Phantom Nut......

[NOIDEAWIAM]

So there I was, installing my Motobilt rock rails. It was getting dark and the last bolt was giving me a hard time. This body bolt gets installed in the middle of the rails to hold the rock rail to the jeep. I tried to install it and realized the threads on the bolt needed some attention. I decided to not install the bolt until I cleaned up the threads the next day at work. I reconditioned the threads and brought the bolt home. I went to install the bolt and it slid all the way in without touching anything. There was nothing for it to grab on to. I procreded to acquire a flashlight to observe why there was nothing for said bolt to grab on to, thinking it was just my aim. There was nothing. Nothing through the hole that the bolt came out of. I looked for any tracks to see if the nut grew legs and magically shrunk itself and walked out of the hole. Nothing. So, being that this is a captured area and it is possible the nut is hiding in a corner of the body mount chamber.....what do I do to coax it into accepting the bolt I must insert to complete this install......?? I am at a stand still.....

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[Lateapex]

Not exactly the same, but maybe you could “find” the missing nut in a similar manner to the following, and then align it with the bolt hole.

I lost a broken bolt (in effect a short stud) into the frame rail while installing a frame mounted accessory. The bolt fell into the frame rail through a rivet nut while I was drilling the broken bolt out to remove it.

Anyway, I epoxied a small rare earth magnet onto a piece of flexible tubing, and fished the broken bolt out through an existing hole in the frame.

 

[C.Sco]

If the nut is captured inside a chamber of the body, presumably it was supposed to be attached to the body to prevent spinning. So even if you do find it, how are you going to thread a bolt into it without it spinning? My recommendation, just abandon the nut and press in a rivnut in its place.

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

can you post a photo of where the nut is supposed to be?.. are you talking about the nut that is inside the body... the one that secures the big bolt that attaches the frame to the body?

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

There is hope!

fish it with a bent wire until you can bring it to the hole.. try to devise a hook with a wire that is thicker and try to sense the nut... try to bring it to the center.. once you see the bottom part.. poke it and lift it with a small screwdriver and bring it towards the center until you see the hole.. center it ... use the big bolt to try to get some threads in ( I know.. almost impossible )... if that does not work... then...

get a big magnet... attach it to the top of the body where the nut is.. and push it up with something long enough to get it to stick to the top... . Then use a small amount of J-B weld and smear it at the bottom where the stupid nut is supposed to be (a bent Q-tips should do the trick) then secure the nut at the top.. basically push it against the top and remove the magnet... then carefully lower it until it lands centered and on the J-B Weld... let it cure overnight for 24 hours .... that should give you enough leverage to allow you to get the bolt threaded.. if the J-B Weld fails to secure the nut before you are done screwing the bolt in.. don't use too much J-B Weld as it could ooze out and clog the threads of the stupid nut ... then proceed with post #7 in this thread:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/body-mount-bolt-is-loose-and-hanging.80129/

Here is Post #7 (yeah.. that is me in that pic.. LOL)

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...-bolt-is-loose-and-hanging.80129/post-1675284

 

[Kaliks&Bones]

Thought this thread was seeking medical advice, carry on.

 

[Jeepeto]

Just pick up the Jeep and shake it like a piggy bank

I agree with @C.Sco a rivnut is probably the easiest option at this point

 

[DOOKEY]

Thought this thread was seeking medical advice, carry on.

I'm also thankful this was a Jeep related thread.

 

[NOIDEAWIAM]

If the nut is captured inside a chamber of the body, presumably it was supposed to be attached to the body to prevent spinning. So even if you do find it, how are you going to thread a bolt into it without it spinning? My recommendation, just abandon the nut and press in a rivnut in its place.

A rivnut wouldn't work. The bolt is about 4 1/2" long and travels through a rubber isolator attached to the body. It is captured but not stationary. It has a "chamber" that it sits in. There is a spacer that is attached to the nut that has an odd shape which prevents it from spinning.

 

[NOIDEAWIAM]

can you post a photo of where the nut is supposed to be?.. are you talking about the nut that is inside the body... the one that secures the big bolt that attaches the frame to the body?

....yes. that one. I can hear it rattling around when I drive too haha. I am thinking of having the tools on hand to reinstall it and checking it at every place I stop. This could create an off chance that it could get installed in a random parking lot.

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

....yes. that one. I can hear it rattling around when I drive too haha. I am thinking of having the tools on hand to reinstall it and checking it at every place I stop. This could create an off chance that it could get installed in a random parking lot.

Ohh ok.. I say you give it a try to what I posted in post #5 in this thread..

 

[NOIDEAWIAM]

There is hope!

fish it with a bent wire until you can bring it to the hole.. try to devise a hook with a wire that is thicker and try to sense the nut... try to bring it to the center.. once you see the bottom part.. poke it and lift it with a small screwdriver and bring it towards the center until you see the hole.. center it ... use the big bolt to try to get some threads in ( I know.. almost impossible )... if that does not work... then...

get a big magnet... attach it to the top of the body where the nut is.. and push it up with something long enough to get it to stick to the top... . Then use a small amount of J-B weld and smear it at the bottom where the stupid nut is supposed to be (a bent Q-tips should do the trick) then secure the nut at the top.. basically push it against the top and remove the magnet... then carefully lower it until it lands centered and on the J-B Weld... let it cure overnight for 24 hours .... that should give you enough leverage to allow you to get the bolt threaded.. if the J-B Weld fails to secure the nut before you are done screwing the bolt in.. don't use too much J-B Weld as you could ooze out and clog the threads of the stupid nut ... then proceed with post #7 in this thread:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/body-mount-bolt-is-loose-and-hanging.80129/

Here is Post #7 (yeah.. that is me in that pic.. LOL)

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...-bolt-is-loose-and-hanging.80129/post-1675284

it is that exact bolt I am fighting with.....I will try these methods and report back.

 

[NOIDEAWIAM]

I'm also thankful this was a Jeep related thread.

There is a whole different forum for what you guys were thinking. Not having nuts but think they are there and behave as such......here is the link below.....

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/

 

[NOIDEAWIAM]

I recovered my nut! After some carefully fenagled the nut into its proper position for mounting. I did end up using almost all methods. I first jerked the jeep back and forth with the brakes and gas lol. Then I used a small magnet through the mounting hole to position. Then I used a screwdriver to hold it in position until I inserted the bolt. It was a process but I am victorious! Thank you for all the suggestions about how to find my lost nut.

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