C5 front air dam question
Thread Starter
1st Gear
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
C5 front air dam question
I bent up the center air dam section on my c5. I order a new to replace it. Took the old one off no problems. Bolted up the drivers side bolt just fine. However the passenger side bolt is giving me some trouble. Where the bolt goes back into the square metal frame. It is some type of threaded adapter or nut. Is just spinning and i have no way of accessing it to prevent that. And on top of it i have the bolt started. So cant back it out or tighten it. Any one else ran into this? What did you do? Or any thoughts of how to fix this?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
They're called insert nuts. It's like a sleeve that's threaded on one end. A special tool is usually needed to install the nut into thin metal, then compress the sleeve length wise to secure it. Some DIYer's have luck with using a bolt/nut in combination to compress the insert nut w/o using the special tool. It never worked for me, so you have to remove the insert nut or use the special tool anyway.
If you intend to replace the insert nut, you'll need to remove it one way or the other. You could possibly cut the bolt to remove the new air dam. Drilling out the old insert nut is probably the best remedy. If you try to gorilla it out, you risk damaging the thin metal of the radiator support structure tubing. You might be able to tack weld the insert nut to the surrounding tubing, run a chase through it to clean out the rust, and install a new bolt.
You could also replace the support structure with a new or good used condition part.
If you intend to replace the insert nut, you'll need to remove it one way or the other. You could possibly cut the bolt to remove the new air dam. Drilling out the old insert nut is probably the best remedy. If you try to gorilla it out, you risk damaging the thin metal of the radiator support structure tubing. You might be able to tack weld the insert nut to the surrounding tubing, run a chase through it to clean out the rust, and install a new bolt.
You could also replace the support structure with a new or good used condition part.
Last edited by hotwheels57; Jun 21, 2011 at 05:35 PM.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 491
Likes: 5
From: Tampa Bay Area, U.S.A. (Zombie Nation)
The radiator support (aka skid bar, skid plate) tends to be quite pricey these days so you probably need to replace that one spinning rivnut if you can. There's quite a bit of info on exactly how to do this on the Internet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivet_nut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivet_nut
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 945
Likes: 23
From: Uniondale IN
St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16
If there is a lip on the outside, you might be able to grip it with some small vise grips to get the bolt out. If it is loose enough you might be able to wedge a small screw driver between the lip and the frame. If it is spinning you may not be able to drill it out. I would try using a small grinder to grind off the outer lip and drive the remaining part inside the frame.
