The 'captive nut' is spot-welded to the underside of the plate. If the bolt
won't tighten a) the spot welds have broken loose or b) the nut is stripped (my
guess).
If the nut is stripped you can use a thread repair kit (I've done this
successfully). If the nut has broken loose, you'll need to loosen the shock
enough to get a MIG wire on the nut and tack it well enough to keep it from
dropping when you remove the bolt (if it drops you might be able to capture it
with a magnetic parts chaser, then tack weld, but you might end up misaligned
with the shock bolt hole). The hole is larger than the diameter of the bolt
thread (3/8" x 24) and you should be able (note: I haven't done this) run a
bead--or a few spotwelds--around the edge of the hole and the nut, then file
flat and chase the threads.
You can put the car on jackstands--Darwin warnings apply here--with the front
jackstands securely under the 'point' of the A-arms. The weight of the car will
keep the spring compressed while you loosen the shock (you shouldn't have to
break the upper trunnion), but if the car gets knocked off the jackstands
you'll have a spring projectile (in addition to a crunched car). I've done
this, but only for 'quick' repairs; the better (safer) option is to drop the
spring through the A-arms (you don't have to remove the A-arms, use some long
bolts or allthread to replace the bolts one at a time then loosen them in
sequence).
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "Healey Bruce" <healeybruce@roadrunner.com>
To: "Healey Mail Group" <Healeys@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 3, 2009 7:14:33 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [Healeys] Front shock mounting plate
While doing my annual routine maintenance, checking the front shock mounting
bolts revealed the right front outboard bolt was a bit loose.
Unfortunately, it would not tighten down. In reading Tech Talk, it sounds
like there is a captive nut welded to the mounting plate. It does not feel
stripped, but more like the nut is still relatively tight but turning. It
also appears that the spring needs to be removed to gain access to the
underside of the mounting plate. So, several questions:
1. Is there, in fact, a nut welded on the mounting plate?
2. If so, can the spring be dropped without having to remove the lower
A-arms?
3. And if so, is it fairly straight forward to get up in there to reweld
the nut, or is it more involved?
Thanks.
Bruce Steele
1960 BN7
Brea, CA
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