Fitting Rear Coil Braces AAARRGGGHH

[10G]

I'm trying to fit a set of the rear coil tower braces from BOSS 4WD.

I've got the passenger side in.

How the heck do you get the nut onto the drivers side, outside (closest to the outside of the car), rear bolt (closest to the rear of the car) where the fuel line is???

I've got the front outside drivers side nut & bolt on, but I can't see how the heck you get the nut in & on for the other bolt.

Looking at the size of the nut & how little room there appears to be there, I'm wondering if it may even be a good idea not to put that nut & bolt in. There couldn't be much room for the fuel lines around the nut that goes there, just worried about the fuel line rubbing on the nut.

[jff45]

I wrapped the nut tightly in wire and fed it gently over the top while watching the hole with a mirror. Then hold steady and offer the bolt in with an Allen socket and extension. Took 3 goes from memory..

If your fuel lines are moving, they’re going to rub through on something else anyway.. I think you’ll find they’re held pretty well.

[10G]

I tried to get a finger in there to just try and feel how I could feed a nut in there and couldn't get a finger in any way I tried.

Didn't think of a mirror, good idea.

[the evil twin]

Wire wrap as jff45 mentions works... as does;

Magnetic Pick up tool works suprisingly well (put a flat of the Hex on the magnet)

Pick up tool with spring loaded fingers works on alloy nuts

Cardboard and tape, put a hole in the cardboard and tape one side of the cardboard and face of the nut (carton cardboard works well and obviously one has to drink the contents to be able to use the carton) ... also works with double sided tape

[MudRunnerTD]

What a Bastard they where to do!!! I nearly gave up. and was going to run only 2.

my tower was damaged and i had a weld in there to deal with too so i bought some longer bolts for that side which made life a little easier.

I fitted these 2 weeks ago in the driveway.

Firstly, i ended up dropping the jack stands down so i could just fit under as i had teh car soo high i could barely reach the tower with my fingertips! Good luck doing it if the car is set too high. Drop it right down so you can reach easily. I had my Son outside handing me items too. dont try and do it alone as it will do your head in. Even if your wife can hand you bits will help alot.

I used a small lever bar to lift the fuel lines up a little (flat head screw driver will do). enough to get the nut in with 2 or 1 finger. i pushed it into position and the dropped the lines back down. Using a philips head to move ti around i positioned it dead centre over the top of the hole then left it. I gently screwed up into it. I might have had my son on the ratchet while i held a spanner up on the nut if needed. Once i figured it out it didn't take too long. I did nearly give up though. In fact i did give up and went back to it the next day and got it done quickly.

[mudnut]

Obvious questions, but how did you go bending the tower back to its original form? Is it dead level? How much space is there between the tower, fuel lines and body? You might want to check that the body mounts aren't munted.

[10G]

What a Bastard they where to do!!! I nearly gave up. and was going to run only 2.

my tower was damaged and i had a weld in there to deal with too so i bought some longer bolts for that side which made life a little easier.

I fitted these 2 weeks ago in the driveway.

Firstly, i ended up dropping the jack stands down so i could just fit under as i had teh car soo high i could barely reach the tower with my fingertips! Good luck doing it if the car is set too high. Drop it right down so you can reach easily. I had my Son outside handing me items too. dont try and do it alone as it will do your head in. Even if your wife can hand you bits will help alot.

I used a small lever bar to lift the fuel lines up a little (flat head screw driver will do). enough to get the nut in with 2 or 1 finger. i pushed it into position and the dropped the lines back down. Using a philips head to move ti around i positioned it dead centre over the top of the hole then left it. I gently screwed up into it. I might have had my son on the ratchet while i held a spanner up on the nut if needed. Once i figured it out it didn't take too long. I did nearly give up though. In fact i did give up and went back to it the next day and got it done quickly.

A great help MudRunnerTD, thanks. I got back out & under the thing again this arvo, I hate having things beat me. I used a mirror which was a help, I could see that a fuel line was actually running just over the endge of the hole. I could get a screw in, but there's no way I could get a nut in.

How forgiving are those fuel lines?? I'll have to push them up about 1 cm I reckon to squeeze a nut underneath.

Here's what I got a photo of, I have a fuel line running right on the edge of the hole:

20180203_171924.jpg

I've put my rolled up swag under the car and I sit my head and shoulder on that, works well and when I get stuffed I just lie back and rest.

[10G]

That's not the picture I wanted, hopefully this is:

20180203_171924.jpg

[Touses]

You've got a bit of flex with them bloke. Only prob is they are bolted down in their own plastic mount. Ya gotta get that undone as well.
Leastwise that's what I found when mounting a Superior brace in mine. Mind you I had the tray off so's I could work on it from above.
Don't envy your situation at all!

[mudnut]

I asked the above questions because I fitted the Superior Engineering bolt on type strengthening kit. It sits on top of the tower, and there was enough clearance to work with but I had to shorten the bolts to clear the lines.

The kit also came with a rubber sleeve to fit to the lines. You may need to jam a rubber spacer in there, but you still need clearance from the body.