fmvette9

Eight years ago I hit a curb at speed and damaged the skid plate / radiator support. One of the four nutserts was ripped out of the frame. I slightly expanded a stock nutsert and was able to expand and install it in the frame. Eight years later that nutsert pulls lose from the frame due to metal fatigue and the frame hole was very enlarged.

It swallowed the OEM M8 nutsert. I found both M10 and M12 nutserts available at McMaster Carr. The M10 was too small so I drilled the frame hole with a 17.5mm drill and successfully installed the M12.

I used a couple of install tool ideas from the web since the frame hole was now round and would not prevent the nutsert from turning. I used a bolt, with a nut threaded to the bottom, a flat washer, a nut drilled out so it "freewheeled", a locking star washer, and then the nutsert. The freewheeling nut bites into the nutsert preventing it from turning. Both the freewheeling nut and the bolt are held stationary. The bottom nut is tightened against the washer, so I lubed the nut to washer interface and that part of the bolt the nut was located. Takes three hands but was easy to use.

If you have a nutsert pull out of the frame, I suggest bumping up in size from the OEM M8 size nutsert to an M10.