip range" for the thickness of the metal in that location.

Another option would be just tapping the hole out to the next size larger and using a new bolt. But .. there isn't a lot of meat there to tap, although evidently the factory thought there was enough.

[Greg Reid]

I'm expecting to have to enlarge it just a bit even if just to get a good, clean and round hole. I'll have to get down there and take a look. Honestly, I'd forgotten about it until Mike brought it up with this thread but it's not a good situation and needs to be addressed for sure!
I plan to do all four when I get it figured out.

[misterp266]

I know some people will frown on it but on my ‘66 Catalina, when I installed the fat sway bar, I ended up taking a hole saw to the side of the frame so that I could put a wrench inside the frame to hold a nut. Drilled out the stripped holes and used good quality nuts and bolts. Nice and secure. A nice round hole on the frame just looks like it belongs there anyway! Plus it’s lighter now . . . .

[OCMDGTO]

X2 on tap a slightly bigger thread if you're not worried about original fasteners. Exactly what I did and it's been holding up for several years with lots of street driving. The bushings are huge and crush down.

[78w72]

You can tap the hole for a bigger bolt, but then it will always be mismatched to the rest of them.

back in teh day when I was a teenager I had a sway bar bolt strip out on a 2nd gen T/A, a friends dad was able to weld a nut on the inside of the frame using the factory holes in the sub frame, worked great for many years of hard use.

Today I would use a rivnut as mentioned above, they are cheap & easy to use, dont need the tool, just a bolt & washer, can see the install steps on youtube.

I buy the rivnuts at fastenal, probably a little better quality that harbor freight.

[Sirrotica]

Amazon also has the nuts and the setting tool:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rivnuts&c...f=nb_sb_noss_1

[Greg Reid]

Funny, I was going through some coffee cans yesterday looking for some washers and found about a dozen rib nuts that I didn't even know I had. Have no idea where they came from. Way too small for this application though, unfortunately.

[dataway]

McMaster also has a large selection of them.

On critical applications I'd always attempt to put a couple of tack welds on the back side to prevent them ever spinning if the bolt seized.

And ... when you are choosing your Riv-nut ... look for one with a very thin flange on the surface. Some have pretty thick flanges that will prevent the bracket from seating nicely on the frame.

[78w72]

Good point on having a thin flange, many have a thicker flange that would interfere with the bracket but probably not enough to cause an issue since the rubber/poly bushing is compressed before the bracket touched the frame.

Heres a pic of the fastenal rivnuts or "nutserts" as some call them, they have a very thin flange & serrations to grab the hole when inserted & compressed, also coated with a gold colored finish to prevent corrosion. They were about .50ea when i bought them a couple years ago. 3/8-16 thread to match the original bolts.

I bought these for my 81 T/A that only had threads tapped in the frame in case they strip out.

[Greg Reid]

I have a Fastenal store nearby. I'll stop in and see about those.