hotchkis front sway bar pulling bolts out of frame

[Crowell88]

i have a 1981 z28, hotchkis TVS kit, i also have hotchkis subframe connectors not installed. i recently went to take my car off my wheel dollies and when i was letting the jack down i heard a loud bang and apparently my bolts holding the front swaybar to the frame pulled out. has anyone had an issue with this and what did they do to fix it? any help with this would be appriciated, im trying to steer away from drilling threw the frame and running nuts on the bolts, maybe there is a simpler way?

 

[Z27LS3]

wrong bolts possibly ?

 

[BonzoHansen]

taking apart the 81Z in my garage i found it is loaded with metric bolts. I wonder if that is the case.

edit: damn autofix!

 

[Twisted_Metal]

taking about the 81Z in my garage i found it is loaded with metric bolts. I wonder if that is the case.

"Taking apart" or "talking about"?

When did you:
A. Get an 81Z?
and
B. Forget Engrish?




I just swapped front bars last year but I didn't measure the bolts.

It would not surprise me if they were metric and the Hotchkis bolts weren't compatible.

Now that the threads are fubar'd....

You can use T-bolts dropped through the frame or something like this.....

Here's what I did. Worked great.

Drilled the hole a little bigger and dropped the bolts in from inside the frame.

This is easy to make and you never have to with a spinning nut inside the frame.

 

[Rene Melten]

Mine simply wore out on one thread in the frame from removing and replacing over the years. It hasn't popped out like yours yet, but one is spinning and I know it's stripped. I drilled and tapped one size larger and still wore it out.
T-bolt for me, thanks Terry and 68400BIRD.

 

[brownz]

I had this issue during a autocross event. Not sure it it just came loose or what but the threads were ok ( for now ) I will be keeping an eye on them and may to a t-bolt type hardware.

I must say it was a hand full when it came apart

 

[Crowell88]

wow the T bolt seems like an awsome idea. Thanks alot this is very helpful, i dont know what id do without this site somedays. off to the garage i go!!!

 

[77nomad]

The Tbolt is simple genus. I wish I had thought of it. I will be doing it certainly. One of mine are stripped and I was putting it off until the end of my build before dealing with it. Now I gona whip up a set at work tomorrow. Good call!