Nubs on stabilizer rod worn down. Can these be replaced?

profdant139 wrote:
JRScooby, that is a great tip about grinding a flat so the drill won't walk -- I will remember that the next time I have to drill through a rounded piece of metal.

Drill will walk on flat, that is why god invented center punch. But center punch is also sometimes a problem on round stuff

JRScooby, that is a great tip about grinding a flat so the drill won't walk -- I will remember that the next time I have to drill through a rounded piece of metal.

The nut only has to be a "close fit", it most likely will not screw on due to different threads and might be better to find a nut that is slightly smaller diameter hole than the shaft and then drill the nut to fit tightly on the screw (slide over screw shaft) then weld in place.

Too large of a nut opening and it will be difficult to center the nut on the shaft for welding and you will end up with a wobbly out of center nut.

Once welded, get some grease or oil on the screw shaft, dry shaft is most likely why the nubs worn out.. Takes more effort to turn the screw without some lubrication and that extra effort wears out the nubs..

Yeah, I'm going to see if I can find a nut that will fit first (that seems to be the hardest part) and find someone who can weld as I'd much rather have a socket to lift and lower these than the flimsy peg crank I have now, but my second option will be drilling a hole with a pin. Thanks for all the tips!

The best solution is find a place that can weld a nut on the end of it.

TheLostBoy wrote:
Oh man, that's a good solution, but how could I drill through this threaded rod? I'd rather not take them off to put into a vice, but I assume they wouldn't stay very still.

Run it down, or up tight, the drill will not apply enough pressure to rotate. Grind a small flat to reduce chance the center punch will walk.

BTW, need to drill thin metal, afraid center punch will dent? Old time egg-beater type drill with small bit is easy to control, makes same as punch mark

Oh man, that's a good solution, but how could I drill through this threaded rod? I'd rather not take them off to put into a vice, but I assume they wouldn't stay very still.

Grind down, drill insert good sized roll pin. The handle should fit. Lube

JRscooby wrote:
If you have enough thread there, screw on 2 nuts, then jam them together. Work same as welding, but if you need to take it apart you can

Shaft has acme threads on it. Standard nuts won't fit however oversized nut s can be welded on.

Bingo. Either will work I believe, but 1 nut on the end with a little goober plug weld on the end is the easiest if you have access to a welder or a buddy.