Hi all, new member here, but ive been trolling for a while. My axle pivot bracket (drivers axle, passenger side bracket) was busted, only being held on by the two horizontal bolts. This led to one of the holes being wallowed out some. The other holes appear decent. Additionally, the bolts are not in the best of shape. 1 sheared off completely, 2 are somewhat smashed and one is decent.

A few Qs- should I do anything about the wallowed out hole. Drill it out to the next size up, then do the same on the new bracket? I dont have access to a welder and truck is torn apart in my driveway. Or maybe the new bracket will hold everything in place. Also, I'm considering replacing the bolts with grade 8s, just using washers and lock washers. I saw a source somewhere for the replacement bolts with retainers but they were 60$ or so. I could just cut a piece of steel and make my own retainer, which would tie movement of the bolts into pairs. Not sure what route to take. Thanks for any help

 

the best fix will be to make a patch plate weld over old hole and drill to correct size as for the bolt plate just weld up a new one i know u said u did not have a welder sounds like its time to make a friend with one lol

 

welcome to FTE.
i would oversize the hole and put grade 8 bolts hardware in there.
or do a D-60 swap.

 

umm btw the bolts on the plate are just lug nut bolts(studs ) should be able to knock them out and pick up some new ones grage 8 bolts are ok id go with grade 12 tho not much more money and itd be a shame if it broak again

 

Thanks for the replies. I figured welding a patch would be best. What about just making a pate and welding it on the front of the crossmember? Then I could bolt everything up, drive it somewhere and have it welded. This would only work for the horizontal bolts but thats the only one wallowing out. Any reason the plate shouldnt go on the front of the crossmember?


A D60 would be nice. I could probably buy one with how much ive spent, and am still spending, on front end parts.

 

Thats way overkill, and more likely to cause problems if the welding is not done correctly.
The bolts are NOT lug nut bolts, or studs. They are bolts with regular heads, that also have a knurled section to help them hold in the frame. The retainer has a hexagon hole to keep the head from spinning as the knurled section is being sucked into the frame. The retainer is held on by a few small deformations in the bolt heads to keep them from falling out.

Where exactly can you buy grade 12 bolts? I think you are grossly confused here. GRADE is an SAE bolt strength rating. CLASS is a metric bolt strength rating. An SAE GRADE 5 is equivalent to a metric CLASS 8.8, however you won't find exactly the same bolts as SAE will be fractional sizes, and metric will be millimeter sizes. SAE GRADE 8 is equivalent to metric CLASS 10.9. There is also CLASS 9.8 (between grade 5 and 8) and CLASS 12.9 (stronger than grade 8).

The bolts that hold our truck together are mostly METRIC bolts. The engine and axles include SAE bolts (although some of the accessories include metric bolts).

I would agree with tjc transport. Drill them out for the next size SAE grade 8 bolt. Don't worry about the retainers, they're basically to save time in the factory. You should be able to get a wrench, or socket on both sides of the joint to tighten them. Make sure you use a hardened washer as well, and torque to proper specs for the size of the bolt, and if the threads are dry or lubricated. If you're worried about it loosening, use a hardened lock nut, or loc-tite.

Unless something is cracked, or the hole is grossly oversized (like the bolt ripped through) there is no reason to weld a plate in there. Remember the KISS principle. Keep It Simple Stupid