What's up ladies and gentlemen.

I'd like to start a thread to gather all useful knowledge, tips, tricks, methods, alternatives, etc for nutserts. Installation, removal, "jerry rigged" fixes when you screw up, alternative methods, "best methods," screw up prevention methods, crappy methods, crappy experiences, etc. Basically anything nutsert related.

I know there are a few threads out that talk about this but there isn't a thread (to my knowledge) that isn't product specific that covers JUST these damn hellbeasts that we call nutserts/rivnuts.

I am going to be installing Poison Spyder body armor on my JKU and I am highly OCD when it comes to fitment of my chosen products and how they are installed. I want to gather any usable info from all of you who've been to war with these bastards before, in order to not only make my install go smoother, but also to help out anyone else searching about these things.

I don't think most people know how the nutsert even attaches to the body until after they've done an install with them. I didn't, I just assumed a hole was drilled and the nutsert tightened into the hole somehow. After actually getting them and looking at them I looked up the general idea behind them to get a better idea of what I needed to accomplish so I wouldn't make an error in my installation process.

Basically, the nutsert is pushed into a tight fitting hole in the body (leave the dirty jokes out of this you sickos!) and then, by one method or another, you crush the body metal between the outer lip of the nutsert, and the inner unthreaded section of the nutsert, effectively and hopefully, causing it to fit nice and tight to where it doesn't spin.

The way I see it, you can either buy an overpriced installation tool, increase your odds of EASE a little, or use the old bolt and washers method.

Either way, YOU are the final ingredient for success. If your holes aren't drilled and spaced properly, then you've screwed yourself. If you don't install the nutsert perfectly straight/flush, then you've screwed yourself. If you don't hold your fancy nutsert tool flush and level against the mounting surface, you've screwed yourself. If you don't turn cheap the nutsert tool evenly and properly, then you my friend, have screwed yourself. If the nutsert is not installed flush and straight, you will NOT have a nice finished product without major headaches from trying to fix your mistakes. You also need to be careful not to over tighten with your tool of choice, or you'll distort the threads inside, most likely without you noticing until it's time to screw the bolt in during the last step, then you'll try to force it to thread and instead will loosen the nutsert and cause it to spin, effectively, you guessed it, screwing yourself.

In theory this all seems easy enough to do without making errors. But I do not want to mess up. I want everything to fit perfectly and all the Allen bolts to sit evenly and at the same angle and depth. I see some of you hot shots with what looks to be perfectly installed products, but I know that from reading, you all had hell and most of you made small errors, which is apparently a pain in the ass and an easy thing to do with these types of devil magic fasteners.

SO, let me hear it. I don't care what SIZE nutsert you installed, what BRAND product you installed, what TOOL you installed with, just lay it all on the table. Anything that can help all of us who plan to install badass parts that unfortunately require nutserts due to jeeps engineers being such geniuses and building us rolling tin cans.

Methods

Tools

Mistakes

Mistake Fixes

Alternatives

Ideas

Horror Stories

Success Stories



...aaaaaaaannnndd GO!

 

Oh man it's almost to scary to think about. HaHa..Well I'll be installing PSC Crusher Flares on my 13 JKU soon. Just got
Them back from powder coating. I'm very skeptical about the tool supplied with fastener package that came with fenders,
Because I to am ocd about this kind of stuff, lol. I purchased the Astro pneumatic 13" Nut sert tool . It was recommended
To me by Kjeeper10. I've done some practice with it on some 20 gauge and 22 gauge sheet metal worked great . We'll see when it
Comes to the real deal on install...yup..











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I installed 26 nutserts in the doors of my old Jeep after redoing the interior panels. I did it the no cost way, with a bolt and a nut with the threads removed. I liked it because you really got a feel for how much pressure to assert. Usually that meant cranking them down really tight.

 

You sir, are a brave, brave man. Choosing to use nutserts...?! Either genius or insanity. Came out looking very clean though! Looks worth it.

Did you use a regular washer on the bottom of the oversized nut, or a "star" or lock washer? I've seen people do it with both, PSC sent regular washers. I'm thinking about using the star because they say it prevents the nutsert from spinning? I'm not about to spend over $25ish on anything more than POS harbor freight tool...I'd rather do it the "hard" way like you to get the feel of it, I've also seen lazy/weak people use an impact. That just seems like trouble to me. But I only have an air wrench, not a battery powered impact that I can turn down a lot. Even then..I'd rather do it by hand

 

@Rebar-7

How much was the tool? I'm logged in on my cell phone and don't feel like using the internet to find out. You feel like you have the process down? I'm most worried about all of mine lining up perfectly and being straight in the hole and flush, more than I am worried about spinning one or damaging threads in one

 

I dreaded doing nutserts at first too, I'm sure almost everybody did. My number one trick for them is the same with any part install, take your time. If you think about what you're doing with every nutsert you'll be much less likely to mess anything up. Also, when drilling the hole, be careful with your step up bits, I use as many bits as I can leading up to the end size to minimize sheet metal rip. I also like using an air ratchet to install them, after enough practice you get the feel for it.

 

My advice is don't try any homemade crap, I tried it on my fenders and it was a huge mistake. I finally broke down and spent like $50 on a nutsert tool that came with standard and metric heads along with about a 100 nutserts of different sizes which was very helpful since the fenders didn't come with any extras and I ruined a couple of them trying to use homemade methods of install.

 

I had to use nutcerts for my xrc armor and didn't have a tool and I say screw that noise. I will never use nutcerts again without the tool lol. Find one at harbor freight or eBay or something. It's a good tool to have

 

$50 for the proper tool is a no brainer. The nuttiest is just a threaded rivet. If using the bolt method use some gear oil on the threads to make it a bit easier.
Proper alignment is the key and getting the corners securely clamped in place so you can drill the hole correctly will make the install smooth.

 

I would add, take your time, line up the armor, drill a hole, do the nutsert, then attach the armor with that bolt before drilling the next hole.