I've got an 88 and when I dropped the subframe the rear bolt on the drivers side came loose, and now I can't find it. It's somewhere in the frame of the car I guess but now what?? Has anyone had this problem? How do I fix this because, except for a few holes in the back, this is a sealed member with no access to the nut.

The nut broke loose.. you can get something like this to fix it...
http://rodneydickman.com/ca...h=23&products_id=276

holy crap!. So the only way to fix this is to cut a flap in the frame?

I assume you mean you lost the nut, not the bolt. This is a common problem which is treated the same as if the nut came loose from the cage that's supposed to hold it in place when trying to remove the bolt. The remedy is to use a cutoff wheel and slice three sides of a rectangular hole in the side of the frame rail in line with the hole on the bottom of the frame where the bolt is supposed to go through. Make the rectangle about four inches long and 1.5 inches tall. Once the three sides have been cut, then fold the metal flap up or down to gain access to the inside of the frame. You can fiche around for it quite easily then with a magnet on a flexible stick. Once you pull it out, weld, or get someone to weld some ears on the nut like in the picture below to keep the nut from spinning inside the frame when you go to replace the cradle bolt later on. Once the nut is stuffed back into place, just fold the flap back down and tack weld it or even just seal it with some RTV or silicone.

yes nut.
I'm no engineer but it seems cutting a hole in the frame is not a good thing. I guess I have no choice and will likely weld the flap closed.

thanks

You can reach it from the existing hole in the frame. You can't get in there enough to grab on to it with a vice grips or whatever but you can get your hand in there to either retrieve it or get the new one started. It would make a whole lot of sense to put a plate on it like blooze said so the damn nut thingy can't rotate in the frame next time or you will be cutting a hole at the nut.



The nut is located right below where the piece is sitting

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 09-30-2010).]

quote Originally posted by My1stMidEng: yes nut. I'm no engineer but it seems cutting a hole in the frame is not a good thing. I guess I have no choice and will likely weld the flap closed. thanks

Well, you can take off the rear fascia, and then remove the metal bumper and you should see the area where the nut goes. Cutting a hole in the frame isn't a big deal and you don't need that large of one. This was done on my '88 coupe when I bought it.

I prefer to remove the rear facia. It takes about 30 minutes and you can access the nut.

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quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: I prefer to remove the rear facia. It takes about 30 minutes and you can access the nut.

x2...


I also do the same as blooze and weld some additional metal to the nut so the frame walls will keep it from spinning vs. just a few tack welds.

I agree with removing the Facia as well. Plus it gives you a chance to check out the nut plate on the other side to see if it too is in need of repair. If one broke, the other one is probably in bad shape too.