Skid plate bolts

[woodrow]

while removing my skid plate despite pb blaster for a few days and heat I broke the bolts that attach the skid plate to the frame, then i broke the extractor in the bolt. I see the nuts are welded to the frame. I had my frame repaired in that area years ago and i don't know if that is how it was originally or improvised by my frame repair guy. I see an aftermarket site that sells the nuts and bolts but don't know how its possible to hold them with a wrench. Do i need to weld new ones on, ( don't own a welder cuz i dont weld ).
is an epoxy an acceptable alternate or might I brake the epoxy loose while tightening

I am planning on cutting the nuts off the frame with a cutting wheel

[fsj454]

7 nuts and bolts 2 self tappers

On 1990 GW 9 in total to drop tank . Mark and disconnect all hoses at tank

[ZackN920]

I don't think epoxy would hold in the long run, but for just getting it back together... Hmm. Should work just for that if you let it cure and get it to adhere well. If it ever needs to come back out again, whoever that has that job will be cussin' out the last one who was in there... lol

When I put mine back together after fabbing that frame rail I didn't know how factory had done it. My frame had nothing left down there. All rusted away. I didn't think about welding nuts to the frame. What I did was that I went to menards (local hardware store) and got "U-Nuts" and put them on the frame.
Something like this:

https://www.menards.com/main/hardware/fasteners-connectors/nuts/spring-nuts/midwest-fastener-reg-3-8-16-black-phosphate-steel-long-u-spring-nut-1-count/84556/p-1444440086153-c-8923.htm?tid=5089620054666053764&ipos=12

They allowed me some play when I put the tank back on and kept the nut from spinning (since it's a U shaped piece of metal ).

Now, I don't know how long these will last either, but should be better than epoxy.

[woodrow]

Yeah, i considered those too. I didnt know if they could take a lot of torque without stripping. Thats probably the easiest. I was only using the epoxy to hold the nuts in place on the inside of the frame rail, then i thought once i tighten it , the nut would grab the frame. But if i have to remove and the epoxy breaks it will all just spin. U bolts are less risky

[Full Size Jeeper]

Look up a product called Riv-nut or rivet nut, I think this could help. It works like a rivet, but has threads that you can then put your bolt in, good luck.

[Full Size Jeeper]

Video of how it works.

https://youtu.be/L-ik6TnWrGI

[babywag]

Drill them out and run a tap through them.
Easy and no welder or special tools required.

[rang-a-stang]

Drill them out and run a tap through them.
Easy and no welder or special tools required.

Yep. A tap is cheaper than all the rest of those workarounds. Plus, that nut/bolt combo is used all over our rigs and you will get alot of use out of that tap. Take your time drilling it so you don't drill it crooked or off center.

[SJTD]

Since he broke an extractor off in it I don't think he's going to be drilling that out.

[woodrow]

Yeah, the broken extractor was an issue. I cut the welded nuts off of the frame. I think i will try the u nuts that clip on. My concern is leaving the gap between the skid plate and the frame, my catch alot of grime. Maybe its not a problem

[SJTD]

Could run a bead of goo down the frame when you bolt it up if you're worried about it.

[threepiece]

You could make a special nut from a piece of steel bar. The bar should be at least as thick as the diameter of the screw that going through it.

The special nut should be about as long as the flange on the frame, about two inches. Drill and tap the hole near the end of the bar.

When tightening or loosening, the nut will rotate so far as to hit the web of the frame. You could temporarily secure the nut in place with tape or glue for installation.