Help - Lost bolt in rear bumper!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,206
Likes: 21
From: Roswell GA
Help - Lost bolt in rear bumper!
Update - Fixed by twisting the one remain bolt until I could fish the other back through the hole. Thanks to all who contributed their answers.
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Went to polish my exhaust tips - needed more room so I took off the exhaust hanger. No problem - it helped a lot and I got the tips looking great.
Went to put the hangers back on - all went well until the last bolt. As I was pushing the nut onto the bolt - boom - up it shot back into the rear bumper.
I went to my repair manual and it indicated to remove the muffler and just reach up in there. As I was under there looking - I do not think that will give me access to where the bolt must be.
Through the rear lights or the license plate area - or take off the rear facia are all possibilities. I feel comfortable doing any one of those - I would just like to know which one will for sure workl!!!
--------------------------
Went to polish my exhaust tips - needed more room so I took off the exhaust hanger. No problem - it helped a lot and I got the tips looking great.
Went to put the hangers back on - all went well until the last bolt. As I was pushing the nut onto the bolt - boom - up it shot back into the rear bumper.
I went to my repair manual and it indicated to remove the muffler and just reach up in there. As I was under there looking - I do not think that will give me access to where the bolt must be.
Through the rear lights or the license plate area - or take off the rear facia are all possibilities. I feel comfortable doing any one of those - I would just like to know which one will for sure workl!!!
Last edited by KingTut; May 8, 2009 at 08:58 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,276
Likes: 227
From: Farmington CT
Cruise-In VII Veteran
this should be in the TOP TEN warning list on C5 "be careful list"
happens all the time
I learned this from Stangkiller
, I would've never known
95% of the time, remove the rear cover and impact foam to retrieve
happens all the time
I learned this from Stangkiller
, I would've never known95% of the time, remove the rear cover and impact foam to retrieve
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,233
Likes: 21
From: Baltimore suburbs Maryland
On the exhaust hanger studs- aren't they connected together? I've had this happen but then I was able to manipulate the other stud and eventually get it stuck back through...
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,206
Likes: 21
From: Roswell GA
Not That Lucky
I had the one nut all the way on as I thought that would hold the other end down to get that nut started - so I am quite sure it popped up and right out of the reenforcement bar inside the bumper.
It also indicated that sometimes there is a "retainer" to hold the bolts - but none were on mine - or they were removed previously.
Once the rear end is off - is there any reason that I can not "glue down" the bolt heads and reenforcement bar so that this does not happen again - what could that hurt?
It also indicated that sometimes there is a "retainer" to hold the bolts - but none were on mine - or they were removed previously.
Once the rear end is off - is there any reason that I can not "glue down" the bolt heads and reenforcement bar so that this does not happen again - what could that hurt?
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,393
Likes: 17
From: Belleville Mich.
The part that you lost up in no wheres land is flat all across the top w/ theaded studs at each end, that you attach the nuts to. If and when, you get it back into the two holes, install star nuts to hold it up in place.Then install the rerular nuts, when ever your done with the job. Good luck.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,398
Likes: 2
So you lost both threaded sections up in bumper hollow or just one side of the dual bolt hanger pushed up and got lost? If just one side pushed up in you can twist the other side around and it will drop the other side down in usually. I did not know to do this at first so I took out a tail light and put a drill in there and drilled exactly above the stock hole and used a long threaded bolt and was done with it in 5 minutes. Not the prettiest thing to do but no one will notice it. After I realized mine just cocked to one side I then removed my long bolt and took a wire magnet up in the stock hole and was able to grab it and pull the stock hanger back over to the hole and down.
Here is a picture of what it looks like in there.
Here is a picture of what it looks like in there.
Last edited by briann510; May 8, 2009 at 06:58 PM.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,822
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I went to the dealer and bought a new bracket. Still had to use a hole saw to drill a hole in the bottom of the frame to get the new bracket in. Then I used some seam sealer to put the hole back in above the muffler.
Bill
Bill
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,206
Likes: 21
From: Roswell GA
Finally got it.
Special thanks to briann510 as once I could see that the part inside the bumper was solid - all I had to do was loosen the one remain bolt - twist it around and poke a bit until the other fell back through the hole.
Good thing one of the two still had the retainer on it - tip is to tighten the one without the retainer first - that way if it pops up you can use the lose one to get it back - once that one has both the hanger and the nut on it - then get the hanger and nut onto the one with the retainer.
Again thanks to all who responded to my need - once I got the correct steer - it took about 10 minutes to get it fixed.
Good thing one of the two still had the retainer on it - tip is to tighten the one without the retainer first - that way if it pops up you can use the lose one to get it back - once that one has both the hanger and the nut on it - then get the hanger and nut onto the one with the retainer.
Again thanks to all who responded to my need - once I got the correct steer - it took about 10 minutes to get it fixed.
