Front Grill bolts

[Jakes85bronco]

OK so here it is while putting a new engine in my bronco i broke one of the bolts that bolt the grill to the frame rail. Now I have tried to go to a auto parts store. And as you guys prolly know they told my sh@t out of luck go to the junk yard. But here is my problem with that. Most broncos that are in the local scrap yard, they're bolts are in just as bad of shape as mine was, not to mention the rubber "spacer" fell into about a billion pieces. It snapped when i tried to get it off even after sitting for two days in sea foam... So my question is is there anyone that know's of a place to get this part.? is it a factory thing. Or am I just going to have to go to the local hardware store and find the best fit myself..????

 

[Justshootme84]

are you referring to the radiator core support mount? You can get the bushing and hardware (including a new bolt) from JBG or LMC Truck, JSM84

 

[Broncobill78]

No big deal. Go to your hardware store & have them get you a *grade 8* bolt that's the same size. It's honestly been so long since I did a frame-off that I forget what size the body-bolts are but there's nothing mystical about them and a standard grade 8 replacement will work just dandy, just bring the broekn pieces down with you so they can match the size & pitch and be *sure* to specify that you want a grade 8. You'll be able to tell a grade 8 because it will have 6 hash marks on the head of the bolt (a grade 5 will have 3 hash marks and a grade 2 will be unmarked). As for the body mount, you can TRY and get a shop to sell you a single replacement & maybe the dealer will have one. If push comes to shove you can use a hockey puck until you track down a suitable replacement. A set of new poly body mounts will run you about $90, I've not seen anyone sell them individually so the dealer may be the only route for that. Here's a link for a complete set if you go that route http://www.springsnthings.com/bronco.htm

 

[Justshootme84]

BB78, you posted the same time I did, again!!! The core support bolt is threaded all the way, and about 4" long. I can see why it's so hard to find at the hardware store. I've not tried this, but one of the other cab mount bolts may work, too (# 2 and #3). Those can often be salvaged from a donor truck, while every core support bolt I've seen has been rusted too much to re-use, or the threads strip out when trying to remove it. JSM84

 

[Broncobill78]

JSM, I guess you don't sleep any better than I do /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Well I didn't mention it but the real bitch of this job is not finding a replacement bolt (and you're right, last time I did this I had to look around a bit to find one that *didn't* have a freaking 2" unthreaded shoulder on it) but it's going to be removing the broken piece and the big-a$$ body nut that the thing threaded into. Once you have the old body mount & the washer/nut combo thingie removed it's no big deal to put in a new body mount & nut but you have to fab the full-diameter body-washer that goes under the body mount (well, at least he will if it's as rusted & useless as the last one I had to deal with). Now I'll grant that the only frame-off's I've done have been 78/79's but ALL the body-on-frame trucks are pretty much the same so it just can't be that different. I duno what the dealer wants for a single body mount but it may actually be more cost effective to buy a set of poly's and replace them all once the work at hand is complete.

You're right about those core-support bolts, seems like most of them break due to corrosion. The body-bolts are better protected I guess because they usually come out ok with an impact wrench but I'd say that better than 50% of the core support bolts snap. Maybe it's climate. I've never built a Southern truck, they've all been Northern rigs and every damn one had threads that looked downright melted due to corrosion.

 

[Seabronc]

If you have a local Fastenall they have almost anything you can dream up when it comes to bolts. They even have the trim screws and plastic holders for the door trims. I can't say for sure but I believe Jeff's Bronco http://www.broncograveyard.com grave yard has >- the body bolt kits which includes the spacers. I also believe that LMC Truck http://www.lmctruck.com has the kits also.

Good luck,

>-

 

[Justshootme84]

Yes, Fastenal Co. is a good source for bolts, too. The pic I posted of the core support bushings and hardware is from LMC Truck. A good thing about them is the part numbers are the same as Ford, and match up to any parts diagrams for those items. The box even has "FoMoCo" printed on it, so it's an original or OEM part. Only problem is the 80-86 Bronco parts shown do not fit my 84 Bronco. I must have some older 78/79 style core support bushings from the factory. JSM84

 

[Jakes85bronco]

are you referring to the radiator core support mount? You can get the bushing and hardware (including a new bolt) from JBG or LMC Truck, JSM84

Jsm im not sure if its the core support bolt and bushing. I think that that came off and then i pulled the grill. Im going to get under the hood today and look. Maybe ill pull the other bolt off and take a picture. As i wanna just replace them both. Also what should i use to keep them from rusting Keep them in the best new condition I can when they get replaced?

Would Grease work...?????

 

[Jakes85bronco]

Ok so I took a picture of what i have left maybe you guys can tell what im talking about. Form as far as I can tell I would have to say yes to "JSM" on them being core supports. but they dont really look like the pics that JSM posted here. So I'll post mine and you guys tell me if it is the correct part...

I couldnt find the rubber that goes in between and as you already know the top part broke..

 

[Justshootme84]

Yessiree, that's the same type core support mount I have on my 84 Bronco, JSM84

hang on a sec, and I'll add a pic and some more info...



Here's a pic of mine, looks to be the same type. The bushing has an index for the hex shape inside the metal sleeve. I had to cut off the old rubber, and then cut the sleeve in half to remove it. The red bushings are poly's from Daystar, and you can see they're much different than the FoMoCo OEM ones from LMC truck.

You have a couple choices. Since that long bolt threads into the metal sleeve, it shouldn't be re-used if the threads are galled, stripped or rusty like mine in the pic. You can try using grease, anit-seize or paint. but you'll end up having to cut it apart one day again. My solution is to re-locate the body mount to the top of the frame, similar to the body mounts under the cargo area in the rear. Then you can use a regular body mount bushing and bolt through the frame. This gives you a bit more tire clearance up front by removing the outboard mounts on the frame.

Other option is to swap the oddball frame mount for one that fits the style shown in the LMC Truck pic, with the hexagonal hole on the bottom. My 88 Bronco has that type. Problem you'll run into is those mounts may well be rusted or wallowed out, too. I have yet to find a good pair from a used Bronco or truck.

 

[Jakes85bronco]

Yessiree, that's the same type core support mount I have on my 84 Bronco, JSM84
hang on a sec, and I'll add a pic and some more info...



Here's a pic of mine, looks to be the same type. The bushing has an index for the hex shape inside the metal sleeve. I had to cut off the old rubber, and then cut the sleeve in half to remove it. The red bushings are poly's from Daystar, and you can see they're much different than the FoMoCo OEM ones from LMC truck.

You have a couple choices. Since that long bolt threads into the metal sleeve, it shouldn't be re-used if the threads are galled, stripped or rusty like mine in the pic. You can try using grease, anit-seize or paint. but you'll end up having to cut it apart one day again. My solution is to re-locate the body mount to the top of the frame, similar to the body mounts under the cargo area in the rear. Then you can use a regular body mount bushing and bolt through the frame. This gives you a bit more tire clearance up front by removing the outboard mounts on the frame.

Other option is to swap the oddball frame mount for one that fits the style shown in the LMC Truck pic, with the hexagonal hole on the bottom. My 88 Bronco has that type. Problem you'll run into is those mounts may well be rusted or wallowed out, too. I have yet to find a good pair from a used Bronco or truck.

Ok so the ones from lmc dont look quit like mine will they work? I dont wanna use any of the old parts i would like to buy new ones for both sides.

I just dont know if the ones in the catolog will work with my application. The picture doesnt show the flat sleeve just a nut, bolt, bushings, and washers....

Is this the right one or is it just the equivalent????

 

[Justshootme84]

The new bushings and hardware from LMC Truck will NOT work in our case. The newer one is shorter by almost an inch, and the hex shape on the bottom of the rubber doesn't fit the round hole in our frame bracket. You cannot buy new ones for our style, I've been trying for two years to find them. Every place that sells them shows the newer style from LMC Truck in the first pic. The ones you and I have must be leftover parts from another application. You could make your own, as I thought of doing. A spring eye bushing sleeve or similar size metal tube, welded onto a flat washer, then threaded for the long bolt.

Much easier to re-locate to the top of the frame. You will need to drill a hole for the regular body bushing to fit into, which is about 1-1/4" diameter. Use a torch to cut the hole, then weld a flat washer on top the right size. Drill a bolt hole through the core support, and add a metal plate for support. I had to do something like that one my tranny crossmember for the oddball bushings there, too.

Here's a pic of the re-located core support mount on an 81 Bronco:

 

[Jakes85bronco]

Ok so forgive me for my ignorance... I understand that the oem replacement from lmc wont work with out modification.. But the polys that you showed me further up... What about that do they sell that kit? If so I tried to look up Daystar and got some effing religous site to donate money. LoL I dont think that was exactly what I wanted....

But yeah

 

[Justshootme84]

The red poly bushings I show in the #2 pic are made by Daystar. I got them in a master body and suspension bushing kit from Daystar, which I bought from Rocky Mountain Suspension. The kit only includes the poly bushings, not the metal sleeves or hardware. You might not be able to tell on your Bronco since the rubber part of the bushing rotted away or fell off, but the original bushing came as an assembly, with the rubber molded onto the metal sleeve portion. So, the core support bushing is different from the rest of the body mounts, which have the metal and the rubber as separate items. While mine were still intact, the rubber was cracked and dry-rotted, and the bolt threads were galled up so bad I couldn't remove it without cutting. The only way to use the style shown in the #1 pic from LMC Truck is to swa pout the bracket for the mount, which is riveted to the frame. Every vendor that I've checked with only has the LMC-style bushing assembly, because that is what the Ford parts diagram shows you have in the 80-86 Bronco/F-150. I know for a fact that mine on the 84 are factory original, since I'm the second owner and know the original owner from before the time he bought it new in 1984. Getting back to the Daystar poly kit, which does have the correct bushing. It had parts for 80-96 Bronco, F-150, Ranger, Explorer and the Navajo. So it had lots of extra parts besides what was needed fo my Bronco. But i have yet to find out what vehicle my 84 core supportr bushings actually came from. Only someone asssembling the Bronco at the time would know. It cannot be the Ranger, or Explorer since those came out after 1986. JSM84

 

[Jakes85bronco]

OK so I orderd the Bronco Grave Yard Catolog. Im going to try to check out what its got for this. If anything. I have a fealing that its going to be the same outcome though..

So my other route is the fabrication that you are talking about "jsm".

It's always been a pleasure working with you guys and it always seems to be you three that come to the rescue. The true FSB guru's...

Thanks for all the help... Give me a few days to look around and see what the "bgy catolog" has to offer...

Ps what do you guys think of this stuff

http://www.evaporust.com/evaporust.html

 

[Broncobill78]

Well not to put the cart before the horse, but when you *do* reassemble everything get yourself some Permatex Neversieze. Use it when you put everything back together and you won't have this problem again. Get the large container, make it a habit to use it and your life will be considerably easier years down the road whn you have to remove an old fastener and don't feel like snapping it & going thru all of this again.

As for the Graveyard catalog, well, the guys at Jeff's have always been great when I've needed something and they have a good collection of parts. Don't be shy about calling to ask about something not listed in the catalog. There aren't a lot of places out there that cater to Bronco enthisiasts so I always like to give them my business and point others in their direction. Without support from the community they serve narrow make & model companies like this tend to disappear & go away. I've seen a few of them go belly-up in the past 15-20 yrs and it's a shame.

It may well be worth the time & hassle to give the guys at the Graveyard a call about the problem.

As for the Evaporust, well to be honest it looks just like a host of other similar products. Now that's not to say it's snake oil. A lot of these products work to a degree. They basically neutralize the rust that's there and form a barrier that makes it harder for new rust to take root. If you sand the part & remove as mush rust as possible before using the product you generally see better results and they last longer. Nothing is a cure-all but these things DO help and they'll often slow down the formation of new rust. They work best if you haven't yet had any rust-though, once the rust becomes full-thickness it's pretty much impossible to stop and all you can do is to slow it down & buy yourself some time to get the $$$ together for a proper fix. By "proper fix" I mean either cutting out the cancerous sections & welding in patch panels or replacing the entire part (fender, door, quarter panel, tailgate, etc). Using a rust converter like this & then priming over it will buy you time, that's it but they DO work even if they aren't a permenant fix.

I've broken this same bolt myself a couple of times but both trucks were 78/79's and as I recall they used a large bottom washer with a captive nut. I used an air hammer to force the remains out thru the bottom of the frame & then simply replaced everything with new poly bushings, a large lower washer and an appropriate nut & bolt. JSM's fix looks pretty straightforward but you'll need access to a torch if you don't have one in your shop. A close quarters angle-head air drill w/a stubby bit would work too but again you'd need to have it available. These sorts of fixes can be a hassle, no doubt about it. To be frank I haven't yet had to do this with an 80-96 so the exact architecture eludes me but from the photos I'd say JSM is right-on. These sorts of problems can be a real bitch, not much more to say about it than that I'm afraid.

 

[Justshootme84]

I have the JBG catalogs, as well as AutoKrafters, NPD, and a few others. all of them have the same type of core support bushing as LMC Truck, since that's what the parts diagram from Ford shows that you are supposed to have. You can go to JBG website and view a pic of the bushing. It's the same as LMC's. Be warned that if you order a pair for $40, you may have trouble returning them to JBG just because they don't fit. I kept the ones from LMC truck because I may swap to an 87=91 front clip, and I know some other Bronco guys that may be able to use the ones I bought. I did not search very hard for the frame bracket, but you might look for a source for one of those. You'd have to remove the 3 rivets from each one of your's, then bolt on the newer style. Not really sure how that will work out, since hat style is shorter than the originals, JSM84

 

[Justshootme84]

Just to update: Roadkill and I did the bushing mod on top of the 84 Bronco frame yesterday. It was very easy. I used the smaller, lower bushing from LMC Truck (pt #40-2006), which is a rubber bushing with a metal washer impregnated on top. While I used the factory 5" bolt and locking nut, I think I'll replace that with a shorter (2-1/2" long) standard 7/16" bolt and SAE nut to hold the bushing in place. JSM84