bigbrother

69 cutlass vert. 4 trunk bolts and two bolts under front doors all spun. any suggestions on how to repair. should I go in from the top or bottom? The bolt heads have been drilled and the body is free from the frame.

PS. I hate rust.

BB

Dapapadon

I usually just grind the bolt head off with a 4-1/2" grinder. Then deal with what's left later. That's if you have room to get the grinder disc to it.

Don

oldsconv

I cut a tab from the trunk sheetmetal from the top - same for ones by the doors. I replaced my floors anyway, so it was easy, but if you are keeping original floors, just cut 3 sides of a square and bend it up to access. Cut it out, sandblast and weld in new cage nut assembly (available from YearOne - let me know if you need part#). Then bend square tab down and weld in place. I was always scared of welding, but I bought a cheap wirefeed fluxcore and it has been invaluable versus trying to rivet things in.

bigbrother

Don, I'm already past the grinding off of the head.


Oldsconv, how big of a square did you cut? And will any grade 8 cage nut work as long as its the same as the bolt of course.

thanks BB

oldsconv

Not sure if my reply went thru the other day. Square hole is around 2 inch, but whatever size you need to access the recessed area where the cage nut is. Clean it up, sandblast and weld in a new cage nut. To clarify your question about grade 8, etc. The "cage nut" assembly is not a normal hardware store item. It is a square nut that floats inside a sheetmetal cage that is welded to the floor. The floating allows minor adjustment, but it is tight enough that when you tighten the bolt, the nut does not spin. Take a look at Year One's website, although you can probably buy these elsewhere. Their part# is G17NUT - search for it on their site and you will see a picture of the nut and cage. After you're done, paint it well to prevent rust (I used zinc paint) and then weld it back down.