so... i was finishing up a subframe collar install. 20 minute job, no problems right? wrong.

putting in the very last bolt... 14mm. hand tightened. then ratchet. then torque to spec. well. it was getting a bit tighter when suddenly it just spins. yes. threads inside are stripped.

obviously i will have to rethread the hole for a larger bolt but...

any of you old schooler car guys got tricks for getting the present bolt out?
or am i stuck drilling it out? i hate old cars... :piss:

If its just spinng a crowbar will work.

ill try that

helicoil huh? i guess i'll have to make a trip to ace hardware.

ill try the crowbar too but i don't think i'll have enough clearance to lever it out.

where exactly is the placement of this collar on the subframe? were u using a previously threaded hole? does the bolt pass all the way thru the subframe or does it thread into something inside the frame? u say it got tight then just spins. can u spin it by hand? sorry for the questions, but there's some things i need to know. like, if u were threading the bolt into something inside the frame and it now spins freely by hand, the threaded insert inside the frame broke loose the spot welds and ur fucked. u'll just have to cut the bolt, let it fall inside the frame and possibly drill thru for a longer bolt and nut.

where exactly is the placement of this collar on the subframe? were u using a previously threaded hole? does the bolt pass all the way thru the subframe or does it thread into something inside the frame? u say it got tight then just spins. can u spin it by hand? sorry for the questions, but there's some things i need to know. like, if u were threading the bolt into something inside the frame and it now spins freely by hand, the threaded insert inside the frame broke loose the spot welds and ur fucked. u'll just have to cut the bolt, let it fall inside the frame and possibly drill thru for a longer bolt and nut.

its kind of hard to describe but i'll try.

the subframe on the rear of 240sx has bushings pressed into it. the collars go above and below the bushing to preload the bushing. these bushings have a hole in the middle for a bolt. this bolt screws direclty into the body of the car, securing the subframe to the car. there is no nut on the other side. the female threads are in the body of the car itself.

i don't believe the bolt passes through the body to a nut spot welded on the other side. i say this because usually when nissan uses that kind of bolt the tip of the bolt is threaded while the center section of the body is smooth. this bolt, on the other hand, is threaded along its entire length. the hole seems threaded as well, but it was dark so i could be mistaken.

the bolt spins in place. it is still hard to turn with a ratchet. i definitely cannot turn it by hand.

im pretty sure at this point that i just have to rethread the hole. at least that's what the more experienced 240sx people are saying.

240 or not, manufacturers still use simular ways to thread bolts into sheet metal. sorry i couldn't be more helpful.

heli coil claims a stronger thread and bolt than anything else you will use as well.

Just wrap some electrical tape around the inside of the socket and put it on so it is tight on the bolt. This will give it enough help to let you screw it back out.

thanks guys.

for removal, drilling it out is the last resort. hopefully i can back it out some other way. supposedly prying on it or pulling it will let it catch threads if you're lucky. worth a shot i guess.

for install, i'm going to use a heli coil as suggested.

yzf ... if the threads are stripped what is holding it in?

trash

it will come out... I've never had to drill out something that had the threads stripped even if you have to take it out with channel locks by twisting.

cut the bolt head off, drill it out (using the proper size drill bit, provided in the Heli-Coil thread repair kit), install the new spring steel "threads" with the insert tool, go on with life

I've done this many times and it's the best way, I'm surprised more people don't use Heli-Coils..in my opinion it's better than overdrilling and tapping because you won't have an odd size bolt mixed in with the others (which makes you look like a hack), and the new threads will be stronger

just do it....mcmaster carr sells them


Unless you are poor, those Heli-coils are expensive man :p

I don't mind having an odd sized bolt, I always figure if it broke in the first place it needed to be bigger anyway! :D

Anti-Seize FTW.

i haven't had a chance to work on it. it's about an hour down south and i'm stuck finishing up law school classes and oral arguments. i'll try to get to it on friday.

UPDATE BUMP ZOMGERS!

well. i installed subframe spacers about 2 months ago. one of the bolts stripped the threads in the chassis, but was fully screwed in. rear made a clunking noise when i drove it around so i parked it. i figured the subframe was floating b/c that bolt was a little loose.

then i had finals, intern, etc. finally i got a chance to get to it today. we drilled out the bolt. we bored out the hole. tapped it, inserted a helicoil. screwed in a new bolt, torqued everything down. lo and behold, the clunking is still there!

the clunking only occurs when you are accelerating at low rpms. it gets quiet and dissappears at higher rpms. the clunking gets faster with road speed. it does not clunk when changing between accel / accel off / braking etc. it sounds like it is coming from the rear driver side (where the threads in the chassis had stripped). there is no clunking during coasting, braking, or engine braking.

i'm at a loss. i figure maybe one of the spacers didn't seat properly? i'm going to take them out tomorrow and see if the clunking goes away. anyone have any ideas? T_T

btw: they are the two piece splparts spacers with the top slotted insert.

http://www.splparts.com/doc/SubframeCollar/default.htm

link for you not familiar with the s14 / spacers

make sure the exhaust is secure

will check that. thanks for the suggestion!