Hitch frame nut off-center, suggestions?

[Layonnn]

When i previously removed my hitch, i noticed the most forward bolt on the DS was difficult to remove. Upon removal, i noticed the nut was slightly off-center. The nut that is a little more forward, even more so (to the point where it cannot accept a bolt)

I am getting a BIOR rear bumper in a couple weeks so i need to fix this problem.

I know of a couple ways to fix this already.

1. Remove nuts, install nutsert.
-I don't think this method would work very well, not be as strong as i'd like it to be for attaching a 200lbs bumper.

2. Cut a hole on side of frame, remove nuts, weld in new ones.
-rather not cut the frame if not necessary. Plus, i am always weary of welding on anything that is painted when i cannot adequately clean, and repaint all welded surfaces to prevent rust. Impossible to do on the inside of the frame.

3. Remove those two nuts, fabricate a piece of thick steel strip to lay in the frame channel (3/16" - 1/4"), drill two holes, spot weld on some nuts, lay in the frame.

I feel like method 3 would be the best however i think there is a problem that you can see in the pics. Our frames, from what i can tell, are essentially two C-channels welded together to make a boxed frame. It would appear that the bottom of the C on the inside of the frame has shifted/pulled up. This is the reason for the mis-alignment of the nuts.

So, if i lay the strip of steel with the nuts welded on inside the frame it will also not lay perfectly flat. There is the possibility that the massive 14mm bolts will pull the frame flat once they are tightened though.

Here are pictures to better explain what i am describing.

 

[petrotk40]

How many are misaligned? There are 8 holes, if you are able to use 6 or 7, that should be plenty right? I'm only using 6 because the furthest rear nuts were rusted and I haven't bothered to clean them out

 

[Layonnn]

Just that one and the one next to it (the two most forward on the DS frame) The other 6 are good.

Those two nuts are how the wing support attaches.

 

[Gottagetone]

It looks like the captive nut is welded to the inner c-channel? If so, can you cut or drill the outer hole to open it up a bit?

 

[Layonnn]

It looks like the captive nut is welded to the inner c-channel? If so, can you cut or drill the outer hole to open it up a bit?

Correct.
Possibly, i'd probably have to go an buy a big enough drill bit to fit it. It would have to be over a 1/2" drill bit since the bolt alone is a 14mm. Not sure what this would accomplish though.

I will have to drill through the section of the inner frame that is buckled up in order to get a bolt through (after i remove the nut inside the frame).

Hopefully my crowbar is long enough to reach these two nuts. Otherwise i am going to have to get creative with what i can use to pound on them.

 

[3D FJ]

The ones that are off center... Are they the ones that hold in the wing supports or the actual bumper?

 

[petrotk40]

what if you just used a dremel or grinder and enlarged the hole? I guess the success of the would depend on if the holes in the bumper lined up with where the nuts are currently

 

[Kigiin]

Ditto, but on the front.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/518253-recovery-bolt-hole-captive-nut-off-center.html

 

[badlander]

One of mine looks exactly like yours does. It actually has caked up rust under it because it has been bent up slightly at an angle for years. Several people have posted about this issue. Something must have gone awry with the fixturing at the assembly plant where they installed these nuts. When I get my bumper I expect I'll be going with option #3 with a big long solid piece of bar stock and a BFH and just BLAST it off. I would only cut or drill into the frame as a last resort.

Good luck!

 

[Mxndrnks]

On the outside face of the frame there is another 14mm captive nut. I had this same issue. Working (over phone/email) with Mike we decided that drilling a new hole in the wing support and using this captive nut was adequate. I also had no choice but to cut a hole in the frame on one side. I have had no issues in over a year with it taking some hard hits.

I did a thread on installing the BOIR. Search for it and there are a bunch of pics. If you need more, let me know. I wont be able to get them to you until next week though...

Sent from my phone using IH8MUD

 

[Layonnn]

The ones that are off center... Are they the ones that hold in the wing supports or the actual bumper?

Correct, the ones that are off are the two for the DS wing support. So not crucial to getting the bumper mounted, but my proposed solution can only be done with access to the rear opening of the frame. It would have to be done before the bumper is put on.

what if you just used a dremel or grinder and enlarged the hole? I guess the success of the would depend on if the holes in the bumper lined up with where the nuts are currently

With the nuts going in at an angle, i am worried about buggering up the threads on the bolt and nut, just trying to get it to work.

Ditto, but on the front.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/518253-recovery-bolt-hole-captive-nut-off-center.html

Ah, i see i did comment in that thread.

One of mine looks exactly like yours does. It actually has caked up rust under it because it has been bent up slightly at an angle for years. Several people have posted about this issue. Something must have gone awry with the fixturing at the assembly plant where they installed these nuts. When I get my bumper I expect I'll be going with option #3 with a big long solid piece of bar stock and a BFH and just BLAST it off. I would only cut or drill into the frame as a last resort.

Good luck!

I thought about using a prybar to try and push the nut back over. I have a feeling this wont accomplish much as the metal will probably just spring back into place, but still worth a try.

Thankfully i do have access to my dads welder and have some beginners experience with welding. Spot welding nuts is about as basic/easy as you can get.

 

[Layonnn]

mxndrnks, i saw that captive nut in the frame on the side, i figured the wings had a hole to use that bolt as well. Hmm, i might just drill a hole to use that one as well. The more mounting points for a bumper the better IMO.

 

[LTrain0800]

My truck has this "feature" too.

 

[3D FJ]

I had the exact same problem. I called mike and asked him if i could do this, and he agreed with me. What i did was rather than use the captive nuts in the frame, i redrilled holes in the wing mount and frame. there was no way i was going to get the captive nut to align properly.

I just took these pics out in the rain so they're not that great. I hope they help.

Turns out that the captive nuts on the rear cross member (the one that gets cut) do not align with the holes above the hitch. I have to fix this. My rear cross member had captive nuts to hold a thru-crossmember hitch.

 

[inkpot]

mxndrnks, i saw that captive nut in the frame on the side, i figured the wings had a hole to use that bolt as well. Hmm, i might just drill a hole to use that one as well. The more mounting points for a bumper the better IMO.

Toyota does not make hitches. They are after market. They may not use the exactly perfect pattern for the holes. I would wait and see if the alignment is a bit better for the new bumper before doing a bunch of work that may not be needed. John

 

[Layonnn]

Toyota does not make hitches. They are after market. They may not use the exactly perfect pattern for the holes. I would wait and see if the alignment is a bit better for the new bumper before doing a bunch of work that may not be needed. John

??? I didn't say that they did. And they do make some hitches. They make an OEM hitch for the FJ Cruiser and 4Runner that bolt into the rear cross member.

The ones for the 100 all look aftermarket from what i have seen, minus the one for the cross member for the LX series.

The holes in the hitch are open enough that getting a bolt in isn't a problem. The problem is that the bolt will not even go through the hole on the frame on the one pictured. You can barely see half of the nut looking up it is so off-center.

Besides, for heavier towing (4k-4.5K lbs boats), i will be using the original, rated tow hitch for safety and legal reasons. So it needs to line up regardless of how well the bumper attaches.

 

[petrotk40]

I guess you won't know until you have the bumper, but if the current nut locations line up with your new bumper, can you just cut a small notch in the outside frame?

 

[LXRunner]

I got exactly same problem at same location, when installed my trailer hitch.
I used a big strong screwdriver to fix alignment. Inserted it throw the hole along with nut, and firmly pry off multiple times (using as a prybar) until it was close enough to centre. It took about 15 - 20 min. to fix.

 

[Layonnn]

I guess you won't know until you have the bumper, but if the current nut locations line up with your new bumper, can you just cut a small notch in the outside frame?

If the wing support holes are that wide or off, then yes that would be an option.

 

[Sligex]

I hate to bump such an old thread, but I'm currently in the process of installing a Reese 44546 trailer hitch receiver and can't install the 6th bolt nearest the front of the car on the driver's side due to this problem, where my weld nut is just misaligned. What is the best (non-cutting the frame/non-welding) solution for this issue?

Is the bar the weld nuts are attached to connected to the rear weld-nuts for the tow hook/tie down point? As another poster said, it does look like the frame at this point is two C channels welded together which makes it impossible to access the weld nuts/bar from anywhere other than the hole. Is it safe to just throw a screwdriver into the hole and try to push it back into position? I tried this earlier and was greatly discouraged by the fact that any movement (if at all) seemed like it was just going to break the handle off my screwdriver/the nut would just pop right back into place after pressure was released.

On a side note, I find it funny that Toyota only put a single weld bead on the top side of this bar rather than on both sides... would have made life a lot easier.