I went to remove the tow hooks on the front of my truck to install a grill guard, but one of the nuts is spinning inside the frame preventing its removal. What's the easiest way to get at it?

 

look for a hole near by and wedge something in there... otehrwise cut the hook off with an air grinder or something like that and jsut put a new nut in when you replace it.. you will need clearance to get a wrench in there though....

 

Hey Thanks.
there's like a small opening on the outide of the frame by the nuts. I cant get my finger in there, but wedging a something in there might do it...? I soaked the nuts inside the frame for awhile with PB nut buster before i tried removing them, and got three out of the four loose...
I could cut the head of the bolt off, but then I'd still have the spinning nut inside the frame.

 

you wouldnt have the spinning nut insdie the frame, if the bolts cut, it will move... it wont be stuck in the same place anymore

 

the holes on the frame are'nt round? I put it all back together before, so i can't have a look see right now..

 

same thing happened to me. definitely a PITA, but I got it out using a pickle fork and a floor jack. stick the pickle fork between the bolt head and the frame and use the jack to raise the handle end of the fork to apply friction to the spinning nut inside. losen with 17mm socket. careful when it finally comes free cuz the truck will drop down a bit and the fork might shoot out with some force - mine just dropped to the ground quickly. not sure if the same procedure could be used to put the nut and bolt back if you needed to. There is no way possible in my case to get a wrench inside the frame to hold the nut.

 

Oh you can get inside the frame to hold the nut, you are just gonna have to weld afterwards...

 

thanks for the suggestions! I'll have some time tomorrow to try again. hopefully i can get something wedged in there. an alternative thought i had was to open a hole in the frame, just large enough to get a wrench end in there. also, if i did open a hole, perhaps i could tack weld the nut (not likely to hold, my welding suks!) .....just a thought...

 

impact wrench

 

that would make it spin faster!

 

if you are planning on putting on a winch in the future, take the time now to do the frame repair waskilly has on his site. you can weld the nut in at the same time, i think watrd has the same write-up.

lee

 

could you post the link to the frame mod please? i'd like to check it out. i did a search, but no luck....

 

http://www.drawhorn.org/front_frame_end_mod.htm

or contact ROB a.k.a. WATRD here on YT. His write-up is somewhere either on his site or on someone else's. I don't remember where.

I wouldn't put a winch on the front of my 3rd w/o doing this mod IMO.