Opinions needed for what I should do.. Loose A arm bolt

[BigShow29]

My lower a arm had play in it.. not a lot but some.. The bolts were loose..

I took a video showing how loose the bolts are.. Is it egged out to much? If I tighten them down would it be fine?

The fixes I can come up with are a bit larger bolt.. Or to add a little weld then re drill the holes..

Click the video for it to play....

 

[dansranger]

3rd option is weld a washer solid. I do this with my race cars because I run the bolts loose.

The bigger bolt option will create havoc on your bushings.

 

[canoehead]

Had that on the wifes Phazer. I oversized the hole and pressed in bushings..

 

[grizztracks]

I partially weld the egged hole then die grind the weld out. I've also been welding the nuts to the frame then loctite the a-arm bolts.
http://s589.photobucket.com/albums/ss33 ... 1QQtppZZ20

 

[cannondale27]

Bigshow that is not that bad.I cant see if its egged out but from the video I would say no.What I would do is leave the bolt loose and put the suspension on and sled down on the ground then Loctite and torque the bolt.All suspension bolt should be tightened with sled on ground to put the bolts in there natural position up against the top or side of the hole the bolt is in since all the holes always are slightly bigger than the bolt.

 

[YamahaFreak]

Grizztracks thats what Yamaha should have did from the start!!! Nicely done

 

[FloridaBoy22]

Grizztracks thats what Yamaha should have did from the start!!! Nicely done

X2

 

[grizztracks]

The holes need to be snug. it only takes a small amount of egging to make the lower a-arm appear to be way out of alignment. No matter how tight the bolts are if there's slop in the holes the arms will move and make it appear as if the a-arm or frame is bent (shock not centered in a-arm). If you repair the holes install the lower a-arm and with the bolts loose, pull the arm toward the front then tighten the bolt. Check the shock alignment through the a-arms then if the shock is centered remove it, let the a-arm hang and take a measurement from the rear of the frame to the end of the a-arm. Repair the holes then reinstall the a-arms and check your measurements. If things are aligned tac weld the nuts in place if desired. Make sure you loctite the bolts during reassembly. If the bolts loosen they can fall out rather than just loosening and spinning in the frame. Holes can be drilled in the hex head and the bolts wire tied together for extra safety.

 

[cannondale27]

I agree very nice fix but they are not a snug fit from the factory and I cant see his egged out whatsoever.Geometry is correct when the bolts are tightened with sled on the ground.Why fix whats not broke?

 

[BigShow29]

It doesn't really look egged out.. The hole seems round...

I'm thinking about buying a welder anyway, so that's probably the fix I will go with.. I'm also thinking of replacing the entire sub frame.. When it was new I hit a stump hard and bent the front in.. Now it's rusting from the inside out..

Thanks for all the replies...

 

[BigShow29]

I don't know if this picture will show anything it's a screen capture, but it shows the dent.. Front right corner of subframe..

 

[800Thumper]

I took a couple of standard hardened washers smaller than the metric bolts, took a die grinder to them to make the hole just big enough to fit the bolt and welded them to the frame to fix the egged out holes in the front. Put in one of grizztraxx frame supports between lower a arms. Then took it to the powdercoater looks just like new now.

 

[BigShow29]

I put the a-arm back on but didnt tighten it.. it barely has any play.. What I did notice it that the ball joints are shot. Almost wearing through the top of the arm.... Kinda wish those would have lasted more than 400 miles...