1993-VG30E-GXE

Basically, I stripped one of those M14 Fine Bolts (2) that connect the front control arm to the chassis...the ones that go through the bracket that has the front bushing in it.

It won't budge and has come out on an angle. What should I do?

Drill existing bolt out then re-tap the hole to M16? Can the threads sometimes be salvaged if I use the M14 Fine tap?

Don't want to waste money on the M14 tap if my only option is to go up to M16. A friend recommended instead of going up to M16 because that's a big jump, I could buy an imperial 1/2" tap and put a SAE bolt in there.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

er... isn't 1/2" 12.5mm?

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

14mm Helicoil.
had to do it many times on those control arm bolts when customers try to use impact wrenches on them.

coolsun

iTrader: (10)

this happened to me too! but the mechanic said he could not do anything but weld it, which is holding up pretty well? idk but one problem leads to another, these cars are getting too old...

1993-VG30E-GXE

Thanks Matt. Before I buy the helicoil, do I need to prep the hole at all? Is there anything I can do in the mean time? Or just drill out the old piece of bolt shank, collapse it, remove it....just leave the stripped threads as is, and insert helicoil? I've never used those things before.

I didn't know it's dangerous to use the impact wrench on those - is it because of the fine threads? More prone to stripping?

Max_5gen

iTrader: (2)

If you stripped the head and not the threads then head can be drilled through and then you can try to extract the remaining part of the bolt.

If you stripped the threads then there's nothing to re- tap, do what others suggested.

1993-VG30E-GXE

Bad news, the part that the bolt threads to INSDIE the chassis, broke off, so now the bolt is loose but that threaded thing inside is stopping it from coming out. I got my friend to come over with his Snap-On cordless, and it wouldn't budge so we started with the breaker bar and that's when the thing broke.

Basically my concern is, how will I get that broken bit of welded bushing or whatever it is on the backside, out of there, if I simply weld a new stud in it's place, that little piece will jiggle around when I'm driving right?

1993-VG30E-GXE

Do you happen to know how he did it, did you ever look at the end result.

Wondering if he just welded the bracket right to the chassis, although you could never replace the control arm at that point. Or did he weld a stud into the hole?

I may have to get the car towed to a garage, I don't see how I could keep the stud aligned when welding it. Man this car is starting to get REALLY hard to work on. I knew this brake and fuel line job was going to be the worst - just looking at that transverse link gusset thing, I didn't want to touch it.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

Heh.. the rear gusset is cake... unless your car is a rusted out POS. which is what yours is.

If you want to get that bolt out, you will have to take a grinder to the bolt head and grind it off. then unbolt the rest of the control arm and remove said bolt. best to do is take that part to a mechanic and pay a pro to fix that.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

pics of what you're talking about? if you're talking about what i THINK you're talking about then it sounds like you're in a big hurt right now...

coolsun

iTrader: (10)

yes they welded the bracket to the chassis and i did drove it to a near by garage that was about 3 blocks away. the threads inside were stripped and they could not put in a bigger one which kept stripping it some more.

1993-VG30E-GXE

Cool. I should do the same. So you were able to drive it on side roads with just the one bolt holding the bracket on one side? If I do the drive I better do it at 4 in the morning.

1993-VG30E-GXE

I'll try to get a pic later today and post it. It's bad but I should probably replace that side control arm, since once they weld the bracket shut, I won't be able to replace it ever again.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

What you should do is scrap that danger to society.

1993-VG30E-GXE

No chance. If I did that I wouldn't be able to go on my insane repair missions.

coolsun

iTrader: (10)

i drove it early in the morning going very slow like <5mph and it was ok dont hit a pot hole or anything

Max_5gen

iTrader: (2)

They would weld bracket, not the arm itslelf. You won't be able to replace the rear bushing though if this is what you meant.

1993-VG30E-GXE

Max 5gen, do you think it would be possible to weld an M16 stud into the hole, then use a hex nut on the other side where the bolt head used to be. So the order would be

CHASSIS-->TRANSVERSE LINK GUSSET-->TRANSVERSE LINK TENSION ROD BRACKET ASSY-->M16 WASHER-->M16 LOCK WASHER-->M16 HEX NUT

nitrous360

Definitely need a pic here.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

So, you stripped this installing it or taking it out?

Max_5gen

iTrader: (2)

Personally I wouldn't do it since I don't believe you can weld a stud so well into the chassis that it won't break later while driving over some bump at high speed. All material it is left to stick to is just thickness of the chassis. It would be more of decorative weld then the one intended to handle the load IMHO.

Sorry, I never went that far in repairs and I can't suggest a reliable way to fix it.

1993-VG30E-GXE

OK thanks guys, i'll try take a pic tommorow in the light. It was stripped removing it when I put the breaker bar on it to remove. The breaker bar kind of put an angle on the bolt when putting body weight on the bar, and it started coming out on an angle, and I heard each pop sound as the weld inside for the threaded part started busting off. I really can't stand these fine thread fasteners, they've given me problems before. If this was coarse, it probably wouldn't have happened.

Ultimately I may have to weld the bracket shut, so I better buy the control arm now.

1993-VG30E-GXE

This is by far the hardest repair i've done. It was hard to get the bolt out. Get this caped - I grinded that thing for an hr straight with a carbide burr, and the stupid bit of bolt is stuck inside, I moved it with a dental pick, and there's a big chunk of metal welded on the end, it's like a square. There's no way I can get that dumb thing out, so I'm thinking of glueing it inside if possible, with a loctite product i've seen, it's like a plastic cement thing. If I can somehow glue it to the metal (which will be next to impossible through that tiny hole), maybe it will stick...probably not because it's dirty inside maybe, but i'll try it

So caped, did you have to do this kind of stuff when you did those swaps with the old chassis?

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

ntrly... i have snapped my fair share of bolts... exhaust studs, ebrake handle bolt, hose clamp bolts, exhaust heatshield bolts.... even snapped a swaybar endlink in half one time. But never anything like that... not on my GXE anyways. I don't recall breaking anything like that on the parts car either. i just had to watch out for rust particles falling in my eyes.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

Get a unibit. drill the hole out bigger until the dead piece falls out.

Then go buy a new bolt and a nut the same size as the factory.

not find a washer or piece of plate large enough to cover the hole you drilled.
screw the bolt and nut onto said washer. cover the threads of the bolt with tape and weld the nut onto the washer.
let it cool in air (DON'T dunk it in water- that makes it brittle and weaker!)
then remove the bolt.
stick the nut and washer 'upside down' on the car where the old one used to be. I suggest bolting the gusset back under the car in place with that piece under it and then run the new bolt through. once its all in place, mark it on the chassis or tack weld it in place with the gusset on there.

once it's fixed in place or marked, pull everything out of the way, plug the thread holes so you don't get welding slag in it, and weld the thing onto the bottom of the car.

They're hard to see in this pic, but look at the metal washers on the floor under the driver's seat.
http://blehmco.com/pics/240SX/roll_cage/DSCN0039.jpg
high res pic:
http://blehmco.com/pics/240SX/high_res/DSCN0039.jpg

that's a 7/16" nut welded onto that thick washer, then the washer is welded to the floor. so I just stick the seat in the car and run a bolt through. no muss, no fuss. that's what you need to do to repair this problem.

1993-VG30E-GXE

OK Thanks for the photos and description. It helps alot. Now I get why the stud can't simply be welded into a threaded hole, I see now how those plates (in your photo) are wide and it gives the strength when you weld around in a circle (larger diameter).

In your photo, see how the plate washer is raised a bit from the surface of the car, is there a way I can weld the washer in a hole of equal outside diameter on my chassis? My concern is, that the surface would be not level with the original surface, so the gusset will be off by the thickness of the washer, and the bracket won't properly clamp the rear control arm bushing then, it may jiggle.

Unless, here's an idea, could I put an equal thickness washer between the gusset and chassis on the other side too, to level it off, considering the transverse link tension rod (the part with the M18 hex nut) may be skewed a bit.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

You'll have a slightly off alignment curve, but honestly that is the least of the problems with that car.

There's probably a way you could do it otherwise, but it gets beyond description here and needs to be handled by a shop that can do the fabrication.