Simmo

iTrader: (20)

Has anyone experienced one of the captive nuts for the bar mount breaking off the inside of the chassis box-section?!

The nut's still on the thread and spins pretty freely but can only just get a couple of fingers through hole to hold it!!!

Need to know if there's an easy fix or whether to just tighten back down as it is?...

rapidcossie

one of mine is the same

scoooby slayer

iTrader: (4)

if it will do up tight then just do it up and forget about it. this has happened to me twice i got a 17mm headed bolt and put it through the big hole in the side of the chassis rail and wiggled bolt so it fell through anti rollbar mounting hole. its awkward but doable. youve got a bolt then hanging from the hole so just stick on some washers and a nut. as its a new bolt should do up and not turn but if it does turn just hold end of bolt with molgrips. thats what i did anyway

Simmo

iTrader: (20)

Ok... my bolt at the mo doesn't have a washer on it and i had to machine down a socket to fit against the mounting bracket!... so i think i'll take it out

Doing it your way will be better for tightening it down i think, especially if i can put bolt through hole from inside with a spring washer attached, giving it a better chance of holding itself inside the chassis rail!

Am i right in thinking they originally had washers?... and were 17mm?

nuttynil

iTrader: (3)

The same happend to me ,i got the nut re tacked it to the chassis by cutting 3 sides ,prising it open and tacking then welding it properly inside closed up the chassis then double welds then ground it down flush .....

tabetha

I just used an old FLANGE NUT and welded a coathanger to it, pushed it through the chasis hole nearby, leaving wire sticking out about 2".
tabetha

Remko GT

I think the original bolts were m12 but with a 13mm head. No rings in between the bracket and the bolt.
and yes, I also have a broken nut for the front ARB
AFAIK the best way to repair it is to insert a helicoil in it. Just haven't been able to find a 12mm helicoil

cossie604

iTrader: (2)

If you lift the interior carpet and sound deadening including the hard glued down sound deadening around the area where the box section is...you should find a metal grate in the floor section. Cut some of this away above where the captive nut is. Mig weld the captive nut back in place, once done apply new stick on sound deadening...availble from bodyshop factors or i.c.e. shops. Well, thats based on a 3dr...saffy's should be the same if thats what youve got.

If people have trouble with threads stripping...granada arb mounting bolts are the same 13mm head but the next size up in the thread department. Drill and retap the captive nut then bolt up using granada bolts...still looks oe.

Turbo Zetec

iTrader: (1)

awesome advice

Alan s1

Thats whot a m8 did i belive Mine undid with out a problem Shame the rear beam bolts did'nt

nuttynil

iTrader: (3)

Hi as you can tell its a common problem but we are all here to help each other out ,and to take the p**s out of each other for a laugh ...........

Simmo

iTrader: (20)

Cheers guys... some good feedback here

I'm pretty confident i can get a bolt down through the inside of the chassis rail with the nut underneath... the floor's mint so don't want to mess about with it really (although if this doesn't work that's what i'll have to do!)

cossie604

iTrader: (2)

The bit I said to cut away can not be seen from underneith, and once you've refitted your carpet it cant be seen from inside either. Trouble with the arb mounting bolts is that you have to lower the arb each time you want to pull out the gearbox...a cossie thats around tw decades old would have had these bolts undone and retightened so many times by now that its no wonder people are now having troubles with them tbh. I was thinking of fitting compression struts just to get over this problem alone

steves24V's

iTrader: (7)

Didn't know it was like that on saff's, Done it to mondeo's many times when the subframe doesn't come undone.

CosKev3

Deffo like that on my 2wd Saph

dojj

iTrader: (3)

exactly the way to do it

the grate is there for that specific purpouse from what i can tell, otherwise you woulnd't know where to cut

if the nut has come off the end of the rail and the bolt is stuck in then just cut the bolt head of and withdraw the nut assembly and weld in a new nut

and you can always put a decent bit of waxoyl into the chassis rail while you are at it and then cover it over again with a bit more matting