CJ Steering Box Brace - AMC Engineers get nuttin' for Christmas

CJ Steering Box Brace - AMC Engineers get nuttin' for Christmas
D

DHugg

Senior Jeeper
Posts
915
Media
46
Resources
1
Thanks
2
Location
MS Gulf Coast
Vehicle(s)
'80 CJ7 304AMC crate with 8KMiles: MC2100 - AMC20 rear w/Superiors - Dana30 front - TF999 - Dana300TC - 35x12.5's - Tilt steer column - Flaming Rvr EZ-Steer Shaft - AGR Super Pump - AGR Super Box II - RockyRidge HD Brace - New home-designed digital TEMP - GAS - OILPR - CALIBRATE gauges.
IF AMC really DID do something this dumb, then none of their engineers are getting a visit from Santa Claus!

I'm dropping the steering box on a 1980 CJ7 . Everything is coming off, little rusty, but coming off. Then I hit the last bolt of three in the row, rearmost one, holding the steering box bracket to the frame (see crude diagram).

This one turns as if it was "nutted"; once the rust broke loose, it freely (not exactly, but almost) spins as if there is a nut INSIDE THE FRAME in a place where the CIA couldn't find it. The two forward bolts came out no trouble.

If anyone has had any experience with this, and can say it was likely one of the PO's and not Jeep AMC designers, please tell me before I call the North Pole and rat on the dummy or dummies that think this is how you build hardware.

And while you are telling me to cancel the call to Santa, how did you go about getting the bolt out? My frontend is pretty crowded with some heavy-duty steel. I don't want to have to tear all that down just for one stinking bolt!
 
There are quite a few internal nuts that are spot welded to the frame. It is a royal pain once they break off on the inside. the Transfer Case skid plate has them also. I ran threaded rod for mine all the way through and I had to knock out that bolts.
 
DHugg said:
IF AMC really DID do something this dumb, then none of their engineers are getting a visit from Santa Claus!

I'm dropping the steering box on a 1980 CJ7 . Everything is coming off, little rusty, but coming off. Then I hit the last bolt of three in the row, rearmost one, holding the steering box bracket to the frame (see crude diagram).

This one turns as if it was "nutted"; once the rust broke loose, it freely (not exactly, but almost) spins as if there is a nut INSIDE THE FRAME in a place where the CIA couldn't find it. The two forward bolts came out no trouble.

If anyone has had any experience with this, and can say it was likely one of the PO's and not Jeep AMC designers, please tell me before I call the North Pole and rat on the dummy or dummies that think this is how you build hardware.

And while you are telling me to cancel the call to Santa, how did you go about getting the bolt out? My frontend is pretty crowded with some heavy-duty steel. I don't want to have to tear all that down just for one stinking bolt!
Click to expand...


BAAAAHAHAHAHA!!! Yup, it's nutted on the inside! Take the sawsall to it and knock the bolt head off.
 
Thanks, Kane and Coldwater. As soon as I get off the phone (I hope Santa isn't offended by strong language), I'll get after the bolt with the cutter.

This is dumber than a box of rocks! But, if they let a guy like me build airplanes, they'd have so much stainless steel in 'em, they'd be too heavy to fly!
 
Just remember that Jeeps are bullet proof...........after you replace every part on them.
 
DHugg said:
Thanks, Kane and Coldwater. As soon as I get off the phone (I hope Santa isn't offended by strong language), I'll get after the bolt with the cutter.

This is dumber than a box of rocks! But, if they let a guy like me build airplanes, they'd have so much stainless steel in 'em, they'd be too heavy to fly!
Click to expand...

Here's a little tip for you, It's what I do anyway. I use grade 8 nuts and pop them in the side with a mig welder, then lead out a foot of wire and cut it off. You can use the wire like a little handle to guide the new nut into the frame rail and hold it into place when you thread the new bolt into place.
 
Kane said:
There are quite a few internal nuts that are spot welded to the frame. It is a royal pain once they break off on the inside.
Click to expand...

If I remember right you can get to that nut through the front of the frame.

The more you work on jeeps the more you gotta love them.:D
 
Old Dog, there is too much hard stuff in the way of the front frame end. I cut the bolt head off, and will re-engineer a replacement, either tap to a larger bolt size of use Coldwater's method of mig welder's "broomstraw and chewing gum" to get a new bolt into the recess.

But I did learn that the upper two bolts holding the steering box to the bracket were only hand-tight. The box would flex side-to-side when I used my best spinach-enhanced grip and twisted hard. Do you think that may have had anything to do with steering slop? (along with only 18PSI in the 35X12.5's, not enough to keep the tire walls rigid). I can't blame; if I had't read all the threads on this site, I may not have known better, either.

But it was a good day, all around. The pumpkin cover looks like a black mirror after a wire wheel polish, Rustoleum auto primer and gloss black spray-down. Maybe if I put on a gasket replacing of metal-to-metal over red RTV, it won't leak any more. I am sure learning a lot!
 
DHugg said:
IF AMC really DID do something this dumb, then none of their engineers are getting a visit from Santa Claus!

I'm dropping the steering box on a 1980 CJ7 . Everything is coming off, little rusty, but coming off. Then I hit the last bolt of three in the row, rearmost one, holding the steering box bracket to the frame (see crude diagram).

This one turns as if it was "nutted"; once the rust broke loose, it freely (not exactly, but almost) spins as if there is a nut INSIDE THE FRAME in a place where the CIA couldn't find it. The two forward bolts came out no trouble.

If anyone has had any experience with this, and can say it was likely one of the PO's and not Jeep AMC designers, please tell me before I call the North Pole and rat on the dummy or dummies that think this is how you build hardware.

And while you are telling me to cancel the call to Santa, how did you go about getting the bolt out? My frontend is pretty crowded with some heavy-duty steel. I don't want to have to tear all that down just for one stinking bolt!
Click to expand...


No it wasn't your "FairyGodmother" it was AMC Jeep not to mention the POS three piece mount it self. That's why so many people buy heavy duty after market mounts like I did.
 
I had the same problem and exact same bolt. I cut it off, drill out the whole for a lerger nut and put some heavy tack weld in three places. Worked great.
 
Definitely go with a H.D. aftermarket bracket- even small kine wheeling made mine split in half- on the road of course not on the trail- luckily I drifted to the right with pants shi**ing in progress. Welding it back together only lasted one more use on the trail and I broke down and bought a good one.
 
You seem to have been lurking around reading posts. I dont know if this has been covered as much. Do yourself a favor and grab something like this after your repair.

1976-1986 CJ Jeep Heavy Duty Steering Box Mount with pressure Parts 10 Steering Gear Box Braces Mounts


DHugg said:
IF AMC really DID do something this dumb, then none of their engineers are getting a visit from Santa Claus!

I'm dropping the steering box on a 1980 CJ7 . Everything is coming off, little rusty, but coming off. Then I hit the last bolt of three in the row, rearmost one, holding the steering box bracket to the frame (see crude diagram).

This one turns as if it was "nutted"; once the rust broke loose, it freely (not exactly, but almost) spins as if there is a nut INSIDE THE FRAME in a place where the CIA couldn't find it. The two forward bolts came out no trouble.

If anyone has had any experience with this, and can say it was likely one of the PO's and not Jeep AMC designers, please tell me before I call the North Pole and rat on the dummy or dummies that think this is how you build hardware.

And while you are telling me to cancel the call to Santa, how did you go about getting the bolt out? My frontend is pretty crowded with some heavy-duty steel. I don't want to have to tear all that down just for one stinking bolt!
Click to expand...
 
I have this 'un bookmarked, I think for 70 bucks. That's a bargain; I know how long it would take me to fabricate its equal (if I could).


Thanks, CJ and PetesCJ, for the good suggestions. I really do hate the two- or three-part pressed steel OEM bracket!
 
coldwater said:
Here's a little tip for you, It's what I do anyway. I use grade 8 nuts and pop them in the side with a mig welder, then lead out a foot of wire and cut it off. You can use the wire like a little handle to guide the new nut into the frame rail and hold it into place when you thread the new bolt into place.
Click to expand...
Coldwater, today I went to school on your suggestion. Got a 18 inch length of SS wire (thanks, MS Power Co., for shoving the Katrina-downed power lines out of the roads where I could harvest the wire) and silver-soldered a big nut to it. I slipped the nut into a slot (one topside and below on the frame) about even with the steering pump, and shoved it forward over the old screw hole for the steering box brace. From there, it was a piece of cake. The rough place where the weld broke loose kept the nut in place while I dogged down the bolt. I left the wire loop stickout out of the frame slot for when, sometime, I might need to pull the box.

Appreciate your suggestion.
 
Did I miss the reason why you are dropping it in the first place? Are you replacing it with a new one? If so, a more beefy aftermarket one? They are great.

I had the same issue in all the Jeeps I ahve built. Basically holding a nut in place and putting the bolt in is one way to do it... cutting open the side and welding in new nuts is another... and also you can drill out the hole a bit, put a larger nut in there on a washer and weld it all back up... many ways to fix it, just depends on how much time you want to spend now vs. if you ever have to take it off again.

cb
 
Certifiable, (Good handle - applies to most of us)

I was clearing a dangerous slack in side-to-side steering, and replaced the PS pump with an AGR Super Pump, the box with an AGR Super Box II, and the steering shaft with a Flaming River EZ-shaft.

All went OK until I had to pull down the box to get the pressure and return line fittings to pick up the threaded ports, due to angle. The wire holding the nut inside the frame, the one that cracked the weld when I removed the bolt, twisted off.

I got the old metal 2-part bracket cinched up tight by taking up the bolt slack with a socket wrench while holding tension on the bolt head. Now when I rework the front brakes, bearings, and steering, I have to install a one-piece bracket and permanently fix the twisted-off nut inside the frame.

It was necessary to drop the torsion bar on the AMC 304 front-end to get access to the steering box ports; just a reminder if someone must repeat this job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Jeep-CJ Donation Drive

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a contribution.

Help support Jeep-CJ.com by making a contribution.
Goal
$200.00
Earned
$25.00
This donation drive ends in
Contribute
Back
Top Bottom