new england xj POS. shackle bolt broke.

[thechief86]

hey guys, i have a 91 xj that i picked up cheap to put together as a cheap wheeling rig. It is really rusty, but for the most part has been a pretty good car. At the moment i have a 3" lift on it via new springs in front and an add a leaf in the rear. As expected, the AAL is a little saggy after a few wheeling trips and a bunch of miles, so I've decided to install some spacers and shackles.
the left side shackle bolts came off easy, but the passenger side bolt on the body end broke off. at the moment i wanted to drive my jeep the next day, so I just tack welded the head to the bracket so it wouldn't come out, and continued to drive it. now, i'm ready to tackle the issue, and need a little guidance.
I've cut a hole in the cargo area to give me access to the nut, but all i see inside the subframe is a hole with the end of the bolt sticking through, and the nut inside that hole recessed a little bit.

has anybody else already done this that would like to enlighten me on what to do next? i already have another nut and bolt, and could even weld the new nut in place of the old one. I can't get in there with a socket and ratchet to break the weld with, and the nut looks square anyway. what is a good procedure for removing the old welded nut and broken half of the bolt?
thanks.


91 2 door xj, 4.0, ax15, np231, cut and folded quarters as a means of rust removal (also exposes shackle bolt heads and holes for easier access...)

 

[kastein]

What I would suggest - cut a hole in the frame rail around that hole where the bolt tip comes through. Don't cut it too large or you'll cut into the part where the shackle mount box is spot welded to the frame wall, you should be able to see the spot welds I think. Just cut it slightly larger repeatedly until you can get at it. Then grind out the welds, rip the nut and busted bolt stub out, and get a new one in there. The nuts and bolts are the same exact parts as used on the lower end of the shackle and also the LCA nuts and bolts on any XJ (and WJ front LCA bolts are compatible) so you can get them pretty easily at the JY.

 

[thechief86]

How did I know you'd be the first to answer?
Thanks man. I don't really know how to cut that hole any bigger, though. I can't get my grinder in there without making a big mess, and the sawzall is just too violent, lol. Do you know what size socket will fit on that square nut? I may be able to come up with a shorter socket if I know what I'm looking for.

 

[kastein]

I dunno, never seen one that was square. Always just a welded in hex nut...

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend either a sawzall or angle grinder at all that's for sure. This is more of a job for a dremel, some fiber reinforced cutting wheels, and patience.

 

[thechief86]

Hmmm I might go buy one then... Don't know where I'm gonna find patience, though...

 

[kastein]

You can substitute more cutoff discs for patience when you break them by trying to cut too quickly. They add up fast though, the fiber ones are not cheap.

 

[thechief86]

Yeah, I'm gonna save this project for Monday morning then. I'll just go wheeling tomoro with a saggy hiney.

 

[foxwar71]

Remove the rear bumper and cut out the sheetmetal inbetween the bolt holes that caps the end of the framerail. Once that metal is outta the way, theres plenty of acces to the weld nut for the shackle bolt.

 

[thechief86]

yeah, i've got that part taken care of, from the top side. i just need to figure out the best way to get the broken bolt out of the way. i'd be ok with keeping the weld nut that's in there, if i could just get the bolt out.

 

[foxwar71]

torch on the weld nut, vise grips on the bolt.

 

[thechief86]

^gotcha. So mutilate the shackle, then try to back the stump out.

 

[thechief86]

Ok, I'm finally about to try to mess with this again, after several months of just living with it. I really hope I can get that broken stub to back out rather than having to cut the nut out...

 

[thechief86]

ok, so i squirted some pb blaster on it, and heated the nut with a torch until it was glowing. once it stopped glowing, the bolt backed right out with a pair of vice grips. i didn't even have to cut the stock shackle, just pried it out with my pickle fork!
thanks for your help guys!

 

[kastein]

Nice!

That is a lot better than I expected.