Jacking rails part 2

[ghunt81]

Alright, I bought some Steeda jacking rails as they were on sale last week and received them Friday.

Went to work on installation tonight and ran into a little problem. They are made to bolt into the rear bolts of the crossmember up front, and to some unused threaded inserts in the frame toward the rear just in front of the control arms.

Well, as it turns out, my car has these threaded inserts on the passenger side, but on the driver's side they are just plain holes, no inserts. Has anyone else run into this issue, what can I do? Kinda looks like I'm SOL on these because the holes are not big enough to get a speed nut or anything else in there.

 

[Macman45]

Weird. Mine was threaded on both sides when I installed the Steedas.

Can you weld em?

 

[ghunt81]

Not really anything there to weld to except sheet metal, which I wouldn't trust to not crack.

I'm sure this is a 2005 problem...

 

[kazman59]

Nutsert, prolly need to find someone that has the kit. It would be rather expensive to buy everything for just one. Check out McMaster-Carr

 

[ghunt81]

Hm, Mcmaster has "rivet nuts" which I could install without having to weld anything, but I'd have to buy the installation tool for them. Looks like that might be about my only option but I'll have to check the hole size.

 

[kazman59]

That's why I say find someone with the kit already. Or buy the tool and a bunch of different size inserts and people can come to you.

 

[ghunt81]

The tool that installs them with a wrench/socket is $30 so not bank-breaking, at least.

 

[ghunt81]

Well I found some rivnuts and a tool where you can set them with a wrench and a socket on ebay....$25 total so not too bad. Turns out the holes are exactly the right diameter for the nuts (~.54") so hopefully this will be an easy fix.

 

[Champale]

Good luck with that! I have a rivnut install tool and it works really well. What a strange problem to have in the 1st place!

 

[ghunt81]

Like I said I figure it's a 2005 thing...you know, sometimes the first year of production has some hiccups!

 

[kazman59]

Fixed yet?

 

[ghunt81]

Haven't even gotten the stuff in the mail yet.

 

[Brick]

I had this same issue on my early '05 V6. Threaded inserts on the passenger side but none on the driver side. Emailed Steeda about it more than once and never did get a response. My late '05 GT had both sides. Post part numbers or a link for the rivet nuts you use if they work out!

 

[DiMora]

Just weld them in. Buy the frame rail and torque brace box and do them at the same time, since you don't want to have to grind the frame rail welds later to install the torque brace boxes. They complement one another and you can jack the car at the brace boxes as well; they tie together at the same bolt holes that you have which are un-threaded. A shop with a lift can use a transmission jack to push them upward while they are welded.

 

[ghunt81]

I already have the jacking rails and didn't really want to spend the money on subframe connectors. I just wanted a good place to put jackstands under the side of the car.

 

[DiMora]

Understand. I'd do the nutserts then...or helicoils.

 

[DiMora]

Well I found some rivnuts and a tool where you can set them with a wrench and a socket on ebay....$25 total so not too bad. Turns out the holes are exactly the right diameter for the nuts (~.54") so hopefully this will be an easy fix.

I just hope that solution is good enough not to fall out. If they do fall out, you'll be dragging the back end of the jacking rail and make a cool spark show like a lowrider.

 

[ghunt81]

Well the way these are designed, they crimp like rivets to hold onto the sheet metal. I think they should work just fine.

I just got the rivnuts today, they are steel with ribs on the sides to prevent them from spinning in the hole. If anyone else runs into this problem in the future, note that there are two lengths of the M10 rivnuts (Steeda's supplied bolts are M10-1.5 so that's what I got), 18.5 and 20.5. Make sure you get the 18.5 as they are for thinner metal (up to 3mm/~1/8" thick). The longer ones would probably not crimp in snugly enough.

Now I just need the crimping tool to come in.

 

[ghunt81]

Well I got my rivnut setting tool...should have done a little more research. It's pretty much an Allen bolt, nut, washer, and then a hollow piece that looks like a coupling nut but has no threads in it (I guess just to act as a spacer). Probably coulda made this myself and saved $10. Ah well.

 

[roegs]

I have a late model RAM and when I installed RAM OEM step bars, they included rivnuts and a tool that sounds just as you are describing. I had roughly 8 rivnuts to install. My experience was that you have to tighten the tool more than a guy would think to properly set the rivnut. These were roughly 1/4 inch rivnuts and the first two I installed were not tight enough so I had to go back and re-tighten. The nut has to be crushed well to properly seat. Its been a couple years, but I believe the instructions said to oil the threads of the installation tool.