Posted by John Waak [172.70.210.147] on Wednesday, June 01, 2022 at 13:14:45 :
In Reply to: Re: Frame rivets posted by Galen [172.70.175.114] on Wednesday, June 01, 2022 at 10:31:09 :
Unless you plan on using your truck as it was designed -heavy loads and off-road use- grade 8 bolt are probably ok. As was mentioned, the bolts should have an unthreaded shank where the bolt passes through the chassis holes. In addition, it is recommended to replace a rivet with a bolt the next diameter size up.
When I made a repair to my frame, I reassembled it using grade 5 bolts in the size of the original holes. After double and triple checking that the frame was well within factory specs for square, I removed one bolt at a time, reamed the hole to the next larger size, bolted in the grade 8 bolt with red Loctite, a Schnorr lock washer and a locknut. The bolts were sized so that when assembled, three wraps of thread protruded past the nut. Lastly, the grade 8 bolts were all purchased from my local Caterpillar dealer. Their quality control is beyond dispute, and the bolts were made in the USA; not sure if they still are. Time will tell, but I think I am good to go.