Picked up a lightly tweaked chrome bumper with a real nice rubber top today. Three of the nuts easily came off the studs, the fourth snapped with very little force.

I still have a couple of threads showing on the stud, but I'm not sure where to go from here. How is the stud secured to the rubber? Is it removable? What can I use as a replacement?

I think they are just brazed to a strip of metal - not really screwed into anything. The best thing to do would be to use what is left as base for a new screw- maybe you can find some kind of thin threaded sleeve to use as a connector...

The metal strip runs the length of the bumper top and all the bolts are welded to it. When a top looks wavey, that's the metal inside rusting away. The factory never sealed the openings where the bolts come out. All they did was fit rubber washers to fill the space. Water wicks in and along the strip and it starts to rust.

All I can think of to save the top is to cut the head off a 6M bolt and carefully weld it to to whats left of the stud that is sticking out.

Wet rags over the bumper top. Use a mig to spot small welds to the two bolt pieces. Weld, let it cool, weld other side, let cool, work around the bolt till its done....

marc, go to the hardware store and buy a like threaded bolt 1 3/4-2" long, a new nut, and some 2 part epoxy. drill a small diameter pilot hole into the broken stud and then redrill thru the pilot hole with a bit the same diameter as the stud. go slow. there will be a small black plastic disc surrounding the bolt. it should pop out, don't loose it. enlarge/hog out the area below where the disc was. try not to distort the original size of the bolt hole too much. load the hole about 2/3 full of the epoxy. stick the bolt in. the epoxy should come up just shy of the bottom edge of the bumper top. slip the disc over the bolt. now slip a small piece of plastic wrap over the bolt. this will keep the top from sticking to the bumper. use the bumper to keep the bolt in the proper position. tighten up the 2 adjacent studs, use the nut on the new bolt to set the bolt to the proper depth. hold the new bolt in place while the epoxy sets up. leave it alone for an hour or so. don't pull or wiggle on the bolt to see if it's tight. leave it alone . when the epoxy is fully cured it will be like you never failed to let the penetrant work on the stud that broke.

k

I have welded studs back on like Bruce suggested and by going slow never burned any rubber. If you go slow no one will ever know when looking at the top from the outside. Kevin's method seems better though.

with me not owning welder, it works very well.

k

....and you know this how?

Thanks Kevin, since I'm welding challenged that's kind of the direction I was heading, but didn't have it thought out nearly to the level of your procedure.

it's very simple john. take your time and no one will ever know.

k

Jon B did the same thing ealier this week.....

bump for current fixit thread.

So when installing the bumper top, should you seal the bolt openings to prevent future rust?

Paul

Regurgitated this for a bumper top stud fix ?.

You could epoxy a piece of threaded rod, but if it is snapped off, it has rusted internally. They were welded onto the metal inside. Will not take much load, but at least you have a few others.

Bump for Phil.