Liftgate Strut mount replace- Photos

[jay1028]

Our 1996 driver's side top lift gate mount gave out a few days ago. Rusted through where the ball attaches to the stud. Found a replacement at Autozone. Autozone Part number ML3000. You get a pair of ball studs and nuts. The ball size is 10mm and the stud is M8. Looks like 5/16" but is M8.

Grind down the stub left from when the ball rusted off. I used a dremmel with those cutoff wheels that break easily. Took me six to get the job done. After ground flush with ballstud bracket, start with a small drill bit and gradually increase the bit size to 5/16". If you don't start small, the larger bit will travel all over the place. The nuts supplied are Nyloc nuts and are too thick to fit behind the bracket. I found an M8 nut in the bin and ground it down to fit. The ball stud threads are too long Had to cut the threaded section down to 3/8" or it will bottom out against the panel. Put thread locker on the threads and tightened it down.

Strut fits over the new mount like a glove.

 

[jay1028]

Photos didn't appear. Here are links:

http://s245.beta.photobucket.com/user/jay1047/media/DSCN1076_zps42b93b43.jpg.html

http://s245.beta.photobucket.com/user/jay1047/media/DSCN1080_zps7c3a2340.jpg.html

http://s245.beta.photobucket.com/user/jay1047/media/DSCN1082_zpsfac8487f.jpg.html

http://s245.beta.photobucket.com/user/jay1047/media/DSCN1087_zps41a4d26c.jpg.html

http://s245.beta.photobucket.com/user/jay1047/media/DSCN1088_zps99baa8e7.jpg.html

 

[golfguy54]

jay, You're a godsend!

I wanted to bump this post back to the top because I'm sure that more and more of us are going to have this problem. A couple weeks ago, the same upper right stud on my 2000 broke and after hours of searching on this forum, I found your post. I ordered the parts from Autozone, picked them up a couple days later, dug out the Dremel and 'went to work'. Took me about an hour to grind down the stud and drill out the rest of it. I sprayed some rustoleum on the bare metal (white trim). Took the parts over to a friends house and ground down the 2 nuts and 2 bolts in the pack (you might as well do them both so when the other breaks you'll be ready). Test fitted everything and installed with loctite. Like you said, it works like a charm. BTW, this is my first post but I've been 'lurking' and finding valuable info here for years. I also looked through the Motorcraft online catalog and could find nothing pertaining to repairing this issue.

 

[jay1028]

I am very happy that this helped you out. This forum has given me so much, that I just had to document this situation where unfortunately some of us will eventually have this problem and it is fixable when you know what parts to use and how yo modify them to work for you.

 

[Ol' Mountaineer]

Excellent tip, Jay! Fixed mine in no time flat. Was only slowed down for a moment to grind a wrench flat enough to fit behind the bracket. Now back to the EGR...