Hardware

[JoshT]

I'm in the process of lowering a first gen. One of the main axle pivot bolt, the one on the other end of the beam from the wheels, had some serious thread damage. Bad enough I will not re-use that bolt. Can anyone help me locate a source for replacement bolts? I checked the only local fastner supply store (Fastenal) and they did not have anything that size. Can anyone help me out on locating the proper size bolt and a source for it?

 

[Insanejughead]

Junk yard, Ford dealership, or re-thread what you can on the existing bolt.


How bad are the threads overall? Is it just the end of the threads that is messed up, or is it the entire length of thread?

 

[JoshT]

We only have one local you-pull-it yard and they don't have much (practically no Rangers) and what they have is pretty much stripped. They also don't allow jacks so no way to get the pressure off the bolt. I avoid one Ford dealer here at all costs and the the other doesn't seem to be able to get much small hardware for older Rangers. And last but not least, I don't have access to any metric dies close to that size, and I'm not going to buy a set just for this. That's why I was more looking for a source online and the size I need.

Actually it is more in the center of the threaded area, but I'm not sure if it extends into where the nut would cover. I'm guessing that the worst part is probably around where the center of the bushing would be. See attachments.

 

[JoshT]

I should also explain that when I bought the truck it had no motor it was rolled straight our of the shop it was sitting in for 10+ years and onto a flat bed trailer. I knew from the outset that I would be putting drop beams on it so the first step in the rebuild was to get them installed while there was little weight on the front end. When I climbed under the truck to pull these bolts I found this one was already missing the nut and washer, and who knows how long they had been gone. Very glad I couldn't drive it home or the bolt may have worked it's way out in the middle of nowhere, and caused a big mess.

 

[Insanejughead]

Measure the depth of the bushing and then add the thickness of the hangar.


I think you'll be fine, but I totally understand wanting to get another bolt to replace that one.


Getting a bolt out of a truck in a junkyard shouldn't be too hard with the weight on the axle. The bolt will be a bit tight to get out, but it may just thread itself out once you have the nut off... I've done it before, but it doesn't always work that way (mainly because of rust...)

 

[Robert_1967]

Take the old bolt with you to the local Lowes, or Home Depot, and then look for a grade 8 bolt, they have them I just replaced all 6 in the back of my 88 Ranger.



Robert