What to do tow hook bolts snapped during hitch install

[rjaudi]

I went to remove the 2 shipping hooks attached to the rear of the frame on my 4runner to install a new trailer hitch. The drivers side bolts came off no problem. The 2 passenger side bolts snapped in 2. I am left with these 2 partial bolts now. Normally I would drill this out and re-tap, but I have 1 inch of hardened bolt to go through. What would you all recommend?

 

[JohnsD90]

Weld a nut on it and pull it out, thats what i would do, you gotta have a buddy with a welder.

 

[Singtoe]

Get a BFH and hit those broken bolts and nuts out of the frame.


If that doesn't work. Oxy-set torch.

 

[t4r4life]

only way i see is to either weld a bolt on there or drill it out, but from the look of that metal i dont think the weld will hold

 

[rjaudi]

I was thinking about the welding idea. I don't now anyone local that has a welder. If I hit the nut through I don't know what I would use to attach the bolt to. I want to get the bolts in tight since it could effect the load rating of the hitch.

 

[t4r4life]

I was thinking about the welding idea. I don't now anyone local that has a welder. If I hit the nut through I don't know what I would use to attach the bolt to. I want to get the bolts in tight since it could effect the load rating of the hitch.

im sorry but with out a air chisel your only bet is welding and just not any welding here is what you need to do if you weld

wire brushing all rust and paint away

heat the area with a torch

weld with no wind at all prefer warm temp indoor

crank the heat up on the welder and make sure it fills every gap between the bolt and the broken stud(a glowing weld is a good weld)

put motor oil on the welds after to cool it down(not water)

wait about 20 mins for the weld to set in

heat again and spray some pb blaster then go to town

and when you try to break the studs loose make sure to use impact force(impact gun or a wrench with a hammer ) not continuous force (keep pushing on it)

 

[Dous]

Come on back to Raleigh man! I can weld a nut on to that.....I think!

 

[IanB]

im sorry but with out a air chisel your only bet is welding and just not any welding here is what you need to do if you weld

wire brushing all rust and paint away

heat the area with a torch

weld with no wind at all prefer warm temp indoor

crank the heat up on the welder and make sure it fills every gap between the bolt and the broken stud(a glowing weld is a good weld)

put motor oil on the welds after to cool it down(not water)

wait about 20 mins for the weld to set in

heat again and spray some pb blaster then go to town

and when you try to break the studs loose make sure to use impact force(impact gun or a wrench with a hammer ) not continuous force (keep pushing on it)

This sounds like a good plan of attack, otherwise I would recommend grinding it down flush to the rail and drilling/tapping from there.

 

[theizzardking]

or you can drill a smaller hole in the broken stud and tap it run a bolt with a nut down in it and tighten it off and then back the bolt out using the new bolt head, i hope that makes sense, your using the torque of the nut against the top of the broken stud to move the bolt, when you do this you still want to do the other things mentioned above like cleaning and heating up the area to get the metal to expand a bit.

this is just a way that will work without a welder if you dont have one, or you could always buy one of these guys and keep it around..

 

[rjaudi]

Thanks T4R4life for those suggestions I will try that.

Dous, next time I'm in Raleigh hopefully we can try this.

 

[Singtoe]

I can't hurt to try using a hammer. The inside nut is only staked on. With the amount of corrosion going on, they should only be hanging by a thread. I bet that a few good blows will pop them out.

 

[iowajosh]

That is a lot of credibility for the BFH approach. I can see how that could work. Welding a nut on is magic. Otherwise, heat it up once and drill it out. It doesn't take much to unharden what was hardened.

 

[rjaudi]

I can't hurt to try using a hammer. The inside nut is only staked on. With the amount of corrosion going on, they should only be hanging by a thread. I bet that a few good blows will pop them out.

I believe these 2 nuts are welded inside the frame rail. These are not the "nuts on a stick" for the rear tow hitch mounts.

 

[Singtoe]

I believe these 2 nuts are welded inside the frame rail. These are not the "nuts on a stick" for the rear tow hitch mounts.

I know, They are spot welded inside the frame during assemble. They should just hammer out. especially if they are really rusted.

 

[rjaudi]

I know, They are spot welded inside the frame during assemble. They should just hammer out. especially if they are really rusted.

I went out and tried to hit them with my 3 pound hammer and all I got was some chunks of the inside of my frame falling out. I will try to get the bolt real hot later and see if that helps.