Going Fishing . . . In My !@#$%^& Frame!

[ILikeBond]

Installed the WH 1" body lift today. Was 95% done, had only passenger side mid-rear mount left (the real annoying one). Covered the hole on the driver side with tape, setup went fine. Passenger side I intended to tape to prevent the nut from falling but didn't consider the sleeve, and when I inserted the bolt, it hit the sleeve into the hole. :-X:-X

I guess I can call Wild Horses and ask for a replacement, but I'd like to get this thing finished and also don't want that sleeve rattling around in my frame.

Any suggestions on fishing this thing out short of drilling the frame? The frame drops right after that hole, so it may have rolled down into the lowest part of the frame.

Right now I'm thinking of making a piece of particle board or similar slightly smaller than the frame in both dimensions, attaching a string to a wire, putting the wire through the frame till I have the string on the other side, then using the string to drag the particle board piece through the frame, kind of like a cow catcher. Would have to do it without it getting hung up on anything, bolts and such, could be tough.

 

[Rickb1b]

I think I would duck tape a fairly strong magnet to a long piece of rope. Wrap a piece of plastic around it so it doesn't grab the frame and only has one side open to attract the part. Then fish that through the frame. Those new rare earth magnets can be very strong and not too large. Most hobby stores sell them. Good luck

 

[clarrance]

Jack up one end of the Bronco and wash it out with a hose or pressure washer. More than likely you will find more than just your missing sleeve.

 

[ILikeBond]

Unfortunately the Bronco is immobile in the garage.

Thanks for the suggestion, Rick.

Anyone else have a success story with this?

 

[BeardedBlues]

Jack it up and wash it out while using a dryer duct to funnel the excess water out of your garage? Just a thought. Or are there too many drilled holes in the frame?

 

[NGABronco]

I fished one out thru the hole it fell in with one of those flexible magnets, they're about 18" long!!! Good luck!!;D

 

[Wyflyer]

I fished one out thru the hole it fell in with one of those flexible magnets, they're about 18" long!!! Good luck!!;D

X2, mine didn't go far

 

[lilthom]

That sleeve will weigh a bit more but I dropped a misalignment washer in mine accidently. I taped the handle down on the nozzle and pushed my air hose through the frame. I had taped over most all the holes. About 2/3 of the way through the washer came flying out. Good luck.

 

[bax]

I trained a little white rat to go in and get that type of stuff out. I can ship him to you if you want.

seriously, find a chunk of foam rubber. Cut if close to the inside size of the frame. pass some nylon string thru the frame, tie the string to the foam and pull it thru the frame. The foam will snag on the inside but just keep pulling. Also would not hurt to tie the string in a loop so you can pull it thru again if needed.

 

[tasker]

chimney brush.....or a trained white rat

 

[bax]

chimney brush.....or a trained white rat

Thats right, I forgot tasker has my rat. It's cool, if you want Tasker can send it to you.

We dont have chimney brushes down here.

 

[willtel]

Doesn't a white rat come out all dirty? Use a brown one.

I tried the rope and magnet method and got nowhere when I dropped a body mount nut. Eventually I jacked up the front end and washed it out with a hose. I had to tape up some holes in the frame to get the water all the way to the other end and I used three hoses to get the volume of water I needed.

 

[tasker]

with white rats you can trak their progress through the frame.....maybe Bax has a baby gator instead?

 

[ILikeBond]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I'm going to make a go at it, try a few different things. Will let you know how it goes.

 

[bax]

Your dam right your going to tell us how it goes!

 

[custom-cruiser]

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193940

 

[ILikeBond]

Done!

Went to Ace this morning and bought 5 or 6 different types of magnets. Used a small bolt to attach a strong doughnut-shaped magnet to the end of an air hose, and went fishing from the back. First few "casts" picked up a bunch of broken shards of dirty rusted metal lining the inside of the frame, but eventually it grabbed the sleeve on about the 4th try. Got snagged up, but I could see it. Two more "casts" and it was out. Actually ended up going pretty smoothly. Then I finished the lift. w00t!

Thanks for the advice all, and links. Here's another good thread on this issue I found doing a search last night, just for future reference, a bunch of suggestions in here, too. What I did was kind of an amalgamation.

 

[NGABronco]

Bond...Magnet Bond!!!! Congratulations!!!!;D;D;D

Ain't Life Grand!!!;D;D;D