Re: [Amc-list] t-tube broke

[Wrambler242@xxxxxxxxxxx]

That's probably why you find those same grade 8 7/16" fine thread bolts holding the spindles on too!
I went out of my way to make sure I replaced mine with LKQ when I did my disc swap and lowering plates.
Takes 8 of  them per side with the plates! bunch of different lengths. Mine came in a real pretty blue finish too!
  I can promise I will be double checking torque tube bolts in any future tube cars! That could be a real bad scene should the right combination of events occur. Though our friends at myth busters pretty much destroyed the old flip the car story. I'd bet the old total the car story would still hold true!
  I'm real glad for Dave that his failed at 20 MPH instead of 65-70.

Behold the power of the force! [yeah, so I couldn't come up with anything better] 

--
Mark Price
Morgantown, WV
1969 AMC Rambler, 4.0L, EFI, T-5

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
> On Tue, 27 Feb 2007, Wrambler242@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> > Once the two bolts worked loose, the remaining bolts only held half together. 
> The result would have been a continual flexing or hinging of the metal at some 
> point around the remaining bolts.
> >  Locking rear brakes, downshifts and general road vibrations all added up to 
> failure.
> > I've never heard of one failing before! I'd bet if the missing two bolts would 
> have been diagonal he'd still be driving along unaware of the issue!
> 
> I'm sure Mark has it 100% right.
> 
> It's a bummer, but it's good to actually identify failures
> like this.  It's interesting now to think of the forces on
> that otherwise inocuous joining of parts. I bet some engineer,
> now long forgotten, did some careful calcs on that part.
> 
> I will crawl under my car and check them this weekend! But
> I do recall the bolts are fine-threaded, something like
> 7/16-20's. Only important joints get nice hardware in
> mass-produced cars.
> 
> 
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