You guys are going to love this idea. It's not that complex either! I'm actually considering making these for people that want them.
First, here's what Pontiac bestowed upon us...
compared to the new stuff.
In the Navy's aviation community, we use what's called "safety wire" or "lock wire" in the civilian world. It's used to tie two bolts (with holes in them) together, so that if one starts to loosen, the other will get tighter, and prevent the bolt from coming undone. This stuff is so unique, it even has its own type of pliers.
I've used the same stuff to secure my new anchors for the 88 rear cradle bolts.
With M14 x 1.75 x 65mm bolts being completely impossible to find, I had to resort to custom fabrication.
I instead ordered M14 x 2.0 x 60mm bolts. I welded a nut to a washer, then welded the nut/washer assembly to a piece of 1" wide steel, then drilled 4 holes in the steel bar to thread safety wire through, then ran the wire through the holes in the beam that the cradle mounts to.
The safety wire prevents the anchor from moving through the beam while you position the nut in line with the hole in the cradle. The bar that I welded on is a nice handle on the nut so you can position it wherever you need to, and then it also keeps it from spinning around while you're torquing the bolts, because the bar is much wider than the beam.
All in all, it's a great design, if I do say so myself.
Then I welded the holes shut. It's a structural beam, and I didn't want to chance this being a weak spot, and I also want to keep "stuff" out of there, like leaves, sand, rocks, etc.
My bolts are torqued in and good to go now.
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Petty Officer Michael C Casaceli
Aircraft Electronics Technician Second Class
AIMD Brunswick (2007-present)
Patrol Squadron Ten (2003-2007)
United States Navy
