Knuckle Pinch Bolt Debacle

BillyBarty · Dec 10, 2011

Man I've got a doozy. I'm trying to replace my front struts and I busted off the head of the pinch bolt where the strut meets the knuckle, now I've got it half drilled out and am hoping that I'm not getting the wrong angle and killing the threads, but my question is can I use a grade 8 bolt and nut if I mess this up, or am I asking for a catastrophic failure if I try to MacGuyver it like that.

I'd rather use the bolt and drive right to the mechanic with my tail between my legs than die on the highway going 70 and it snaps...

ah1f39 · Dec 10, 2011

If the threads are still tight it should stay in? The strut will be held in by the hook as long as it's not abused. Not a good idea to drive it though. Have it towed to a shop. If you can't do that you could remove the pinch bolt at the ball joint and remove the whole strut/spindle assy and take it to a shop to get the bolt removed.

BillyBarty · Dec 10, 2011

man, had I known it would have turned into this, i would have driven to the shop as soon as the head broke off the bolt.

As it is, I cut the hook off the strut and through the bolt half way through hoping that would help take some tension off the threads and I could extract the bolt. Now, I have to keep going just to get to the point where I put the new strut on in some fashion so I can get the car to a mechanic.

Damn rust belt!

ah1f39 · Dec 10, 2011

Just take the strut/spindle assy to the mechanic.

iminhell · Dec 10, 2011

Drill it through and use a grade 10 bolt (bolt head should read 10.9), which is what factory was.

If you do booger the threads, no big deal. Just use a longer bolt and a nyloc nut that is the proper size.

sleepyboy · Dec 10, 2011

iminhell said:
Drill it through and use a grade 10 bolt (bolt head should read 10.9), which is what factory was.

If you do booger the threads, no big deal. Just use a longer bolt and a nyloc nut that is the proper size.

Yup that's what I was thinking. Just get a bolt that goes all the way through with a lock nut and you should be fine. Just make sure it's a grade 10.

BillyBarty · Dec 10, 2011

thats the same as grade 8 SAE right?

sleepyboy · Dec 10, 2011

iminhell said:
Drill it through and use a grade 10 bolt (bolt head should read 10.9), which is what factory was.

If you do booger the threads, no big deal. Just use a longer bolt and a nyloc nut that is the proper size.

Already been answered. [read]

Knuckle Pinch Bolt Debacle

BillyBarty

ah1f39

BillyBarty

ah1f39

iminhell

sleepyboy

BillyBarty

sleepyboy

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