I had a similar problem last winter installing a 1" MORE body lift on my 94
YJ. The rear left snapped lust like yours, I did the same thing with a bolt
& washr. However, I couldn't get the old square captive nut for the mount
out, so I just drove it up into the rear crossmember and stuck it inplace
with some body sealer.

Even thougfh I'd done as you (without the extra holes) and soaked the bolts
down with PB Blaster I had one of the main bolts come out with the threads.
I insalled a helicoil and reinstalled all new factory hardware. So far, so
good.

In your case I'd just bitethe bullet and cut in from the top with a hole saw
which you can follow with a metal or rubber plug. This is a comon problem
with SWB Jeeps that have spent time in road salted areas or along the
coasts.


"Drink" <drink@gnt.net> wrote in message
news:cglhqh$8rf$1@news.utelfla.com...
> Had a related problem yesterday. Trying to get the bolts out, the
plates
> rotated and just ripped the box that holds them in place. Not sure if
your
> YJ is different but my 76 CJ has square pieces of plate steel that the
bolt
> goes into. I thought they were the same. There's like a small box that's
> welded over the plates that lets the plates shift a little for adjustment
> but won't let them turn. That's not the case with your YJ?
> Good Luck,
> Jim
> "jdarg" <ruhle@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1Q3Tc.562485$pF1.63416@news.easynews.com...
> > I'm upgrading my crumbling factory mounts to Daystar polys and despite
> > drilling 1/8" holes in the tub and shooting it with PB Blaster for a
week
> I
> > managed to still snap three of the bolts - the two between the front
seats
> > and the rollbar and the rearmost driver side.
> >
> > My plan of attack on the rear mount was to cut an opening in the rear of
> the
> > body large enough to grind off the ears that hold the nut and lift the
> thing
> > out and replace with a standard washer/nut. My passenger side rear mount
> > bolt fell out at some point before I got this Jeep so I had previously
> > slotted that side and used just a regular washer and nut as the factory
> nut
> > had no more thread and I couldn't really tap for the next size up.
> >
> > I thought I may be able to get the rollbar mounts if I drill the bolt
out
> > from both the top and bottom but I ended up snapping off a drill bit in
> the
> > top of one of them - darn! I still have about 2-3" of bolt in there so I
> > can't really go at it from just one end. Should I just not bother and
cut
> > the opening large enough to grind out the ears holding in the nut and do
> the
> > same as in the rear? The bolts seem pretty soft but now that I have a
bit
> > stuck in there it's going to be really rough drilling through that one.
> >
> > Any comments from someone who's been through this? I'd rather not cut up
> the
> > floor more than I have to but I'm afraid I don't have much choice at
this
> > point. Luckily I was able to get all the other bolts out relatively
> easily.
> >
> > -jd
> >
> > '94 YJ
> >
> >
>
>

 

When doing what Jerry McG suggested remember to:

1) Mask the surrounding areas with painters tape or you will end up
opening
up scratches in the paint, which can lead to rust (tools being laid
down, the spirals/metal fragments that will come off the hole-drill
head, etc).

2) Use cutting oil/light engine oil and a speed-reducer adapter when
cutting the holes or you will end up doing what I have to do:
fiberglassing the oval/irregular shapped holes and recutting so that
the plugs will fit.

3) Be ready for a trip to the auto/hardware store for some of that
rust-to-primer spray, regular primer, auto paint, wire brush, 1"
plastic putty knives, dust mask, and fiberglass to treat any rust
holes that may have opened up. If the bolts were bad...

4) Plan on taking couple of days.

I always wondered why the local jeep dealership did such booming
business--now, after living in a port city (Juneau, Alaska) sandwiched
between 45 degree (or less) mountain ranges and seawater, I do: rust.

Good luck!

btw: we used stainless steel bolts, stainless steel nuts with the
polyurthane insert, and anti-seize on the threads so that we never
have to go through this again!

"Jerry McG" <gmcgeorge.remove@frontier.net> wrote in message news:<cgnch00c5v@enews1.newsguy.com>...

> In your case I'd just bitethe bullet and cut in from the top with a hole saw
> which you can follow with a metal or rubber plug. This is a comon problem
> with SWB Jeeps that have spent time in road salted areas or along the
> coasts.
>
>
> > > Any comments from someone who's been through this? I'd rather not cut up
> the
> > > floor more than I have to but I'm afraid I don't have much choice at
> this
> > > point. Luckily I was able to get all the other bolts out relatively
> easily.
> > >
> > > -jd
> > >
> > > '94 YJ

 

When doing what Jerry McG suggested remember to:

1) Mask the surrounding areas with painters tape or you will end up
opening
up scratches in the paint, which can lead to rust (tools being laid
down, the spirals/metal fragments that will come off the hole-drill
head, etc).

2) Use cutting oil/light engine oil and a speed-reducer adapter when
cutting the holes or you will end up doing what I have to do:
fiberglassing the oval/irregular shapped holes and recutting so that
the plugs will fit.

3) Be ready for a trip to the auto/hardware store for some of that
rust-to-primer spray, regular primer, auto paint, wire brush, 1"
plastic putty knives, dust mask, and fiberglass to treat any rust
holes that may have opened up. If the bolts were bad...

4) Plan on taking couple of days.

I always wondered why the local jeep dealership did such booming
business--now, after living in a port city (Juneau, Alaska) sandwiched
between 45 degree (or less) mountain ranges and seawater, I do: rust.

Good luck!

btw: we used stainless steel bolts, stainless steel nuts with the
polyurthane insert, and anti-seize on the threads so that we never
have to go through this again!

"Jerry McG" <gmcgeorge.remove@frontier.net> wrote in message news:<cgnch00c5v@enews1.newsguy.com>...

> In your case I'd just bitethe bullet and cut in from the top with a hole saw
> which you can follow with a metal or rubber plug. This is a comon problem
> with SWB Jeeps that have spent time in road salted areas or along the
> coasts.
>
>
> > > Any comments from someone who's been through this? I'd rather not cut up
> the
> > > floor more than I have to but I'm afraid I don't have much choice at
> this
> > > point. Luckily I was able to get all the other bolts out relatively
> easily.
> > >
> > > -jd
> > >
> > > '94 YJ

 

When doing what Jerry McG suggested remember to:

1) Mask the surrounding areas with painters tape or you will end up
opening
up scratches in the paint, which can lead to rust (tools being laid
down, the spirals/metal fragments that will come off the hole-drill
head, etc).

2) Use cutting oil/light engine oil and a speed-reducer adapter when
cutting the holes or you will end up doing what I have to do:
fiberglassing the oval/irregular shapped holes and recutting so that
the plugs will fit.

3) Be ready for a trip to the auto/hardware store for some of that
rust-to-primer spray, regular primer, auto paint, wire brush, 1"
plastic putty knives, dust mask, and fiberglass to treat any rust
holes that may have opened up. If the bolts were bad...

4) Plan on taking couple of days.

I always wondered why the local jeep dealership did such booming
business--now, after living in a port city (Juneau, Alaska) sandwiched
between 45 degree (or less) mountain ranges and seawater, I do: rust.

Good luck!

btw: we used stainless steel bolts, stainless steel nuts with the
polyurthane insert, and anti-seize on the threads so that we never
have to go through this again!

"Jerry McG" <gmcgeorge.remove@frontier.net> wrote in message news:<cgnch00c5v@enews1.newsguy.com>...

> In your case I'd just bitethe bullet and cut in from the top with a hole saw
> which you can follow with a metal or rubber plug. This is a comon problem
> with SWB Jeeps that have spent time in road salted areas or along the
> coasts.
>
>
> > > Any comments from someone who's been through this? I'd rather not cut up
> the
> > > floor more than I have to but I'm afraid I don't have much choice at
> this
> > > point. Luckily I was able to get all the other bolts out relatively
> easily.
> > >
> > > -jd
> > >
> > > '94 YJ

 

> I always wondered why the local jeep dealership did such booming
business--now, after living in a port city (Juneau, Alaska) sandwiched
between 45 degree (or less) mountain ranges and seawater, I do: rust.>

Actually, in that environment YJs and other post AMC-era Jeeps rust far less
than the older, beloved CJs. One of the first things Chrysler did after
buying AMC was to install galvanized primer dip technology, which AMC
couldn't afford. Some very early '87 YJs didn't get it and they rust just
like the older CJs. Regardless, there's not much that can be done with body
mounts, etc., that get a good brine soaking every year. Eventually they rust
solid. My YJ only spent a few winters in the NYC area before I moved West.
The body mount hardware was in pretty sad shape last year when I installed
the body lift. I swapped it out with new stock bits, probably no better than
some of the aftermarket stuff. Since most everything else underneath has
been swapped out by now (springs, axles, shackles, u-bolts & spring plates,
etc.) not much is left to haunt me from the YJs days in Yankee-land.

 

> I always wondered why the local jeep dealership did such booming
business--now, after living in a port city (Juneau, Alaska) sandwiched
between 45 degree (or less) mountain ranges and seawater, I do: rust.>

Actually, in that environment YJs and other post AMC-era Jeeps rust far less
than the older, beloved CJs. One of the first things Chrysler did after
buying AMC was to install galvanized primer dip technology, which AMC
couldn't afford. Some very early '87 YJs didn't get it and they rust just
like the older CJs. Regardless, there's not much that can be done with body
mounts, etc., that get a good brine soaking every year. Eventually they rust
solid. My YJ only spent a few winters in the NYC area before I moved West.
The body mount hardware was in pretty sad shape last year when I installed
the body lift. I swapped it out with new stock bits, probably no better than
some of the aftermarket stuff. Since most everything else underneath has
been swapped out by now (springs, axles, shackles, u-bolts & spring plates,
etc.) not much is left to haunt me from the YJs days in Yankee-land.

 

> I always wondered why the local jeep dealership did such booming
business--now, after living in a port city (Juneau, Alaska) sandwiched
between 45 degree (or less) mountain ranges and seawater, I do: rust.>

Actually, in that environment YJs and other post AMC-era Jeeps rust far less
than the older, beloved CJs. One of the first things Chrysler did after
buying AMC was to install galvanized primer dip technology, which AMC
couldn't afford. Some very early '87 YJs didn't get it and they rust just
like the older CJs. Regardless, there's not much that can be done with body
mounts, etc., that get a good brine soaking every year. Eventually they rust
solid. My YJ only spent a few winters in the NYC area before I moved West.
The body mount hardware was in pretty sad shape last year when I installed
the body lift. I swapped it out with new stock bits, probably no better than
some of the aftermarket stuff. Since most everything else underneath has
been swapped out by now (springs, axles, shackles, u-bolts & spring plates,
etc.) not much is left to haunt me from the YJs days in Yankee-land.