Almost installed the "rear end delete kit"

Hey guys. New to this fourm but I need a little insight. 2 years ago I had my leaf springs replaced by the dealership for a recall. It seems like they didn't tighten down one of the nuts on the leaf spring bolt to spec and it fell off. The bolt started walking out and almost fell completely out. There's no telling how long it has been loose, but judging by the damage on the bracket, I'd say it was loose for quite some time. Since that leaf spring replacement was over 1 year ago, the dealership won't warranty their service so I'll have to take care of it myself. How would you go about fixing that bracket? I could try to weld the wallowed part of the hole and run a drill bit through it but I don't want to remove any material from the bottom of the hole with the drill bit. Or I could weld the entire hole closed, and drill a new hole but getting it exactly lined up may be challenging. Or I could buy a whole new bracket, but it's riveted on so I would have to either bolt or weld the new bracket on. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Whoa.

 

Any good spring shops in your area?

 

Weld some “washers” to the faces? By washers I mean thick enough steel plates with the properly sized hole already drilled. That way you can line everything up how it should be, tack em on, remove spring, burn em in. At least you’re working with fresh clean steel. Instead of laying weld gobs on it and trying to drill straight through.

Disclaimer, I’m not a pro welder by any means.

 

This might be the best way to fix your frame. However, there is one caveat to this. Depending on how thick the metal you add, you'll probably need a longer front bolt due to the lack of thread engagement. You'll want a minimum of 2 threads peeking out of the nut. Grab a replacement grade 8 bolt. I don't know exactly the size of the bolt you'll need without measuring it first so you'll need to measure it yourself, there's plenty of guides on how to do this on the internet. Pick the correct thread pitch and pick up one of the Zinc coated bolts to resist corrosion due to its location. You'll want a partially threaded bolt. You may not need a flange head bolt if you use washers, entirely up to you. Make sure you pick up a replacement lock nut and torque it to spec.

-J

 

Agreed, This was my first thought too....An oversized washer or plate. And I'm not a welder at all lol. But it seems like the logical solution.

 

Thanks for the advice. That's a good idea. I already ordered oem hardware for it so hopefully the oem bolt is long enough. If not, I'll try to get a grade 8 bolt with the same diameter but a bit longer.

 

Great advice. Thanks! I just ordered a new oem bolt so I'll see if that one will be long enough but if not, I'll be shopping for a longer grade 8 replacement.

 

You're going to need something more than a grade 8 bolt.
10.9 or a 12.9

 

Good idea but I'd go as far as to welding a new "face" to reinforce the whole area

 

All of the above is the way too fix it.

 

lol