Power steering woes.

[Edster]

I was rebuilding the control valve and slave cylinder and noticed the frame bracket for the slave cylinder was loose. I removed the bracket and noticed the mounting boss was loose. It turns out there are these pieces that slide into hexagonal holes in the frame which happened to be loose. I found out the pieces are known as rivet nuts in the fastener industry. It seems like who ever put power steering in the car (orginally manual steering.) did not properly install the rivet nuts by tightening them to the crush point. I was able to salvage one of them but the other was a lost cause. My dilemma is that I have not been able to find at any of the local fastener suppliers. And online it seems that you must have to order in bulk. Does anyone have any ideas where I can find one of these elusive fasteners or a part number than can be used to order them?

 

[BarnStang]

Any of the large Mustang parts vendors carry them. CJ Pony, Mustangs Unlimited, Mustangs Plus, Virginia Classic...I'll take a look and post a link

 

[BarnStang]

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb...~S2721B3WY524170221408b~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000016a

www.cjponyparts.com

Part # HW1151

 

[TD68302]

Just weld the bracket to the frame, and you won't need to worry about it

 

[Rusty67]

Just weld the bracket to the frame, and you won't need to worry about it

Bad idea. What if he wants to change steering setups later ? Go to manual ? Switch to a R&P ? Go to an inigral power steering box ? Now you gota "unweld" that bracket.

 

[Edster]

Thanks for the info! Wow! 9.95 is a bit steep condidering most fasteners are usually around 2.00 dollars at the most. But where else can ya find 'em!

 

[TD68302]

Bad idea. What if he wants to change steering setups later ? Go to manual ? Switch to a R&P ? Go to an inigral power steering box ? Now you gota "unweld" that bracket.

You mean that they don't make spary on weld remover.
Thats what they make grinders for! I welded mine, then the bracket it itself broke about ten years later. Cut it off(unwelded), welded on new one. Problem solved.

 

[ron67fb]

Drill 2 holes in the rail and put nuts/washers on the backside. Has worked for me since 1992.

 

[BarnStang]

I have welded them on ocassion. Usually upon request. But, that's not what he asked for...and not everyone has the experiance and equipment to A. weld it on, or B. cut it back off. The crush nuts are a cleaner and original solution. It should be a last resort. If the hols are so rusted out that you cannot get the crush nuts to tighten up, then it's not always worth the time and effor to repair a hole like that.

Edster, it's not just a nut you beat into the hole. It;s a crush sleeve. Make sure you get the crush nuts in tight without the bracket installed. You should be able to put a bolt in the crush nut with a flat washer that covers the lip of the crush nut, but does not catch on the edge of the frame when you put the crush nut in the hole. Tighten down the crushnut till it's good and tight. You should be able to remove the bolt and flat washer, and it should remain tight in the hole. You can then put the bracket up and put the correct length bolts in place.

 

[Edster]

Yeah tahtas how I destroyed one of the nuts was by trying it with the bracket. The othr one I crushed by using WD-40 on the threads and a frame washer (real thick) that enabled me to salvage the piece.

 

[BarnStang]

I thought this was worth revisiting in case anyone else has had to deal with this. Found this on the stangersite that someone put up in a related thread. The instructions there to install the crush sleeve say to put a nut down on the bolt, then the flat washer, then thread the bolt into the crush sleeve. Hold the bolt stationary,and turn the nut with a wrench to crush the sleeve in place. Hereis the link:
http://www.stangerssite.com/framebrackets.html