Request for advice on a Hummer steering box repair.

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Hi all,I was called yesterday to take on a project to reinforce the steering box mount on a stretched Hummer.  I must be 25 to 30 feet long.  The problem is that the bolts holding the steering box down stripped out the threads.The mechanic who called me in had replaced the stock ones with hardened ones as they had broken.  This solved the problem of them breaking but created the new problem of stripping out the bolt holes.In addition some cracking has resulted around the bushings where the steering box mounts to the frame rail.  My plan is to remove these bushings, plate the area and then weld the bushings back into place.  This is the easy part.The tough one is figuring out how to either repair the stripped out threads and come up with a way to prevent this damage in the future.  A body shop / mechanic friend suggested that I look for a duplicate pump that has thicker threaded holes as they will strip out again if left as is.There is no room to accommodate a bolt in the opposite direction as the threaded hole practically hugs the steering box and the bolt head would not permit it to line up.   That would have been an "easy" solution to the threads having stripped.  But not to be....... I did some research on a Hummer off road web site and found out that this is a common problem with Hummers (steering box bolts breaking or stripping).  Some of the guys there go through several of them a year as they are extreme off road enthusiasts and over stress their vehicles.  The fact that this vehicle has been stretched (more weight) will compound this weakness.So my questions:1. Are there sources for beefy steering boxes that might be adapted to the Hummer?2. Has anyone encountered this type of repair and how did you go about it?3. Can the bolt holes be welded shut, drilled and tapped safely?  I think the steering box is cast steel.  A spark test will tell me when the shop pulls it out.  If not, replacement steering boxes are readily available.My thinking is to build  a bracket that will hold the steering box to the frame independent of the factory mounting bolts / holes.  I think a 1/4" plate with two to four hardened 3/8" bolts going through it and around the box, going through the frame rail and sandwiched with another plate on the opposite side.  This should provide additional support and prevent the bolts from breaking or stripping out the holes again.  Knock on wood.......Any thoughts??Thanks in advance,TonyLast edited by therrera; 03-21-2013 at 02:41 PM.Reason: more detail..
Reply:are you going to make enough money for all the trouble and liability ....once you touch it your married to it...and all future issuesOf all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Hi Roadkillbob,with all due respect.  If I fretted about liability I would never repair anything that people were near.  What is the point of having our skill if we are worried about using it?   No one would repair anything for fear of what could happen.I have been around enough to identify jobs that should be avoided.  I've repair welded on  forklifts, truck frames, aluminum rims, motorcycle frames, locomotives, overhead cranes, ship hulls, bicycle frames, transmission cases, engine blocks, building columns and girders, gas and diesel fuel tanks, boat hulls and trailers, 18 wheelers and long trailers, car chassis, and so on........ These are things in which a failure could send people to grave injury or death.   I have almost 35 years of maintenance welding. While I believe that you can get hit by falling airline engine, I don't lose sleep over it.I understand the point you're making.  I just happen to walk through life seeing the glass "half full" not "half empty"Having said this, how would you approach this repair?   By the way, I charge an hourly rate and it is being done "time and material".  I estimated two days for the job allowing for Murphy's law to kick in.Thanks,TonyLast edited by therrera; 03-21-2013 at 03:42 PM.Reason: for clarity
Reply:Pics Pics Pics!!!Then we'll figure it out....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:If it is like an older truck, your best bet is to through bolt(GRADE 8 BOLTS) it with bushings. I did that on many older Ford and GM trucks with big tires that liked to rip steering boxes off the frame.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by therreraHi Roadkillbob,with all due respect.  If I fretted about liability I would never repair anything that people were near.  What is the point of having our skill if we are worried about using it?   No one would repair anything for fear of what could happen.I have been around enough to identify jobs that should be avoided.  I've repair welded on  forklifts, truck frames, aluminum rims, motorcycle frames, locomotives, overhead cranes, ship hulls, bicycle frames, transmission cases, engine blocks, building columns and girders, gas and diesel fuel tanks, boat hulls and trailers, 18 wheelers and long trailers, car chassis, and so on........ These are things in which a failure could send people to grave injury or death.   I have almost 35 years of maintenance welding. While I believe that you can get hit by falling airline engine, I don't lose sleep over it.I understand the point you're making.  I just happen to walk through life seeing the glass "half full" not "half empty"Having said this, how would you approach this repair?   By the way, I charge an hourly rate and it is being done "time and material".  I estimated two days for the job allowing for Murphy's law to kick in.Thanks,Tony
Reply:http://www.teakatoys.com/HUMMER_H1_A...ving_p/agr-206.. a quick google search brought this up,  another idea is to see if the military has brackets that reenforce this area on there hummers?Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingIf it is like an older truck, your best bet is to through bolt(GRADE 8 BOLTS) it with bushings. I did that on many older Ford and GM trucks with big tires that liked to rip steering boxes off the frame.
Reply:http://www.teakatoys.com/HUMMER_H1_A...agr-206256.htmmabe this link worksOf all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:install a hydraulic assist system from PSC and be done with it. It will remove tons of stress from the frame area. I have the 1.75" x 8" ram assist system on my truck with 42" tires and the frame is still perfect at the box mounting area. And this is in a truck known to have frame issues just like the H2
Reply:Is this an H1 HMMWV? I've worked on just about every evolution of these known. There are reinforcement brackets, but they are along the lines of some 3/16" pate with holes drilled in it, honesty. Without upgrading to the new style HMMWV PS Pump (which is junk) and steering gear (which is expensive and unlikely to be available to the public market), I would second the hydraulic assist ram. Considering the geometry of the steering on early hummers, and the fact they have a hydroboost system already installed, this seems like a perfectly viable option. If the stock PS pump has enough juice to run the steering, hydroboost, and in some cases even a winch, it has plenty of volume to run a hydro assist ram.Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
Reply:Thanks you all for your feedback.  I will follow up on those links.  I posted my request after going out to check out the job first.  I haven't gone back yet as the first step was to figure out how to solve the damaged threads on the steering box.I located a place locally that rebuilds steering boxes and they were very familiar with these.  This is not a series I hummer. It is probably a series 2 as the H1 is the military version.  Anyway this place will rebuild the box for under $200 and will repair the threads using heli-coils.I don't have pictures yet.  If there is already some type of kit (or guide) for reinforcing this area, that may simplify things considerably.I expect to be on that job sometime by the end of next week after the steering box is back from being rebuilt.Thanks again,Tony
Reply:Hello all,Well the owner of the car decided to go with a cheaper welder so the project was never undertaken.  The shop mechanic / owner told me that the welder simply fabricated a reinforcement plate to go around a new steering box and used longer bolts.  He doubts it will hold up, but oh well.......Thanks for the help anyway,Tony
Reply:Maybe they will hire you to fix it right next time it breaks Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Probably a good thing, I can see this job as an "evasinceya" .Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Most common repair for steering boxes that tear away. Repair damaged area to original specsFab a brace that conects the box to both frame rails. Bolts are in tension, brace in compression.
Reply:I would have drilled and tapped the stripped holes for a larger bolt rather than helicoil them. Then beef up and drill the frame to complete the repair.Hydraulic assist would have been the followup to ensure it didn't happen again.