Rear Upper Shock Mount Fix/Repair

[jdsilvaca]

Hello all, I am new to the site. Is there a DIY on here about how to fix the upper rear shock mount on the Cherokee? Mine is a 97, and I have "sheared off bolt" problem.

Thanks for helping.

Jason

[4.3LXJ]

Jason, knock them out with a hammer and punch. Then use your fingers to guide a new one in from the side. You can also weld or JB Weld a piece of coat hanger on it to guide it in with.

[nickyg]

I drilled a hole tru the floor in the back and dropped a bolt in..
THAT WAS BEFORE I KNEW BETTER!!!!!
A friend showed me how to fish a bolt tru the frame with a wire.. It was much easier then removeing the carpet in the back..
DO NOT DRILL TRU THE FLOOR.. It's not necessary. learn from my mistake.

[cpttuna]

recommend 5/16 X1&1/2 " grade 8 bolts, lock washers and nuts.

[jdsilvaca]

Thanks for the help. This is my first Cherokee, so it's all new to me.

Thanks again.

Jason

[NW99XJ]

No need to drill thru the floor....there's a simple-ish fix for this.....
This is a common problem on the Cherokees, and mine was no exception.
I researched common problems when lifting XJ's and this came up, so when it happened to me, I was prepared.
Here's the fix:
>

Now....before we get to the good stuff..... one thing that my situation may differ from yours, is that I had planned on installing Bar-Pin-Eliminators, in the rear anyways (highly recommended).... so I had picked up some JKS Rear Upper BPE's....they run about $40
BPE's do several things, the eliminate, the cheesy, slip prone, weak, stamped metal bar pins that come with the shocks.
They also give you a much more secure mounting point, AND after install, will net you an extra 3/4" of droop on articulation.
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1613/bpeinstall005.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall005.jpg/)

WHEN the bolts broke, as I knew they would.....
I simply drilled out the old bolts - had to use a good high speed carbide drill bit - and knock out the old welded nuts on the chassis.
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/4338/bpeinstall003.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall003.jpg/)
Easy enuff, It just takes alot of elbow grease and a good corded drill to get thru the bolts, and a hammer and punch will do the rest.
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/3635/bpeinstall004.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall004.jpg/)

Once I got the old ones out and the holes drilled, it was off to the parts store to get the RIGHT hardware. I had originally picked up some 7/16" grade 8 bolts, but those were WAY too fat to fit in thru the JKS BPE's. Ended up going with 5/16"x2" grade 8, a larger washer on top to keep the head from coming thru the holes I drilled, (this is the important part)
....then a smaller washer and a lock washer for the bottom side of the BPE's.

The trick to getting the new bolts thru the drilled holes is to use a length of thin wire to fish them thru the triangular access holes that are directly in front of the shock locations. Not alot of room but its not that far to fish. Just make sure the wire is wrapped around the bottom of the bolts real good.
It's actually pretty easy to do.
Here's a shot of one done already and me fishing the second one thru:
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9379/bpeinstall007.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall007.jpg/)

And VOILA!! -out comes the bolt.
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/3395/bpeinstall008.jpg (http://img203.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall008.jpg/)

Once that is done, you'll want to extract the bar pins from the new shocks, (IF you are going to be using Bar Pin Eliminators)
IT WILL BE A PAIN IN THE A**!!!
But a little PB Blaster, some vice work, and a good pickle fork used for ball joints and they will come out:
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9606/bpeinstall009.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall009.jpg/)

Once those are out it Install your Bar Pin eliminators.
Just lube up the shaft (lol), stick the base in a vice, and while rotating the shock back & forth with one hand press down with the other to get it to seat. Then simply place the other end of the BPE on and use the vice to clamp them down, then hammer down the set pin. TA-DA!!!
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/487/bpeinstall010.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall010.jpg/)

....yes I know the holes are 90deg from where they should be in the pic, but that is easily remedied.
Once the shocks are ready, they simply slip over the bolts you installed, that are hanging thru the holes you previously drilled.
Place the lower end over the bottom mount, that keeps the whole assembly in place while you put on the washers and the nuts.
Tightening them down requires you to get an open ended wrench in thru that triangular opening to keep the bolt from spinning.
Not as necessary as it sounds. I PERSONALLY didnt need to do it on a couple of them. (your results may vary)
Torque it all down real good. And YOU ARE DONE!!!!!
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8194/bpeinstall011.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall011.jpg/)

Another shot of the shocks installed with the JKS Bar Pin Eliminators:
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/764/bpeinstall012.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/bpeinstall012.jpg/)

I highly recommend this method for anyone installing rear shocks and end up snapping bolts. The most difficult part was the drilling. But with the right tools, and enough preparation this isn't that bad of a job.
NOTE:....I did this procedure over 2 years ago...and have since gone thru two different sets of shock upgrades (soon to be 3) ....and have wheeled the crap out of it all..... It's a great mod/upgrade, and I know it will last forever, and hold up to pretty much any abuse I throw its way.

Good luck,
I hope this helps!

[Paddletrucker]

Josh, that was incredibly helpful for me. I'm sure i'll be doing this once the rain lets up and I get to start on mine.

One question though...How did you back up the bolts to tighten them? Can you get into that part of the unibody with a wrench??

[NW99XJ]

Josh, that was incredibly helpful for me. I'm sure i'll be doing this once the rain lets up and I get to start on mine.

One question though...How did you back up the bolts to tighten them? Can you get into that part of the unibody with a wrench??

Hey, I'm glad I can help!
To answer your question..... Yes,
The triangular shaped holes I was speaking of above, are just big enough to get your hand into. (sorry I dont have a pic of them right now - but if you climb under there, you'll see what i'm talking about)
You wont be able to get your hand in there very far, but enough to get into position to get a open ended wrench on the head of the bolt.
Now as I stated, IN MY CASE, I didnt even really need to on a few of them...
This could be due to the cinching force being applied by the blocks of the BPE's or maybe the lock washers had something to do with it, I'm not 100% sure.... Maybe I just got lucky.
In any case, the socket wrench on the nut on the exposed side will be doing all the work...the wrench on the nut head is just there to keep things from turning while you cinch it all down.
NOTE: Make sure you use the largest hardware you can get away with, and I would insist that you use grade-8 hardware as well.
ALSO: after a 100 miles or so, climb back under there, and check the tightness of all the nuts and bolts (a good thing to do anyways after a lift install) - and then again at each oil change, or at the very least, before you hit the trails.

Good luck!
Be sure to post up some pics!

[jdsilvaca]

Thanks for the great DIY. I will do this when I put my lift kit on this weekend. Thanks for the help.

Jason