Kris 90 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 One of my strut rods has the bolt holes where it attaches to the lower control arm enlarged a very tiny amount. Has anyone done a repair on these by welding it up and redrilling the hole? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wycked69 20 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Its a drop forging so there is no reason I can see why you could not weld it up and re-do the hole. Let me caution you on this. Once you weld it, you can in no way re-drill it with a common drill or drill bit. The part will have to be put in a milling machine and plunge an undersized end mill through the welded hole and finish it off with a reamer to get the proper hole diameter and fit you are looking for. You will also need to use the mill in order to get the proper hole spacing. Unless you have access to a machine shop and are cable of performing these steps yourself, I am thinking you could by a replacement for less money than paying someone to do the repair. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Conway 264 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Or cheaper to buy another Lower control arm ? Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 90 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Its not the lower control arm, those are new. It is the two holes in the end of the strut rod where the bolt go through that connect it to the control arm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rsanter 152 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 The strut rods are under lots of stress. I would not weld on them and risk any kind of embrittlement that can be caused by welding on them. Just hold both the bolt and the nut and tighten them up Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Conway 264 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 OK. The bolt going through the strut rod and then through the control arm is designed to take up the slack. It, the bolt, is ' swedged ' just below the bolt head and is designed to be pulled down tight when the lower castle nut is snugged up. A " enlarged a very tiny amount " is a design feature and why those bolts are so expensive. Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayEstes 173 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 (edited) The bolts here are a press-fit type. I still have the original bolts on my mustang. I bought new struts and LCAs and in all four places (2 on each strut) the bolt is still snug when pulled down into the strut rod for tightening. If you are experiencing "play" in this joint when the head of the bolt is down against the strut, I would buy a new strut (and perhaps new bolts). I can't say for sure that welding would embrittle the rod, but it could, and I do agree these see huge shock loads from driving (particularly pot-holes) and I probably wouldn't risk it. If the strut breaks, you can lose steering control and thus control of the car - thats a big failure to risk considering the consequences. If I was going to weld on it, I would consider tac-welding the bolt head to the strut, that way, that bolt shouldn't move relative to the strut under shock loads. Just my personal thoughts… Jay BTW- Boomer Sooner. OU class of 87. :) Edited February 19, 2014 by JayEstes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
69droptopgt 10 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 I would never weld it. Just buy a new one. Not worth messing with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 90 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 I looked at the repro ones and they aren't really the same. The end isn't threaded the originals are. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
det0326 179 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 I looked at the repro ones and they aren't really the same. The end isn't threaded the originals are. Interesting Looked at Mustangsunlimited and Kentuckymustangs and the ones they have are threaded. Where did you see the ones that weren't? Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wycked69 20 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Kris, It appears you have (3) choices - Repair the one you have as has been suggested - By the repo's -Find a used one or a possible set on ebay, C/L or similar adds/listings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimjific 23 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 One more choice is to buy or make jointed ones. Which is a good upgrade. Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
timbo69 10 Report post Posted February 21, 2014 If you don't care about originality try the global west ones. They are great. http://www.globalwest.net/asr-6.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
