Broken Crossmember to Reverser Bolt - How to Fix?

[bulletpruf]

I got underneath my '67 350 Straight and I was making sure all of the larger nuts and bolts were tight and I snapped a 5/8" bolt that secures the reverser to the crossmember on the right side. It's a grade 8 bolt and didn't put much pressure on it at all, so it must have been compromised and/or just barely hanging on. Anyway, the bolt goes from the bottom of the crossmember straight up into the reverser.



The bolt is snapped off about 1.5" or so deep, so I can't easily weld a nut on it to remove it. At best, I could try to weld a 7/16" bolt on it (need room so I can get a socket on it), but even that would be difficult to do given how deep it is.

I can't just thread a short bolt back into the hole and call it good because only two threads are showing.



Drilling it out does not look like it will work because the crossmember would be in the way of the drill. Might be able to do it with a 90 degree drill and a bit the right length, but that's a long way to go with a large bolt on a 90 degree drill.

I could pretend I didn't see it and just count on the other two bolts on that side of the crossmember to hold it. One of the remaining bolts goes through the crossmember into the reverser, and the other goes through the frame and the crossmember. I would have to check on these periodically to ensure they don't snap or start backing out.

I could try to grind a slot into the snapped off bolt with burr bit on a grinder and then use an impact screwdriver to try to get it moving.

I could remove the crossmember and then I'd be able to weld a washer and then a nut to the bolt and remove it, but I don't have any experience doing this, and the crossmember certainly seems like it's holding the machine together. Not sure what bracing and blocking I'd have to do to accomplish that.

I could try welding a bead from the crossmember to the reverser on the front and back of the crossmember, but that's welding cast iron to mild steel. I can weld, but I'm far from a pro, and even if I farmed this out, I think it would likely fail and/or possibly crack the reverser housing. Brazing isn't as strong, but that might be an option.





Any thoughts?

Scott

[Jason37756]

If your straight is like my C model then that broken bolt is actually in a yoke that bolts onto the frame,reverser, and crossmember.

I don’t have a great picture but here is a yoke laying on the track.



From your picture I can see what looks like the return line for the hydraulics so I think we’re talking about the same area.

Look to find two 1 5/16 hex heads going in from the side near the end of the lift cylinder. The bolts run thru the yoke and into the reverser on my C model and maybe into the clutch housing on yours. The yoke has four bolts total. If you have this yoke just remove it and then you’ll have full access to the broken bolt.

I think it’ll be a bear of a job removing the yoke…it’ll be wedged in there and honestly you may not be able to remove it without removing the engine first.

Good luck.

[bulletpruf]

If your straight is like my C model then that broken bolt is actually in a yoke that bolts onto the frame,reverser, and crossmember.

I don’t have a great picture but here is a yoke laying on the track.



From your picture I can see what looks like the return line for the hydraulics so I think we’re talking about the same area.

Look to find two 1 5/16 hex heads going in from the side near the end of the lift cylinder. The bolts run thru the yoke and into the reverser on my C model and maybe into the clutch housing on yours. The yoke has four bolts total. If you have this yoke just remove it and then you’ll have full access to the broken bolt.

I think it’ll be a bear of a job removing the yoke…it’ll be wedged in there and honestly you may not be able to remove it without removing the engine first.

Good luck.

Well, I thought that's what I had but someone who has disassembled a few of these assured me that the bolts went directly into the reverser without a mount or yoke. Need to check the parts manual to confirm we're talking about the same thing.

But my problem is that the bolt is broken off in the yoke itself, and I really, really don't want to have to pull the engine, so I need to figure out how to fix it in place.

Thanks

[Jason37756]

Here is picture from my 350B tech manual…showing the the yoke and bolts. C model is the same.

Definitely could be different on your straight. If you’ve got most of the bolts there one missing bolt may not be worth the effort to complete the repair.

[bulletpruf]

Here is picture from my 350B tech manual…showing the the yoke and bolts. C model is the same.

Definitely could be different on your straight. If you’ve got most of the bolts there one missing bolt may not be worth the effort to complete the repair.

Ok, thanks for the pic. I'll be at the shop tomorrow and I'll check to see if we're talking about the same thing.

Scott

[bulletpruf]

If your straight is like my C model then that broken bolt is actually in a yoke that bolts onto the frame,reverser, and crossmember.

I don’t have a great picture but here is a yoke laying on the track.



From your picture I can see what looks like the return line for the hydraulics so I think we’re talking about the same area.

Look to find two 1 5/16 hex heads going in from the side near the end of the lift cylinder. The bolts run thru the yoke and into the reverser on my C model and maybe into the clutch housing on yours. The yoke has four bolts total. If you have this yoke just remove it and then you’ll have full access to the broken bolt.

I think it’ll be a bear of a job removing the yoke…it’ll be wedged in there and honestly you may not be able to remove it without removing the engine first.

Good luck.

Ok, we were talking about the same thing - it is indeed a mount/yoke. That's what I initially thought I had, but someone who claims to have taken apart a dozen 350 crawlers assumed me that there was no mount.

Anyway, I got it the mount unbolted today - two 5/8" bolts on the bottom (one snapped) and two 3/4" bolts with 1 1/8" heads going in from the side. The bolts on the side weren't very tight, either.

I got the mount unbolted, I was able to move it a bit, but it was not easy going, so I stopped and moved it back into place and bolted it back down. I will try again tomorrow, but I'll remove the starter first to give me more room to work with. I think I can beat it out moving straight forward and then I can lift it out.

My main concern is getting the mount back in place, but if I use a low height hydraulic cylinder to move things slightly, I think that should do it.

[Jason37756]

Sounds like a fight for sure. It only goes in one way, so if you get it out take note which side faces out/in. Those bolt holes in the bottom require it to set correctly.

I guess the good news is once it’s out you can put the blue wrench to it and if the broken bolt is coming out this will make it a lot easier. Easier to soak in oil or drill it out as well.

[bulletpruf]

Sounds like a fight for sure. It only goes in one way, so if you get it out take note which side faces out/in. Those bolt holes in the bottom require it to set correctly.

I guess the good news is once it’s out you can put the blue wrench to it and if the broken bolt is coming out this will make it a lot easier. Easier to soak in oil or drill it out as well.

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to the fight.

[bulletpruf]

Ok, so I got the stub removed, but it took some doing.

I tried to drill the stub yesterday to so I could use an easy out, but I needed long drill bits and I ordered some from Amazon that were cobalt, but they sure acted like HSS, so I was p*ssing up a rope.

Gave up on drilling it out and then figured I'd try removing the mount again. I put a jack under the reverser to keep things in place and then removed the starter to give myself some more room. Then started tapping the reverser forward, but a 1/2" captive nut on the frame (there for the belly pan) got in the way. Wasn't enough room for a cutoff wheel or a big grinder, so I used a burr bit on a die grinder and a chisel and got the captive nut removed. I'll replace it before I button everything back up.





Then the mount slid out.

Cleaned up the mount and spent a fair bit of time getting it in the drill press vise and all squared up, and then I figured I might as well check to see if the stub will turn if I tapped on it with a chisel to try to get it to turn. There was a burr conveniently located on the stub and lo and behold, it started turning and came out with no issues!





Before I reinstalled the mount, I ran a tap through the threads in both bolt holes on the bottom. One had some issues; threads weren't cut nearly far enough, so took my time, used plenty of cutting oil, and got another 1/2" or so of threads cut.

When I reinstalled the mount, I realized why it was so damn difficult to remove; it was in backwards. One side of the mount had a bevel in the top so it doesn't get wedged against the frame.

The mount had been installed with 2" bolts, and those were too short. It needed 2.5" bolts, but I just had 2" and 3" so I cut a few down to size.

Installed with some blue Loctite and tightened it to German torque specs (Guttentite).

[Jason37756]

I hate those captive nuts.

Glad you got it repaired.

[bulletpruf]

I hate those captive nuts.

Glad you got it repaired.

Yeah, they do get in the way at times, but I'm not finding a source for new ones, and I've checked the usual suspects - McMaster-Carr, Zoro, etc.

Does anyone know if JD still sells these?

[Jason37756]

I welded nuts in their place when they were needed. I don’t believe a skid plate needs that many bolts holding it. Every skid plate I ever removed was so bent up that the bolts were nearly impossible to put back in place anyway. I know they serve a purpose but geez a man can only do so much.

[bulletpruf]

I welded nuts in their place when they were needed. I don’t believe a skid plate needs that many bolts holding it. Every skid plate I ever removed was so bent up that the bolts were nearly impossible to put back in place anyway. I know they serve a purpose but geez a man can only do so much.

Yeah, I'm not going to stress out over it too much. Zoro sells some nuts that you can easily weld in place, so that's what I plan to use.

[jimmydiesel]

McMaster-Carr has weld nuts and captured nuts online.

[bulletpruf]

McMaster-Carr has weld nuts and captured nuts online.

McMaster-Carr doesn't have a captured/captive nut in 5/8-11. At least not that I could find.

Thanks