MBConfuse
Junior Member
- Messages
- 170
So i've had some time to play minis recently and i decided the best way to find out all the necessary work required to get it back on the road was to take it for an MOT. The list of failures was long. In fact the MOT was terminated before finishing, but thats not the point. The first thing to replace on the list was both rear radius arms. Unfortunately the bolts which hold the radius arm bracket on to the sub frame sheared off in their captive nuts. So I read somewhere of a method to replace captive nuts, and here is my attempt, with limited success...........
And before anyone mentions sayings like "lipstick on a pig" or "polishing a turd", i know that my efforts may well be wasted on my rusted and buckled subframe, but i'm having fun.
First grind down a nut to a cone shape -
Then hammer it in to place (enlarge the hole beforehand if necessary), use the washer and second nut to prevent it going straight through.
Tack the nuts in place and adjust with a hammer to straighten them. I trial fitted the bracket too, just to check.
Weld all the way round, trying not to weld over the threaded area.....
Grind back
So unfortunately i managed to weld over the threaded area on one of them, and i'm not at all convinced that the welds will hold.
Has anyone had any experience doing anything similar?
And before anyone mentions sayings like "lipstick on a pig" or "polishing a turd", i know that my efforts may well be wasted on my rusted and buckled subframe, but i'm having fun.
First grind down a nut to a cone shape -
Then hammer it in to place (enlarge the hole beforehand if necessary), use the washer and second nut to prevent it going straight through.
Tack the nuts in place and adjust with a hammer to straighten them. I trial fitted the bracket too, just to check.
Weld all the way round, trying not to weld over the threaded area.....
Grind back
So unfortunately i managed to weld over the threaded area on one of them, and i'm not at all convinced that the welds will hold.
Has anyone had any experience doing anything similar?